The Department of Anesthesiology is pleased to announce a new leadership structure and new appointments to the executive committee.
A Period of Growth and Expansion
The announcement follows nearly a decade of tremendous growth and expansion. Since 2013, the department's faculty has increased from 75 to more than 120 today. Its work has expanded to the Lower Manhattan Hospital in 2015, to the David H. Koch Center in 2017, and to the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women in 2020. The department's residency program has become one of the most competitive in the country, and its research and funding have seen unprecedented growth.
The new leadership structure reflects these changes and positions the department to continue to grow and develop over the next decade.
New Executive Committee
The department's executive leadership is changing in both structure and membership. In addition to the chair, the new Executive Committee will be comprised of two Executive Vice Chairs — one Academic, one Clinical — and three Vice Chairs:
- On the academic side, the new role of Vice Chair for Professional Affairs will report to the Executive Vice Chair for Academic Affairs.
- On the clinical side, the existing role of Vice Chair for Quality and Patient Safety, as well as the new role of Vice Chair for Operations and Informatics will report to the Executive Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs.
After more than 40 years of incredible leadership and dedication to the department, Dr. Vinod Malhotra will step away from the Executive Committee to take the new role of Senior Executive Advisor to the Chair. In his new role Dr. Malhotra will be dedicated to expanding the professional opportunities and engagement of our faculty while advising the chair regarding institutional matters. He will increase the participation of our faculty in professional societies, oversee alumni engagement, and leverage his world-wide contacts to provide connections and resources to develop the national and international reputation of the department and its faculty. We look forward to his leadership in this new endeavor.
Dr. Kane Pryor is the Executive Vice Chair for Academic Affairs. In his new role he will continue to oversee the education and research missions of the department, and will more formally assume leadership of the faculty development mission. The Chief Learning Officer, Vice Chair for Professional Affairs, and senior education and research leadership will report to him directly. Dr. Pryor has been extraordinarily successful in programmatic development of the education division as well as the clinical/outcomes research operations. Dedicated to mentorship and academic career development, he has overseen a tremendous expansion in career development grants, programs, and awards.
Dr. Natalia Ivascu is the Executive Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs. In her new role she will oversee the clinical mission of the department including operations, strategic planning growth of our clinical enterprise and mentorship of clinical faculty. The Vice Chair for Quality and Patient Safety, the Vice Chair for Operations and Informatics, the Clinical Directors and Division Chiefs, Regional Site Chiefs and the Director of ERAS will report to her directly. Dr. Ivascu will also assume leadership of the Clinical Practice Committee and Multidisciplinary Perioperative Committee (aka 3rd and 10th floor Committee). Dr. Ivascu will also continue in her current roles as Chief of Critical Care Anesthesiology and Medical Director of the CTICU. Dr. Ivascu has held many leadership roles in the department including Director of Liver Transplantation Anesthesiology, Pre-Anesthesia Evaluation Center and the PACU and is deeply committed to advancing our clinical position within the organization. Dr. Ivascu is committed to mentorship, and will complement Dr. Pryor in the promotion of clinically-focused career development.
Dr. Patricia Mack will continue to innovate within her updated role as Vice Chair for Quality and Patient Safety. She will continue to serve on the Executive Committee as well as Chair the Quality and Patient Safety Committee. Dr. Mack will directly manage adverse event documentation and root cause analysis participation for the department. She will continue to lead the resident quality education program and manage the resident-led projects. A new role of Chief Compliance Officer will be developed to focus on regulatory compliance and Joint Commission preparedness, and that role will report to Dr. Mack
Dr. Zachary Turnbull joins the Executive Committee in the new role of Vice Chair for Operations and Informatics. In his new role Dr. Turnbull will oversee faculty scheduling, the daily scheduling team, and Floor Leader teams, and will continue in his current role as Director of the Center for Perioperative Outcomes (CPO). He will also continue in his position with NYP as Medical Director of Perioperative Services and Operations. Working with the informatics capabilities of the CPO, Dr. Turnbull will bring an emphasis on data-driven problem solving to the work of the Executive Committee. Dr. Turnbull has distinguished himself in building informatics-based programs and solutions in a myriad of operational, billing, research, and education areas.
Dr. Ralph Slepian will continue to serve on the Executive Committee in the new role of Vice Chair for Professional Affairs. Dr. Slepian will serve as the first Faculty Ombudsman, a role created to advocate for fairness and equity, and to provide a channel for faculty and staff to discuss problems or issues related to their work environment. Dr. Slepian will handle personnel concerns, including aspects of recruitment, onboarding, and credentialing, and will also provide professionalism support to faculty. The co-Chairs of the Faculty Council and the Chair of the Faculty WorkLife Improvement Committee will report to Dr. Slepian. A part of the Weill Cornell community for over thirty years, having held multiple leadership roles in both the department and hospital, Dr. Slepian’s experience makes him ideally suited for this new role.