Yale New Haven Health announced the appointment of Katherine Heilpern, MD, FACEP, as the new president of Yale New Haven Hospital, the health system’s flagship hospital, effective March 11.
After an extensive search, Dr. Heilpern was selected due in part to her prior experience as both a health system executive and academic chair at highly respected health systems.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Heilpern to our health system,” said Pamela Sutton-Wallace, president, YNHHS. “I am confident that her keen leadership skills, strategic vision and commitment to performance excellence will accelerate our growth at Yale New Haven Hospital.”
Dr. Heilpern is joining the health system from New York-Presbyterian, where she led the Weill Cornell Division during the apex of COVID-19 infections in New York City. Working closely with physician and operational leaders, she and her team markedly enhanced ICU capacity, developed innovative clinical care protocols and designed an inpatient unit dedicated to the complex rehabilitative needs of patients with prolonged COVID. Just prior to the pandemic, Dr. Heilpern led the teams that developed the strategy, operations and staffing of the NYP David H. Koch Ambulatory Care Center. She then led the teams in the strategy, construction and operations of the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns that opened in 2020.
“I am very excited to lead such a dynamic academic medical center and help drive Yale New Haven’s ongoing efforts to ensure quality, timely, equitable and patient-centered care,” said Dr. Heilpern. “I look forward to using my experience in partnership with my system colleagues to advance and grow key clinical services at the system hospitals and ambulatory locations.”
Dr. Heilpern was recruited to NYP from Emory University School of Medicine and Emory Healthcare, where she practiced emergency medicine and served on the faculty for 22 years, including 12 years as chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. Under her leadership, the Department of Emergency Medicine was a top recipient of National Institutes of Health and other federal awards and recognized as a national leader in public health preparedness, emerging health threats, education and DEI initiatives.
She has a long history of national service to the medical profession, serving on boards and in leadership roles with the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine, the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine and the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Heilpern has received numerous awards and honors, including the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine John Marx Leadership Award, Crain’s New York Notable Women in Healthcare, Emory School of Medicine Alumni Association Distinguished Medical Achievement Award and the Academy of Women in Academic Emergency Medicine Outstanding Department of Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Heilpern received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Temple University Hospital, with initial training and board certification in Internal Medicine followed by board certification in Emergency Medicine. After her training, Dr. Heilpern served as a medical officer for the Indian Health Service.
