Aurora, Colo.  – UCHealth is excited to name Elizabeth (Liz) B. Concordia as President and CEO beginning September 2, 2014.

Concordia comes to UCHealth from UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) where she served as the Executive Vice President and the President of UPMC’s Hospital and Community Services Division. In her roles there, Concordia has been instrumental in developing strategies that benefited patients by increasing the quality, value and safety of healthcare. Concordia was also crucial for growth and the integration of multiple hospitals within the UPMC system.

“I am honored to be named President and CEO of UCHealth,” said Concordia. “UCHealth is a successful, fast growing, quality-focused academic and community system that’s improving the lives of patients throughout the Rocky Mountain region. I am truly excited about this new opportunity.”

Over the past eight months, a broad search team made up of physicians and leaders from UCHealth, UCHealth Medical Group and the University of Colorado School of Medicine has spent countless hours examining an impressive list of candidates from across the nation. The search committee also used scores of interviews with UCHealth physicians and employees to develop the values used to screen candidates.

“We are thrilled about this selection. Liz is more than just a talented and experienced leader, she is someone who truly embodies the values and the vision of UCHealth,” said UCHealth Chairman Dick Monfort. “I want to thank Chris Osborn and the search committee for the incredible job they’ve done to choose our next leader.”

The search committee included:

• Chris Osborn, CEO search committee chair and UCHealth Board of Directors vice-chair
• Bill Neff, MD, UCHealth chief medical officer and interim president and CEO
• Lilly Marks, UCHealth board member and executive vice chancellor of the Anschutz Medical Campus
• Mary Rhinehart, UCHealth board member and president and CEO of Johns Manville
• Rich Schulick, MD, chair of surgery, CU School of Medicine

“Liz will build on the nationally-recognized quality of UCHealth while ensuring our physicians, nurses and staff have the tools they need to deliver the very best experience for our patients,” said Tom Downes, MD, chief medical officer, UCHealth in northern Colorado.

Vast experience leading a health care system

Concordia already has vast experience leading a large health care system that combines academic medicine with community hospitals and clinics. The UPMC hospital division includes 20 hospitals with 5,100 licensed beds, 17 senior community facilities and 36,800 employees.

“I believe the physicians within UCHealth and the CU School of Medicine will be very excited to work with Liz,” said Schulick. “She has a track record of integrating large groups of physicians and their staffs across a complex health care system with a focus on quality and safety, and I am very confident in our future with such talented leadership.”

“The individual hospitals and clinics within UCHealth have already seen important improvements in quality and safety while adding innovative new treatments,” said George Hayes, Memorial Hospital CEO. “Liz’s experience will enable her to continue integrating UCHealth’s academic medicine with our community hospitals, allowing the very best of both to positively impact all of our patients throughout the Rocky Mountain Region.”

The UCHealth Board of Directors thanks Dr. Bill Neff for his service as Interim President and CEO during this search process. Dr. Neff will help ensure a smooth transition before returning to his role of UCHealth Chief Medical Officer in September.

About UCHealth

UCHealth is a Front Range health system that delivers the highest quality patient care with the highest quality patient experience. UCHealth combines Memorial Hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of the Rockies, UCHealth Medical Group, and University of Colorado Hospital into an organization dedicated to health and providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. UCHealth partners with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and numerous community organizations to provide care. Separately, these institutions can continue providing superior care to patients and service to the communities they serve. Together, they push the boundaries of medicine, attracting more research funding, hosting more clinical trials and improving health through innovation.

Contact: Dan Weaver (720) 848-7852 or [email protected]