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Karen Westervelt has been appointed senior vice president and chief operating officer of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, effective October 20. In this role, she will work with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Board of Trustees and senior leadership to develop and implement key strategic initiatives for the healthcare system. Ms. Westervelt succeeds Wayne Osten, who is retiring. She will report to Dr. Laura Forese, president of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.

"We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Westervelt to NewYork-Presbyterian," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, CEO, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "Her extensive knowledge and experience in healthcare delivery and policy will be a valuable asset to our healthcare system, and reaffirms our commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered care to residents of the tri-state area. We are most grateful to Wayne Osten for his many years of leadership and service to the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and the Department of Health."

As senior vice president and COO of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, Ms. Westervelt will oversee a system of hospitals, physician practices and ambulatory care sites in New York City and its surrounding boroughs and counties. Together, its members serve approximately one in five inpatients in the New York metro area. Each institution is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the No. 1 hospital in New York, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Ms. Westervelt has successfully led numerous public and private healthcare initiatives. As deputy commissioner of the Office of Primary Care and Health Systems Management in the New York State Department of Health, she oversaw the regulation of the New York State healthcare system and the implementation of federal and state healthcare system reform. Her responsibilities also included developing healthcare policy and standards, planning of new health care facilities and health services research.

Most recently, she served as president and CEO of the William F. Ryan Community Health Network. In this role, she led a group of 17 primary care, behavioral health and specialty care community health centers, with a specific focus on underserved patient populations. She previously served as executive director of the Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton Community Health Center, where she oversaw primary and specialty health services for the institution.

"Ms. Westervelt is a proven leader and one of the top minds in healthcare in New York," said Dr. Forese. "Her deep understanding of all aspects of healthcare delivery will be of great benefit to the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System."

Ms. Westervelt graduated from Russell Sage College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. She is currently completing a master’s of healthcare delivery science program at Dartmouth College, a partnership degree from The Tuck School of Business and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

"NewYork-Presbyterian has made a transformative impact on healthcare," said Ms. Westervelt. "I am proud to be joining an institution that has such a long-standing and proven commitment to innovation, quality and patient-centered care for so many."

NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is system of hospitals, physician practices and ambulatory care sites in New York City and its surrounding boroughs and counties. Together, its members serve approximately one in five inpatients in the New York metropolitan area. The System is dedicated to increasing access to care; promoting quality and patient safety through the emulation of best practices; and building clinical partnerships through program development and advocacy. Acute-care System members are also academic affiliates of one of two Ivy League medical schools: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The System has pioneered the use of quality and patient safety data through its COQPIT dashboard tool to provide opportunities for demonstrable improvements in patient care.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive hospitals and a leading provider of inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine. With some 2,600 beds and more that 6,500 affiliated physicians and 20,000 employees, NewYork-Presbyterian had more than 2 million visits in 2013, including close to 15,000 infant deliveries and more than 310,000 emergency department visits. NewYork-Presbyterian comprises six campuses: NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital. The hospital is also closely affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area, according to U.S. News & World Report, and consistently named to the magazine’s Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation. Affiliated with two world-renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service.