UCLA Health System President Stepping Down for Geisinger Position

The president of the UCLA Health System, which is still contending with the outbreak of a superbug that infected 7 patients and killed 2, is stepping down from his position for a new appointment as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Geisinger Health System.

David T. Feinberg, MD, MBA will succeed Glenn Steele, Jr, MD, PhD. Dr Feinberg, who will join Geisinger May 1, 2015, has been named to Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Physician Executives.

“It is important to me to not only continue, but also expand Geisinger’s work in patient care, research, education, innovation and community service, and I look forward to continuing Geisinger’s trajectory of achievement upward,” Dr Feinberg said in a statement.

In addition to being CEO of the UCLA Hospital System, he is currently the associate vice chancellor for UCLA Health Sciences in California. He has served many roles with UCLA over the years, including vice chair for clinical affairs in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and medical director of managed care/outpatient services at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital.

Dr Feinberg has been named Medical Center CEO of the Year by The Los Angeles Business Journal and Outstanding Physician of the Year by the Southern California Psychiatric Society and won many other awards, as well as authored numerous articles and chapters. He specializes in psychiatry and child psychiatry.

Dr Steele will continue as chairman of xG Health Solutions, a venture of Geisinger that helps healthcare organizations create value and improve quality.

“It has been my extraordinary privilege to lead the organization from a highly respected regional provider to a nationally recognized system,” he said. “I wish Dr. Feinberg well as he continues to build upon Geisinger’s unique position, history and track record of success well into the future, and I will do all I can to help him transition to his new position.”