Washington, D.C., September 2, 2008—The AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) announced today that Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., will be the association's new chief health care officer. She is currently executive vice president of Atlantic Health System and chief operating officer (COO) of Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey. Dr. Conroy will join the AAMC on October 1.

"Dr. Conroy will bring to her new position a superb understanding of health system operations and of hospital and physician relationships, as well as substantial skill at building collaborative partnerships among the various elements of academic health systems," said AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. "Her extensive experience in the key components of an academic medical center-health care delivery, physician practice, and medical education-will uniquely position her to understand the perspectives and concerns of teaching hospitals and health systems, faculty practice plans, and medical schools."

"As we confront the challenges facing the U.S. health care system, it's important that teaching hospitals and medical schools anticipate future change while delivering safe, high quality care to all patients," Dr. Conroy said. "We can accomplish this by working with physicians, students, and staff to create new knowledge and develop a culture of innovation and visionary leadership. It is my pleasure to be able to contribute to this effort as a member of the AAMC leadership team."

In her new position as the AAMC's chief health care officer, Dr. Conroy will focus on the interface between the health care delivery system and academic medicine, paying particular attention to how health care in academic settings can address quality of care and patient-centered care issues. She will also oversee the AAMC's Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, composed of approximately 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 64 Veterans Affairs medical centers. Dr. Conroy will replace Robert Dickler, who announced in 2007 that he intended to step down after 16 years of service to the association and its members.

An anesthesiologist by training, Dr. Conroy joined the Atlantic Health System in 2001 as chief medical officer. A year later, she became the system's vice president of academic affairs, a position she held for three years. In this capacity, Dr. Conroy developed and managed voluntary and paid medical staff for the health system's three hospitals, Morristown Memorial, Overlook, and Mountainside. In 2005, Dr. Conroy became executive vice president for Atlantic Health and COO for Morristown Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Conroy is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where she received a B.A. degree in chemistry. She was awarded her medical degree in 1983 from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and subsequently served in various faculty positions, including associate and full professor in MUSC's department of anesthesiology. In 1997, she was appointed chair, becoming the first woman in the university's history to lead a clinical department.

Dr. Conroy is also past president of the Society for Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine and past chair of the Board of Trustees for the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 130 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and nearly 90 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 125,000 faculty members, 70,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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