Letter from the BWPO Chairman
Dear Colleagues:
It’s with great pleasure that Gary Gottlieb and I announce the appointment of Paul Cook as the next president and CEO of Brigham and Women’s Physicians Organization. Paul comes to BWH with an exceptional track record as an accomplished clinical and business development leader. He will prove to be an asset to the BWPO as we work together to grow our network and extend our excellent Brigham care to more and more patients.
Our commitment to excellent patient care shined as brightly as it ever has during the last several months as many PO members stood up to fill the leadership vacancy following Troy Brennan’s departure. Thank you to the entire BWPO leadership team, particularly Bill Johnston and Allen Smith, for their hard work and dedication during the last year of transition.
And thank you to everyone who provided input in formulating an updated job description and ensuring that we could bring in the best candidates to select from. More than 30 BWH leaders contributed to the to process to finalize the formal job description. Our search committee, which included all our academic chairs, reviewed approximately 80 candidates, interviewed six first-round candidates and conducted second interviews for three finalists. Several chiefs were involved during this collaborative process, too.
In addition to our chairs and chiefs, a special thank you goes to David Torchiana, chairman of the Mass. General Physician Organization, and J. Dale Sherratt, a valued member of the BWPO’s lay trustees. Also, thank you to James Mongan and Partners leadership for making the time to meet with Paul and describe to him our system-wide goals and accomplishments.
A special thank you to Sharon Cohen for managing all of us through this lengthy and complex search. The smooth flow of information and seamless scheduling of interviews and meetings did not happen by accident. We all owe Sharon and everyone in our PO administrative offices a debt of gratitude.
And we are grateful to everyone who offered valuable insights on our final candidates before we ultimately decided on Paul as our top choice following deliberate and thoughtful consideration. During this entire process, everyone worked together in an efficient and collaborative manner, not unlike the way we deliver care.