Dr. Karen Remley, chief medical director of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia, will become executive director and CEO of the American Academy of Pediatrics after Dr. Errol Alden retires in July. She will be the first woman to lead the 62,000-member organization.
Remley, 58, previously was Virginia's state health commissioner and oversaw a $560 million budget and a 4,000-employee department.
“Dr. Remley is a pediatrician with a broad background and experience in many aspects of the healthcare system,” AAP President Dr. Sandra Hassink said in a news release. “We are delighted to welcome her as our CEO.”
Remley worked for 15 years as an attending emergency physician at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Va. She is also the founding director of Eastern Virginia Medical School's M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health. The institute's stated goal is to make the Norfolk-based school “the most community-oriented school of medicine and health professions in the nation,” according to its website.
“As a pediatrician, I have always been proud to be a part of this organization,” Remley said in the news release. “I am excited to bring the diverse perspectives of my professional experience to this new role.”
Alden started at the AAP in 1987 as director of education. He was named CEO in 2004 and announced his retirement last May.
The AAP was incorporated in 1930 and is based in Elk Grove Village, Ill.
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