Boston-based Partners HealthCare has named its first female CEO: Dr. Anne Klibanski.
Klibanski has served as interim CEO since February, replacing Dr. David Torchiana, who retired after having served in the role since March 2015.
Partners generated $131 million in operating income in the second quarter of its fiscal 2019 and owns world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Before being named interim CEO, Klibanski was Partners' chief academic officer, a position she had held since 2012. As interim CEO, she oversaw major initiatives like the advanced digital imaging system Partners 2.0 and a number of board task forces focused on a range of strategic and operational issues, the health system said.
While Klibanski served as interim CEO, Partners' board realized she's the ideal leader to move the health system forward, Board Chairman Scott Sperling said in a statement.
"Anne has done an outstanding job of managing this large and complex system as we continuously work to provide care of exceptional quality at the lowest possible cost," he said. "Her long and extraordinary experience and leadership in research and teaching is so important to a system that is the global leader in life sciences research and the educator of the next generation of doctors and health system leaders."
Klibanski will appoint a new chief academic officer. When she served in that position, she oversaw Partners' $1.8 billion research enterprise, as well as teaching and other activities. She also led a systemwide effort around clinical and education collaboration and oversaw personalized medicine, clinical trials and commercialization and licensing.
This year, Modern Healthcare recognized Klibanski as one of the nation's Top 25 Women Leaders.
In a statement, Klibanski said Partners is a great organization, but she believes it can be even better.
"In recent months members from hospital boards across the system have started to work together in a way we have not seen before at Partners," she said. "I am honored to have the opportunity to realize the full potential we have to transform health care and make it better for patients and families everywhere."
Earlier this month, Partners dropped plans to merge with Care New England after Rhode Island's governor signaled her desire that the Providence-based health system retain local control.
Partners, which has nine acute-care hospitals and three specialty hospitals, including Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's, started off strong financially in 2019, with operating income up nearly 89% in the second quarter to $131.2 million. The system generated nearly $3.3 billion in operating revenue in the quarter, up 4% year-over-year.
