SUNY Downstate Medical Center Names Lori Donnell Senior Associate Vice President For Health Affairs And Executive Director Of University Physicians Of Brooklyn
May 4, 2018
Brooklyn, NY— SUNY Downstate Medical Center today announced the appointment of Lori Donnell as
Senior Associate Vice President for Health Affairs, and Executive Director of University
Phyisicians of Brooklyn (UPB), the faculty practice of SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
Working with the College of Medicine and UPB Board, Ms. Donnell will work on growth
strategies to ensure operating efficiency in the delivery of healthcare.
“Lori is a consummate professional with expertise and a passion for continually improving the healthcare industry,” said Downstate president Wayne Riley, M.D. “Her knowledge of healthcare delivery along with her transformative leadership style, will help inform and enhance our patients’ experiences as we seek new ways of engaging them.”
‘We are delighted to have Lori join us at UPB,” said William P. Urban, M.D, Chair of the UPB board and Chair of Orthopaedics at SUNY Downstate. “Her focus will be critical as we look for more effective and efficient ways to serve our patients while meeting our financial objectives. She has experience which will allow us to strengthen our service delivery and patient engagement initiatives.”
“We know how important access to healthcare and the patient experience are to our patients,” said Ms. Donnell. “By strengthening growth strategies, clinical operations, and community partnerships, we will expand in these areas to support UPB’s business and financial objectives; I am confident that working together we can uphold the operational excellence of our UPB physicians, and I look forward to working with them.”
Most recently, Lori served as the Chief Operating Officer at Chicago-based Friend Family Health Center (FFHC) where she provided day-to-day leadership and managed their Federally Qualified Health Center serving more than 37,000 residents annually.
Ms. Donnell developed and implemented plans for the operational infrastructure systems, budget development, and process improvement to accommodate the rapid-growth objectives of the organization. Under her leadership, FFHC developed two primary care expansion clinics and added dental services to its list of provided services.
Ms. Donnell also served as Senior Associate Vice President for Health Affairs at Meharry Medical College and Executive Director for the Meharry Medical Group in Nashville, Tennessee where she improved clinical operations, implemented proper operational controls, enhanced administrative and reporting procedures, and created systems to effectively grow the organization.
With more than three decades of experience in the healthcare delivery system, Ms. Donnell brings a notable record of success with a proven ability to develop and implement process improvement strategies that support business and meet financial objectives. She has served on several teams to achieve Joint Commission Accreditation and PCMH/NCQA Recognition. She is recognized as an expert in applying patient satisfaction initiatives, quality enhancement, and improving the overall patient experience.
Ms. Donnell holds a bachelor’s degree from Baker University in Baldwin City, KS, and a Master’s in Business Administration and Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix.
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About SUNY Downstate Medical Center
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, founded in 1860, was the first medical school in the United States to bring teaching out of the lecture hall and to the patient’s bedside. A center of innovation and excellence in research and clinical service delivery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively.
SUNY Downstate ranks twelfth nationally in the number of alumni who are on the faculty of American medical schools. More physicians practicing in New York City have graduated from SUNY Downstate than from any other medical school.