AHA Board Names Brian Gragnolati Chair-Elect Designate

The American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Board of Trustees has selected Brian Gragnolati, president and CEO of Atlantic Health System, as its chair-elect designate. Gragnolati will assume the chairmanship in 2019, becoming the top-elected official of the national organization that represents America’s hospitals and health systems and works to advance health in America.

Atlantic Health System, headquartered in Morristown, N.J., is an integrated health care delivery system powered by a workforce of 16,000 team members dedicated to building healthier communities. The system is comprised of 350 sites of care, including six hospitals: Morristown Medical Center, Overlook Medical Center, Newton Medical Center, Chilton Medical Center, Hackettstown Medical Center and Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Atlantic Health System also supports communities through Atlantic Medical Group, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, Atlantic Home Care and Hospice, and its subsidiary, Atlantic Ambulance Corporation. The system sponsors Optimus Healthcare Partners and Atlantic Accountable Care Organization, one of the largest ACOs in the nation.

Before arriving at Atlantic Health System in 2015, Gragnolati was senior vice president, community division, at Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) in Baltimore, Md. In this role, he was successful in further developing the JHM Integrated Delivery and Financing System. Previously, Gragnolati served as president and CEO of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md., for 12 years, and four years as president and CEO of WellSpan Health in York, Pa. He has also held positions at the Medical Center of Vermont in Burlington, and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.

“More than ever, now is a critically important and exciting time to be a leader in the health care field as we drive the transformation of care in America. I look forward to working with the AHA’s members across the country in support of the association’s mission to advance the health of individuals and communities,” said Gragnolati.

Currently a member of the AHA Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee and chair of its Operations Committee, Gragnolati also serves on AHA’s Investment Committee, Committee on Health Strategy & Innovation, and Next Generation Physician Engagement Task Force. He is a past chair of the association’s Metropolitan Hospitals Governing Council. In 2015, his advocacy on behalf of patients and hospitals was honored with the AHA’s Partnership for Action Grassroots Champion Award.

Gragnolati began his career as an Emergency Medical Technician. He holds a B.S. in Health Systems Analysis from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from Western New England College. He is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.