(PHILADELPHIA) -- Deb Staples has been named Chief Operating Officer of Pennsylvania Hospital, effective immediately. Deb has been an integral member of the Pennsylvania Hospital leadership team, most recently as Vice President, Allied Health and Professional Services.
As Chief Operating Officer, Deb will be responsible for the daily operations of the hospital and its ambulatory facilities.
Over her 17 years at Pennsylvania Hospital, Deb has been a trusted and effective leader for the hospital on projects such as the successful transition and integration of the inpatient psychiatric unit from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) to Pennsylvania Hospital. She also played a key role in the introduction of the laborist model for obstetrical care and the development of the Pennsylvania Hospital outpatient radiology site at the Tuttleman Center on the campus of Penn Medicine Rittenhouse.
“I look forward to partnering with Deb as we develop and carry out our vision for the hospital together. I know that her leadership, talent and energy will lead us to great places,” said R. Michael Buckley, MD, Pennsylvania Hospital Executive Director, upon making the announcement.
Deb was previously Associate Vice President, Professional Services and also served as Executive Director of the Benjamin Franklin Clinic, a former affiliate of Pennsylvania Hospital.
She succeeds Ron Kumor, who departed in January after holding the position for the last four years.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.