Bob Russell
PHILADELPHIA— Bob Russell has been named Chief Executive Officer of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC), after serving as acting CEO since September 2022. He succeeds Michele Volpe, who was named COO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) in September 2022 following 23 years as PPMC CEO.
As acting CEO, Russell helped PPMC achieve success in various initiatives to bolster quality and patient experience, including cutting the overall length of stay in the Emergency Department and the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. During the past year, he guided hospital leaders and staff as they worked to make key facility enhancements and upgrades, hire new physician leaders, and enhance efforts to engage with employees through rounding, meetings, and special events.
“After nearly two decades with the health system, Bob has demonstrated the expertise, experience, and institutional knowledge that makes him the clear choice for this role,” Volpe said. “I am thrilled for him to take on the CEO position permanently, where he will continue his important efforts to create an even more provider-friendly work environment, and improve patient experience and outcomes.”
Prior to his acting CEO role, Russell served as COO and associate executive director at PPMC. During that time, he was the architect of numerous initiatives that improved patient satisfaction and outcomes, including the creation of a concierge pharmacy service for patients returning home from hospitalizations, and implementation of an outpatient specialty pharmacy program. Before joining PPMC, Russell served as clinical director for ambulatory and ancillary services at Pennsylvania Hospital for three years, overseeing efforts to reorganize and expand key clinical operations. He previously held leadership positions at Health Management Solutions, Temple University Hospital, and Albert Einstein Medical Center.
“Since joining Penn Medicine, Bob has led many mission-critical initiatives to enhance administrative operations, patient experience, and care delivery,” said UPHS CEO Kevin B. Mahoney. “In his new role, he will continue to enhance the standard of excellence for which PPMC is known, all with the overarching goal of helping people in the communities Penn Medicine serves live longer, healthier lives.”
Russell holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Temple and a master’s degree in public administration from Villanova. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
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.