The president of UCLA’s health system will step down May 1 to take on a similar position in Pennsylvania, the university announced today.
Dr. David Feinberg, who was also CEO of the university’s hospital system, will become president/CEO of the Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania, according to UCLA.
The announcement of Feinberg’s departure comes as the university contends with a bacterial outbreak at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center that was traced to a pair of contaminated medical scopes and has infected at least seven people, killing two. The university has notified 179 patients who underwent endoscopic procedures between October and January that they may have been exposed to the so-called “superbug” known as CRE.
In conjunction with Feinberg’s departure, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block also announced that Dr. John Mazziotta, who established the UCLA Brain Mapping Center, has been appointed vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, effective Sunday.
“While all of us are saddened to lose Dr. Feinberg, we are also excited that Dr. Mazziotta has agreed to take on this critically important role for UCLA,” Block said. “There is no better person than John Mazziotta to lead UCLA’s health science enterprise.”
Mazziotta has been with UCLA since 1983 and has been associate vice chancellor for health sciences and executive vice dean of the Geffen School of Medicine since 2012.
“This will be a very productive and exciting time for the David Geffen School of Medicine and the UCLA Health System,” Mazziotta said. “I look forward to joining my colleagues of many years as we continue to ensure that UCLA is the future of medicine.”
The university credited Feinberg with building partnerships with the Doheny Eye Institute, the Motion Picture and Television Fund health network, Cedars-Sinai and Select Medical.
“Despite our excitement over Dr. Mazziotta’s new role, we are very sorry to see Dr. Feinberg leave us,” Block said. “I have no doubt that David will build upon his stellar record of accomplishment at Geisinger.”
