Ernest Baptiste Appointed CEO of Stony Brook University Hospital

Ernest Baptiste, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, will join Stony Brook Medicine as Chief Executive Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital effective November 27, 2017, announced Stony Brook University President, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD and Sr. Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine, Kenneth Kaushansky, MD.

Ernest Baptiste will join Stony Brook Medicine as Chief Executive Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital.

As Baptiste takes on this position, he steps into the vacancy that will result from the bifurcation of the position of hospital CEO and Vice President for Health Systems at Stony Brook  held by Dr. Reuven Pasternak. Pasternak will remain at Stony Brook as Vice President for Health Systems to continue to shepherd the increasing number of healthcare interactions underway.

With more than 25 years of hospital administration, Baptiste’s career has been punctuated by progressive leadership experiences in executive level management and hospital operations.

“Mr. Baptiste has worked successfully with physicians, administrators and department heads to improve departmental operations, achieve organizational goals and ensure the delivery of high quality, safe, efficient and cost-effective care,” said President Stanley.

“He is a successful recruiter of outstanding talent, and motivates all with whom he works to operate at or under budget and above standards,” added Dr. Kaushansky.

Baptiste received his BS in Health Care Administration from St. John’s University, his Masters in Public Administration in Healthcare Administration from CW Post College, and his Masters of Science in Health Financial Management from NYU, the latter two degrees while working as an Ambulatory Care Supervisor at Mount Sinai in New York City and an Associate Administrator for Clinical Services at North General Hospital in New York City respectively. He was then promoted and served for seven years as Vice President of Operations at North General, before moving to St. Mary’s Hospital in Brooklyn as Executive Director and Vice President. Baptiste then moved to the Duke University Health System, where he served as Chief Operating Officer at Durham Regional Hospital. From there he became Executive Vice President and COO of St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, DE, before moving back to New York City in 2012 to become CEO of Kings County Hospital, a 627-bed facility in Brooklyn that serves as the main academic clinical campus for SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

Baptiste describes his management style as highly visible and “hands on” in order to foster a culture of collaboration and enthusiasm. He has successfully utilized Lean/Six Sigma strategies to achieve operational effectiveness across the entire spectrum of services he has lead, he embraces the notion of system collaboration, to achieve both hospital and system goals, and he works collaboratively with senior leaders and staff to create a culture that encourages the highest quality, safety and patient satisfaction in all care and service areas. Among his core beliefs are that communication, transparency and accountability are the keys to driving change within an organization. This is why Ernest is a perfect fit for the emerging Stony Brook Medicine culture of outstanding people and outstanding care.

“Stony Brook Medicine has a long history and legacy of achievement,” said Baptiste. “I am very excited about joining the team of dedicated physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers who are committed to excellence, high quality and compassionate care for Suffolk County communities and beyond. While there are many challenges ahead for all hospitals and health systems in a post-healthcare reform environment, I believe Stony Brook Medicine is well positioned as a world class academic medical center.”