West Orange, NJ, November, 2020 – President and Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health Barry H. Ostrowsky has announced the promotion of Michael E. Knecht to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. Mr. Knecht will continue to lead the strategic marketing, internal communications, digital/interactive communications, media relations and selected corporate partnership efforts of the system.
“Michael’s proven track-record in health care communications has always been an asset to our system. This year, his talent for both internal and external communications was a crucial component of our COVID-19 response,” said Thomas A. Biga, President of the Hospital Division, to whom Mr. Knecht will report. “Under his oversight, the system will continue to be well-positioned to communicate with our entire staff and with the New Jersey community.”
In his role, Mr. Knecht will also serve on the Strategic Council for the system’s senior leaders, working to ensure that resources are directed to the activities that are most critical to advancing system strategy. In addition, Mr. Knecht will work closely with the leaders of business development and information technology to assess virtual care settings as they continue to grow in importance and plan for their integration into the system’s overall strategy.
Previously, Mr. Knecht served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications for the system. Prior to the creation of RWJBarnabas Health, he served for seven years as Corporate Vice President, Communications and Community Relations for the Robert Wood Johnson Health System, where he led the marketing, communications, community relations and health outreach functions for the academic medical center.
Mr. Knecht has nearly 30 years of experience in health care strategy, marketing and communications, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House of Central and Northern New Jersey; board member of New Brunswick Tomorrow; and a Past Chair of the Group on Institutional Advancement for the Association of American Medical Colleges. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Temple University, and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Health Administration from the same institution.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes eleven acute care hospitals; three acute care children’s hospitals and a leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital with a network of outpatient centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, a medical group, multi-site imaging centers and an accountable care organization. In meeting its mission of creating healthier communities, RWJBarnabas Health seeks to address the clinical and social determinants of health, improve health outcomes, promote health equity, and eliminate health care disparities.
RWJBarnabas Health is in partnership with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration will align RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. To learn more, please visit www.rwjbh.org.