(left to right) Dr. John D’Angelo, Dr. William McHugh, Laura Ciraco, Nadine Brechner, Judy Comitto and Patricia Hajnosz.
Trinitas Announces Management Changes
Gary S. Horan, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, of Trinitas Health and Trinitas Regional Medical Center has announced changes in the institution’s management and organization.
“I am proud to share some recent changes in personnel to our fine organization,” said Horan recently. “We celebrate their commitment and dedication to Trinitas and thoroughly appreciate their importance to the team.”
William McHugh, MD, Chief Medical Officer, will assume the role of Chief Patient Experience Officer. This is a recently recognized Executive position in health care. Dr. McHugh will be working closely with physicians and other staff to identify ways to improve the patient experience at Trinitas. Dr. McHugh, a resident of Jenkintown, PA, has been Medical Director since 2003.
John D’Angelo, DO, has been named Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Trinitas Regional Medical Center, effective July 12, 2021, and will continue in his current position as Chairman of Emergency Medicine. A Westfield resident, Dr. D’Angelo joined the Trinitas Regional Medical Center staff in 2012. Prior to joining Trinitas, Dr. D’Angelo was Assistant Director - Department of Emergency Medicine at Aventura Hospital & Medical Center in Aventura, Florida.
Dr. D’Angelo has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. He earned his medical degree in his hometown at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his internship at Crozer-Keystone Health System in Chester County, PA.
He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City, where he was awarded Chief Resident culminating in both Resident and Researcher of the Year awards.
In 2005, he worked as an attending physician at regional trauma centers in the North Broward District of Broward County, Florida, where he received various clinical and leadership awards. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians where he was recently recognized for his dedication during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nadine Brechner, Vice President of Trinitas Health Foundation/Chief Development Officer, retired in August. The Metuchen resident will continue on a consulting basis to guide the Foundation for the next two years. Brechner joined Trinitas in 2004 as Executive Director of the Foundation, following an already distinguished career in fundraising and government relations at Union College.
Over the past 17 years, she has raised $100+ million, which served to transform Trinitas into the regional medical center it is today. She was the driving force behind the new $18 million Gary S. Horan Emergency Department, the New Point Campus Renovation, the Center of Regional Education (CORE), and countless other projects that have touched the lives of patients, staff members and the community. She is also a 1976 graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Elementary Education. She earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from Rutgers University in 1981.
Laura Ciraco of Old Bridge recently rejoined the Trinitas family as the Vice President and Chief Development Officer of the Trinitas Health Foundation. The Old Bridge resident is the former Director of Development at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway post-merger, where she stewarded integration into the RWJBH system, spent 13 years at the Trinitas Health Foundation as Director of Special Events and as Director of Operations, under the tutelage of Brechner. Over the course of a 20-year commitment to health care, Laura has sharpened her fundraising and leadership skills and is very excited to return to Trinitas. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from St. John’s University and MBAs in both Marketing and Business Management from Saint Peter’s University.
Judy Comitto, Vice President Information Services and Chief Information Officer announced her retirement effective October 1, 2021. Judy has been with Trinitas/ St. Elizabeth Hospital for 25 years and has introduced state of the art Information Technology to Trinitas including the Electronic Health Record and many more advancements. The Tinton Falls resident is also Chairperson for Jersey Health Connect, the state’s largest health information organization (HIO) with a comprehensive network of 23 health systems and hospitals, more than 3,500 clinicians, and long-term and post-acute care facilities. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Hunter College and an MPA in health care from Long Island University CW Post.
Her team has won “Most Wired” and “Best IT Department” for numerous years. She is also a member of Chime and the NJ Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (NJHIMSS) where she served as a board member for several years.
Before joining Trinitas, she was a major principal in Vanguard Systems, which brought computer systems to NJ hospitals. She also worked for major national corporations specifically to install and enhance computerized systems and processes in health care. Judy will continue to consult with Trinitas for two years during the transition to a new Information Technology platform with RWJ Barnabas Health.
Patricia Hajnosz, Esq. Vice President, Legal Affairs & General Counsel, has gone from Interim to permanent status. After graduation from Fordham University and from Columbia University School of Nursing, she worked as a psychiatric nurse. Upon receiving her law degree from St. John’s University, she began her longtime career as a health care attorney. She has served as a VP and General Counsel for hospitals in the Archdiocese of New York and in Long Island’s Catholic Hospital System for many years, and is a member of both the New Jersey and New York bar. She has also served on a number of not-for-profit organizations over the years, and lives in Huntington, NY.
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About Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Trinitas Regional Medical Center was established in 2000 following the consolidation of Elizabeth General Medical Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital. Trinitas, a major center for comprehensive health services for those who live and work in Central New Jersey, is a Catholic teaching medical center sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in partnership with Elizabethtown Healthcare Foundation. With 12 Centers of Excellence across the continuum of care, Trinitas has distinguished itself in cardiology, cancer care, behavioral health, renal care, nursing education, diabetes management, wound healing, breast health, seniors health care, women's health care and sleep medicine.
Contact Information
Doug Harris
908-994-5138
dharris@trinitas.org
Yolanda Fleming
908-994-5139
Yfleming@trinitas.org