(New Brunswick, NJ) - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has named Christopher Gilligan, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Quality Officer (CQO).
A proven physician scientist and expert in driving clinical excellence across integrated health care systems, Dr. Gilligan brings more than 15 years of distinguished leadership in academic medicine. As an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Principal Investigator of multicenter clinical trials, and editor-in-chief of a medical journal, Dr. Gilligan combines his medical expertise with a successful track record in venture capital and launching early-stage biotech and medical device companies.
As the new CMO and CQO at RWJUH, Dr. Gilligan will work with the Medical Staff Executive Committee, to provide leadership to the more than 2,000 physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs). The RWJUH medical staff is composed of faculty from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, community practitioners and APPs. As CQO, Dr. Gilligan will guide clinical performance standards, emphasizing quality and safety metrics to enhance patient care outcomes. His responsibilities include integrating and coordinating clinical practices, aligning physician activities with the RWJUH strategic plan, formulating quality and safety strategies, overseeing infection control, and leading performance improvement initiatives.
“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Gilligan to the flagship academic medical center of the RWJBarnabas Health system,” said Alan Lee, president, RWJUH. “Dr. Gilligan has a proventrack record of enhancing quality standards to drive exceptional patient outcomes in a quaternary care setting. We are confident that the knowledge, leadership and experience he brings will further strengthen our service to our communities, as well as our research and education missions.”
RWJBarnabas Health Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer Andy Anderson, MD, added, “Dr. Gilligan’s proven success is rooted in fostering a culture that is committed to quality, patient safety and delivering outstanding clinical outcomes. We believe his leadership will help us expand our national reputation for excellence in academic medicine.”
Dr. Gilligan joins RWJUH from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he was named Associate Chief Medical Officer in 2021 and was responsible for leading the response to COVID-19 in perioperative and periprocedural areas. He founded and directed the unified multidisciplinary Spine Service Line, achieving significant growth and leading in spine market share among New England hospitals.
Dr. Gilligan has also served in leadership roles at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, as Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine and Co-Director of the Spine Center. Under his direction, Dr. Gilligan expanded the Pain Medicine Division and Spine Center, achieving recognition for excellence in pain medicine. He implemented new scheduling and clinical workflows resulting in dramatic improvements in patient experience and procedure volume.
Dr. Gilligan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Medical Doctor degree from Yale University School of Medicine, a Master in Philosophy from Cambridge University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) New Brunswick, an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 628-bed academic medical center that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a nationally-ranked 2023-24 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s health. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence and being named to Newsweek’s 2023 list of Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers. The RWJUH Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as meeting The Joint Commission's standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Advanced Certification. RWJUH has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification for Spine Surgery; The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Bariatric Services; and The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Hip and Knee Replacement services. The Joint Commission also awarded RWJUH a Gold Seal Certification as well as an Advanced Certification in Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Implantation.
Contact: Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 937-8568