West Orange, NJ, October 5, 2026 – Mark E. Manigan, President and Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health, the largest, most comprehensive academic health system in New Jersey, has been named a 2026 Executive Excellence honoree by NJBIZ, recognizing his leadership and impact on New Jersey’s health care landscape. Mr. Manigan and the other honorees will be recognized by NJBIZ at an awards ceremony taking place today.
The NJBIZ Executive Excellence Awards recognize accomplished senior business leaders across New Jersey who demonstrate exceptional leadership, integrity, values and vision, along with a commitment to organizational performance and community service.
Mr. Manigan is leading RWJBarnabas Health in its mission to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey while creating a national model for clinical and business success. Serving more than three million patients annually across 700 facilities, the system delivers state-leading medical care, including New Jersey’s top-ranked cancer program, the state’s only heart and lung transplant centers, and its most advanced burn treatment facility.
Reflecting Mr. Manigan’s commitment to building and sustaining healthier communities, the system is also New Jersey’s largest provider of care for uninsured and Medicaid patients and invests in programs addressing social determinants of health, including housing, food insecurity, transportation and education. He has further strengthened the system’s ambulatory care network and advanced a service line integration model designed to improve efficiency and access to high-quality care across the system.
Mr. Manigan’s vision has driven transformative growth and measurable improvements across RWJBarnabas Health, including increased revenue, improved patient outcomes, reductions in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and C. difficile (CDIFF) infections, and a significant increase in Leapfrog “A” safety grades achieved across the system. He has also significantly expanded access to care throughout New Jersey, overseeing the development of a joint venture network of more than 3,100 clinicians spanning ambulatory surgery centers, medical practices, imaging facilities, dialysis centers and physical therapy sites across the state.
Mr. Manigan has also transformed cancer care statewide, leading the opening of the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, one of only 13 freestanding cancer hospitals in the nation, as well as the Melchiorre Cancer Center and the Specialty and Cancer Care Center at the Vogel Medical Campus.
Mr. Manigan has championed a people-first culture at RWJBarnabas Health that has driven a voluntary turnover decline of 16.3% since 2023, employee engagement surpassing the national average, and workforce growth of over 5% in both 2024 and 2025.
The system’s community health worker program has benefitted more than 100,000 individuals since 2023, its “hire local-buy local” initiative has directed over $370 million to local vendors, and “food farmacies” have served nearly 89,000 individuals and donated 429,000 pounds of food.
Mr. Manigan has been included on the NJBIZ Power 100 list of most influential leaders in the New Jersey business community for the past four years and the NJBIZ Power 50 in Health Care list in 2023. He also serves on Rutgers University’s board of governors.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive academic health system, caring for more than five million people annually. Nationally renowned for quality and safety, the system includes 14 hospitals and 9,000 affiliated physicians integrated to provide care at more than 700 patient care locations.
RWJBarnabas Health partners with its communities to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey. It provides patient-centered care in a compassionate manner and is the state’s largest safety-net provider and leader in addressing the social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health provides food to the hungry, housing for the homeless and economic opportunities to those most vulnerable.
RWJBarnabas Health’s commitment to enhancing access to care includes a transformative partnership with Rutgers University, including the Rutgers Cancer Institute — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers, with more than 45,000 employees, contributing more than $7 billion to the state economy every year. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org.
Contact: Carrie Cristello
Carrie.Cristello@rwjbh.org