New Hires and Internal Transitions Reflect Health System’s Growth Strategies and Commitment to Enhancing the Community’s Health
Left to right: Frank Pipas, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer; Balpreet Grewal-Virk, PhD, Senior Vice President, Community Health; Indu Lew, PharmD, Chief of Staff to Mark E. Manigan, President of RWJBarnabas Health; Robert T. Adamson, PharmD, FASHP, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer; Robert Pellechio, RPh, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer.
West Orange, NJ, December 20, 2022 — RWJBarnabas Health, the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, announced today that it has appointed Frank Pipas as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Balpreet Grewal-Virk, PhD, as Senior Vice President, Community Health. In addition, several executives have transitioned to new roles, including Indu Lew, PharmD, as Chief of Staff to Mark E. Manigan, President of RWJBarnabas Health; Robert T. Adamson, PharmD, FASHP, as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer; and Robert Pellechio, RPh, MBA, as Senior Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer.
“This is an exciting and pivotal time for RWJBarnabas Health, as each executive brings significant experience and fresh perspectives to their roles,” said Mr. Manigan. “At a time when we are making substantial investments in new programs and facilities, as well as deepening our relationships in the communities we serve, it is critical to convene a team that possesses the expertise and passion necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.”
“We are incredibly proud of the caliber of talent our system continues to recruit and retain,” said John W. Doll, Chief Operating Officer. “For RWJBarnabas Health to remain a regional leader in care delivery, it is critical that we both create opportunities for advancement for talented leaders throughout the system and externally recruit. I am thrilled that we continue to do both for these important roles.”
As Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for RWJBarnabas Health, Mr. Pipas will serve as the most senior finance executive across the system and provide leadership in the achievement of key financial and operational functions. He joins RWJBarnabas Health from Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) where he most recently served as Executive Vice President of Finance since 2018. Mr. Pipas first joined that organization in 2002 as Director of Finance and went on to hold the positions of Senior Director, Vice President and Senior Vice President. Prior to his time with HMH, Mr. Pipas held various financial sector positions with Somerset Medical Center (now RWJUH Somerset), Liberty HealthCare System (now Jersey City Medical Center) and he was a Senior Auditor with Ernst & Young, LLC.
Dr. Grewal-Virk joins RWJBarnabas Health in the newly created role of Senior Vice President, Community Health. Dr. Grewal-Virk will design and execute the strategy for the system’s pilot program grant in Newark – developing an academic health system and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) partnership aimed at providing highly coordinated clinical care and social determinant of health support to Newark residents. She will also form strategic partnerships with FQHCs to increase coordination and access to care in order to reduce healthcare disparities in vulnerable communities. Dr. Grewal-Virk joins RWJBarnabas Health from Hackensack Meridian Health, where she has held a number of community-focused roles since 2015, most recently serving as the Vice President, Community Outreach and Engagement for the HMH Northern Region.
In her new role as Chief of Staff, Dr. Lew will partner with Mr. Manigan to drive strategic priorities, streamline important initiatives and organize functionality and process in connection with the administration of his duties and responsibilities. She will also be actively involved with the implementation of RWJBarnabas Health’s new operating model and One System, One Family philosophy. Dr. Lew has served in multiple key positions over more than 20 years with RWJBarnabas Health, including Chief Pharmacy Officer, Vice President of Corporate Pharmacy, Director of Education and Research and Vice President of IDEAS, a Barnabas Health Medical Communications Company. She also assisted in the expansion of the system’s pharmacy residency programs, as well as integrating pharmacists into the primary care physician’s offices of the Combined Medical Group.
Dr. Adamson has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for RWJBarnabas Health. In this role, he is responsible for strategic planning, technology leadership and vision for the health system and enabling information technology initiatives to execute health system strategic imperatives. He is also the Operational Leader for the Epic Electronic Health Record implementation, overseeing all operational aspects of the Epic implementation and providing strategic direction and overall management of the project. Prior to taking these roles he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer for RWJBarnabas Health.
Mr. Pellechio has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer for RWJBarnabas Health. In his new role, Mr. Pellechio provides strategic leadership for the 25 divisions within the system’s Pharmacy Enterprise. Mr. Pellechio has more than 35 years of experience in healthcare, hospital administration, supply chain and pharmacy. He joined RWJBarnabas Health in 2005 as Corporate Director of Pharmacy, responsible for the daily operations of Innovative Purchasing Concepts, a regional group purchasing organization. He most recently served as Corporate Vice President of Pharmacy Integrated Services since 2015 and also previously served as Corporate Vice President of Pharmacy Operation for seven years. Mr. Pellechio has had oversight of all 340B functions as well as pharmaceutical contracting which include purchases of over $450M in products and supplies. He serves on the national committee for Health Trust Pharmacy Advisory Board and as a board member for the Dispensary of Hope, an organization that impacts the health of communities by improving access to affordable medications.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation 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, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 38,000 employees and 9,000 physicians – and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns 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.
Contact: Carrie Cristello
Carrie.Cristello@rwjbh.org