SOMERVILLE, NJ, April 3, 2025 – Deirdre A. Blaus, MHA has been named Chief Administrative Officer at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health hospital. Blaus has led the hospital in an interim role since June.
“In her nine years in various leadership roles at RWJUH Somerset, Deirdre has been instrumental in the hospital’s growth to better serve our community, expanding services, recruiting new medical specialists and implementing the latest technologies,” said Bill Arnold, Executive Vice President, President, Southern Region for RWJBarnabas Health and Chief Executive Officer, RWJUH in New Brunswick. “In particular, she has led the expansion of the hospital’s cancer services, ensuring patients have comprehensive care close to home. She will continue to build on these accomplishments, with a focus on providing the highest quality care to our community.”
Blaus previously served as Vice President of Operations since January 2023. In that role, she managed the daily operations of the 343-bed community hospital and affiliated off-site departments, including the hospital’s Steeplechase Cancer Center, Ambulatory Services and support areas including Laboratory, Pharmacy, Radiology, Rehabilitation Services, Maintenance, Food and Nutrition, Environmental Services, Patient Transport, Security, Construction Services, Emergency Management, Pastoral Care, Volunteer Services, Ethnic Navigation Services and all Business Development initiatives.
She has overseen the opening of the hospital’s new 76,000-square foot, two-story vertical expansion project. The largest construction project on the hospital’s campus since 2007, the expansion was completed last fall. The top floor opened in February with one 22-bed inpatient unit dedicated to orthopedic and post-surgical patients and a 23-bed inpatient unit for medical/surgical patients. All rooms are private, making two-thirds of the hospital’s medical/surgical rooms single-occupancy.
Blaus joined RWJUH Somerset in November 2015 as Director of the Steeplechase Cancer Center, which houses all of the hospital’s outpatient cancer care services, including radiation therapy, infusion therapy, mammography services, medical oncology, physician offices, nutritional counseling, support services and the Sanofi US Wellness Boutique. She was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Cancer Services in 2018 and Vice President of Cancer Services and Business Development in 2021.
Under her leadership, in collaboration with Rutgers Cancer Institute, the cancer center expanded its medical oncology services, infusion therapy, patient navigation services, support services and survivorship programs; increased access to cancer specialists and clinical trials; and invested in state-of-the-art technologies, such as a PET/CT and stereotactic body radiation therapy.
Blaus previously held leadership positions at Saint Clare’s Health system in Denville and the Inova Health system in Fairfax, Virginia. She earned a Master’s in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Charleston. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
She serves as a board member and member of the executive committee of the Somerset County Business Partnership and is a member of the board of Safe + Sound Somerset and the Raritan Valley Community College Foundation.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Located in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health hospital, is a nationally accredited, 343-bed regional hospital providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical, behavioral health and rehabilitative services to central New Jersey residents. As a designated teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the hospital maintains a family medicine residency program with 21 residents.
RWJUH Somerset has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence, an “A” Patient Safety Score from the Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades America’s 250 Best Hospitals. As the first hospital in New Jersey to offer primary health care services for the LGBTQIA community, RWJUH Somerset has been honored as a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign and was the first hospital in New Jersey to earn Health Equity Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
The Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJUH Somerset is accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. RWJBarnabas Health and RWJUH Somerset in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute – the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – bring a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.
For more information, visit rwjbh.org/somerset.