NUMC names Dr. Stephen J. Peterson new chair of medicine as hospital turnaround era nears new phase
Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow in July. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
Dr. Stephen J. Peterson, former chief of medicine at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, is the new chairman of the Department of Medicine at Nassau University Medical Center, arriving at a pivotal time for the county's only safety-net hospital system.
He began on Oct 1.
Peterson, an internist, brings more than three decades of clinical leadership, medical education and research experience, particularly in the field of cardiometabolic disease. He is known for his research in the basic science of obesity and has published more than 176 peer-reviewed research articles, according to his online profile.
“NUMC has a proud history of serving this community, and I’m honored to help lead the Department of Medicine into a new era,” Peterson said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the physicians, residents, and staff here to strengthen patient care and continue serving the Nassau County community.”
Peterson's arrival comes as hospital officials under CEO Thomas Stokes seek to carve a path to solvency. Nassau Health Care Corp., the public benefit corporation which operates NUMC in East Meadow, the A. Holly Patterson nursing home, community health centers and inmate care at the county jail, is expected to make major changes to address its more than $1.4 billion debt.
A highly anticipated report from an independent auditing firm is expected to issue recommendations by Dec. 1. Stokes, who took the helm in January, has been tasked by state officials to turn around the beleaguered institution.
In a statement, Stokes called Peterson "the right person to lead our Department of Medicine into its next chapter" who has built “some of the strongest internal medicine programs in the region, and NUMC’s patients and residents will benefit directly from that experience."
Peterson holds a bachelor's of science from Fairfield University in Connecticut and a medical degree from Cebu Doctors' University College of Medicine in the Philippines, according to his profile.
Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.
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