The North Shore-LIJ Health System today announced the appointment of Kenneth J. Abrams, MD, MBA, a former patient safety officer and chairman of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at AtlantiCare Health System in Pomona, NJ, as senior vice president of clinical operations.

In this newly created position, Dr. Abrams is responsible for both quality and patient safety initiatives across North Shore-LIJ’s facilities in the New York area. “Dr. Abrams brings a level of commitment, understanding and expertise that will enable North Shore-LIJ to build on its success in strengthening quality of care and safeguarding patient safety,” said Lawrence G. Smith, MD, North Shore-LIJ’s chief medical officer. “He will coordinate clinical operations across the North Shore-LIJ Health System as part of a far-reaching effort to better manage the care we deliver to our patients, and establish treatment protocols and billing guidelines that are consistent throughout our hospitals.”

Dr. Abrams also serves as North Shore-LIJ’s associate chief medical officer, which allows Dr. Smith to balance his activities as chief medical officer of the health system and dean of the medical school that North Shore-LIJ is developing in partnership with Hofstra University.

Board certified in anesthesiology, Dr. Abrams was previously the patient safety officer and chairman for anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Pomona, NJ. A graduate of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine in Israel, Dr. Abrams completed the residency training program in anesthesiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. He also received his MBA from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in New York.

Dr. Abrams has also held numerous academic appointments; most recently he was associate professor of anesthesiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Abrams has authored a number of publications and book chapters, and has lectured and presented at several hospitals, clinical forums and conferences. Currently, he serves as an adjunct member of the Committee on Communications with the American Society of Anesthesiologists and is a member of the Training and Education Committee of the Anesthesia Patient Safety foundation. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists.

About North Shore-LIJ Health System
The nation's third largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, the North Shore-LIJ Health System cares for people of all ages throughout Long Island, Queens and Staten Island – a service area encompassing more than five million people. The health system consists of 15 hospitals, 17 long-term care facilities, a medical research institute, three trauma centers, five home health agencies, a hospice network and dozens of outpatient centers. Excluding its affiliate organizations, North Shore-LIJ facilities house 4,844 beds, have more than 7,000 physicians, and employ about 9,150 nurses and a total workforce of about 33,250 -- the largest employer on Long Island and the ninth largest in New York City. For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.