Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has announced that Jeffrey Hughes, MPH, FACHE, is the new president and CEO of the Dover hospital. He is only the 11th lead administrator in the organization’s 115-year history.
Hughes had served in the interim role since October 2020 and succeeds Gregory Walker, who served as president and CEO for 23 years. Hughes has been with the organization since 2012.
“Since the announcement of Greg Walker’s retirement last June, we have vigorously assessed the current and future needs of Wentworth-Douglass. We concluded that the organization needed to be led by an individual who has both a great appreciation of our past and a clear vision for our future. That person is clearly Jeff Hughes,” said Carol Bailey, chair of the hospital's board of trustees.
“With his 35 years of professional experience in health care strategy and clinical business development, combined with his admiration and respect for our 115-year-old institution, it became increasingly clear that the best individual to lead us into the future was right in front of us. Jeff will continue to guide our future strategic direction as a strong and vibrant organization and key contributor to the success of Mass General Brigham,” she said.
Hughes served as one of the hospital’s incident commanders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the health care organization through perhaps the most difficult time in modern history.
He has also led many successful initiatives for Wentworth-Douglass, including the development of several long-range strategic plans that have resulted in the hospital becoming a member of the Massachusetts General Hospital family in 2017 and a part of the Mass General Brigham system, the development and expansion of several clinical service lines, and the organization’s expansion into Portsmouth.
“I am humbled and honored to have the privilege of leading this incredible organization,” said Hughes. “For 12 decades, Wentworth-Douglass has served residents of the Seacoast by putting their health care needs above all else. I am committed to continuing that tradition of community commitment, grounded in our non-profit mission.”
In his eight years at Wentworth-Douglass, Hughes has served in numerous roles including as chief operating officer, vice president of operations/chief strategy officer, and VP of strategic planning. Prior to coming to Wentworth-Douglass, he served in various leadership roles for multiple health care organizations and as a director of health care management consulting for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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