Dr. Jason Fish, a transformative and experienced leader in health care delivery and operations, has been named the next CEO of Yale Health, President Peter Salovey announced today.

Fish, who is currently the chief medical officer of Southwestern Health Resources (SWHR) — a collaboration between Texas Health Resources and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center formed to support their strategic and operational transition to population health management in North Texas — has exhibited a commitment to advancing patient-centered clinical care and building strong teams that deliver exceptional care and service, Salovey said.

As a patient-centered, clinically integrated network of 31 hospitals and more than 7,000 clinicians, SWHR cares for more than 800,000 patients across 16 counties in North Texas. Fish also serves as the chief medical officer for SWHR’s regional Medicare Advantage health plan.
Yale Health is the staff model health maintenance organization (HMO) that provides comprehensive care and coverage to Yale University students, faculty, staff, and their families.

Fish begins his new role on July 1.

“With an unwavering focus on the health care needs of patients and communities and extensive knowledge of strategic operations, Dr. Fish has introduced initiatives — spanning the continuum from wellness to advanced disease — that have improved patient outcomes, increased quality and efficiency of care delivery, and enhanced support systems for staff,” Salovey wrote in a message to the Yale community.

Notable among these initiatives have been efforts to partner with mental health providers to improve screening and treatment, Salovey added. A key aspect underlying Fish’s work has been the identification of behavioral and social determinants — such as food insecurity and unemployment — that lead to inequities in health and health care.

“The positive effects of this focus on health inequities were evident when, in 2021, through targeted interventions based on key patient and neighborhood identifiers of risk for moderate to severe COVID-19, Dr. Fish’s teams reduced acute hospitalizations for COVID by 50 percent from the January to August 2021 spikes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” Salovey wrote.

Fish succeeds Dr. Paul Genecin, who retired on Jan. 6 after 33 years of service to the Yale community, including as CEO of Yale Health since 1997. Nanci Fortgang, Yale Health’s chief clinical operations officer, is serving as interim CEO.

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