Rutgers School of Health Professions Announces New Chief Administrative Officer

NEWARK, NJ – After a rigorous national search, Rutgers School of Health Professions is pleased to announce that Karen Shapiro will be its new chief administrative officer.

Ms. Shapiro assumes her new role on Jan. 9. She is a senior healthcare administrator and organizational development specialist with more than 20 years of experience in strategic planning, performance improvement, clinical program development, and service delivery. Previously, she was the Chief Operating Officer of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey where she oversees all aspects of clinical service delivery, program development and expansion, patient and employee engagement, workforce planning, communications, and facilities management.

At the School of Health Professions, Ms. Shapiro will be responsible for the day-to-day operations, including administrative oversight of the Office of Faculty Affairs and Personnel Administration, Office of Information & Instructional Technology and Facilities Planning & Management, Office of Marketing, Communications & Strategic Initiatives, and oversight of clinical initiatives and operations.

“Our School’s growth and trajectory over the next five years called for a senior administrator, who will provide guidance in the day-to-day operations of a dynamic school, coupled with the emergence of a clinical enterprise. Karen was the perfect fit, bringing expertise in strong operations and clinical affairs in an educational setting," said Dean Gwendolyn M. Mahon.

During her tenure at CINJ, Ms. Shapiro designed and led several innovative initiatives focused on overall growth, culture change, and transformation of the care delivery paradigm - including having RCINJ awarded participation in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation pilot program focused on enhancing oncology services to improve access and outcomes at lower costs.

Prior to joining the Cancer Institute, she was part of the Leadership and Organizational Development team at UMDNJ in Newark and served as Director of Organizational Development for Visiting Nurse Service of New York. Ms. Shapiro holds an MBA in Finance from New York University, an MPH in Health Policy and Administration from Columbia University, and certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Rutgers School of Health Professions is the nation's largest leading health professions school, offering more than 50 graduate and undergraduate degree and certificate programs on four campuses, Newark, Piscataway, Scotch Plains and Stratford.