Neighbor News
Rutgers School of Health Professions Announces New Chief Administrative Officer
Metuchen resident Karen Shapiro, formerly COO at Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ, named to new senior administrative position
NEWARK, NJ – After a rigorous national search, Rutgers School of Health Professions is pleased to announce that Karen Shapiro, formerly with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, has been named its new chief administrative officer.
Ms. Shapiro, of Metuchen, assumed 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, where she oversaw 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 FacultyAffairs 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 the specific need of a senior administrator, who will provide guidance in both 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 the Cancer Institute, Ms. Shapiro designed and led several innovative initiatives focused on overall growth, culture change, andtransformation of the care delivery paradigm. Under her leadership, the Institute was awarded participation in the Center for Medicare and MedicaidInnovation 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 the former University of Medicine and Dentistry inNewark, and served as Director of Organizational Development for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. Karen holds an MBA in Finance from New YorkUniversity, an MPH in Health Policy and Administration from Columbia University, and certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. In addition to her outstanding resume and qualifications, Ms. Shapiro has built a positive reputation at UMDNJ, and now Rutgers, for her honesty, compassion, energy, and creativity. The search committee unanimously agreed that she is an outstanding addition to the leadership team at SHP.
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. It is one of eight schools that comprise Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.
