Balavenkatesh Kanna, MD, has been appointed CEO and vice president of hospital affairs at University Hospital at Downstate in New York City.
Dr. Kanna was named to the role by SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and brings more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience to the role, according to a Feb. 5 university news release shared with Becker’s.
He succeeds Patricia Winston, DNP, RN, who was named interim CEO following the December 2024 resignation of CEO David Berger, MD, who held the role since 2020.
Dr. Kanna most recently served as CEO and medical center director of the James J. Peters Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he oversaw a high-complexity academic health system serving more than 320,000 veterans annually with an annual operating budget exceeding $400 million.
Before joining the Veterans Health Administration, Dr. Kanna held multiple senior executive roles at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln Medical Center, including COO, associate chief medical officer and chief patient safety officer. In those roles, he oversaw an operating budget exceeding $600 million and more than 500,000 patient visits annually.
As CEO of University Hospital at Downstate, Dr. Kanna is tasked with advancing clinical excellence and implementing recommendations tied to a $1.1 billion hospital modernization effort. University Hospital at Downstate offers care across 53 specialties and subspecialties and serves Brooklyn and surrounding communities.
