Sunny Eappen, MD, president and CEO of University of Vermont Health Network, a Burlington-based integrated health system, will step down, effective Oct. 15. The decision was mutually agreed upon by the hospital’s board of trustees and Dr. Eappen, according to a Sept. 18 news release shared with Becker’s.
Steve Leffler, MD, will serve as interim CEO, in addition to his current duties as president and COO of University of Vermont Medical Center, which operates within the UVM Health Network. Dr. Eappen will remain with the health system through December to support the transition.
“Our focus as volunteer board members is on ensuring the health system continues to evolve as a strong partner in reducing expenses, slowing the growth of hospital costs and delivering high-quality, sustainable care,” Tom Golonka, UVM Health Network’s board chair, said in the release. “As members of the communities we serve, we understand the urgency of creating a future where access to affordable care is no longer out of reach. We are fully committed to the work ahead under Steve’s capable leadership.”
Dr. Eappen, an anesthesiologist who previously held leadership roles at Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital, joined UVM Health Network in November 2022.
Under his leadership, the health system built the Pathway program to develop its workforce, opened multiple housing options for employees, expanded telehealth services and launched a shared staffing model for its emergency departments, according to the system.
“It’s been my privilege to be part of this team, to see firsthand the way the people of this organization take care of our patients, our communities and each other,” Dr. Eappen said in the release. “But I believe — based on everything that’s happening and all of the external pressures on our rural health system — that this organization needs to move forward in a different way. I’m committed to supporting Steve as a full partner in this transition.”
UVM Health Network said this transition aims to shift to “a more efficient system of leadership and governance structure that is more closely connected to the communities we serve and better aligned with the system’s anchor academic medical center.”
University of Vermont Medical Center tapped Dr. Leffler as president and COO in 2020. Dr. Leffler previously held other leadership positions at the hospital, including director of the emergency department, president of the medical staff, chief medical officer, and chief population health and quality officer.
