Last month, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, part of Neptune, N.J.-based Meridian Health, welcomed a familiar face as its new leader. Kenneth N. Sable, MD, MBA, FACEP, who completed rotations at the hospital as a medical student, is now the hospital's president.
Jersey Shore, also in Neptune, is a nonprofit teaching hospital and home to K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital. As president, Dr. Sable leads administrative responsibility for the 643-bed facility.
Most recently, Dr. Sable served as executive vice president and COO of Saint Peter's Healthcare System in New Brunswick, N.J. There, he led the renovation of the 26,000-square-foot 
emergency department, created successful performance improvement plans and introduced clinical integration models with physicians. He also renewed the hospital's academic relationship with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, also in New Brunswick.
Before joining Saint Peter's, Dr. Sable was vice chairman for operations in the emergency department at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he led a team of 500 and designed a clinician portal to the hospital's information systems, as well as an automated interactive process managing short-stay admissions.
Dr. Sable, an energetic leader with a clinician's insight, took the time to share his experiences at Jersey Shore as its new president so far and his goals for the hospital.
Question: How are you getting acclimated to your new role as president?
Dr. Sable: I already feel acclimated here. I joined a terrific organization with a fantastic team, and everyone has gone above and beyond to welcome me and get me up to speed with what's happening here in a very short time. It's been a great few weeks and I feel like I'm already a part of the team.
Q: How does it feel to be back at Jersey Shore University Medical Center as an executive after doing rotations there as a medical student?
Dr. Sable: It's somewhat surreal to come back to Jersey Shore and run into physicians I rotated with back in 1997 during medical school. It's a really exciting thing for me.
It's also amazing to return and see Jersey Shore’s progress from the time that I was here as a student to today. It’s been a dramatic transformation, complete with new buildings, services and a thriving academics and research program
Q: What special insight does your medical background lend to your leadership abilities?
Dr. Sable: Having clinical experience gives me insight into both the clinical and nonclinical operations that allow caregivers to provide patients the best care. Having lived in the world of a very busy emergency department in Brooklyn for 10 years, I'm acutely aware of how everything needs to work together to deliver the best health care experience to our patients.
Of course, as time goes on, hospitals and health systems are measured on quality and efficiency of care. Having a clinical background allows me to participate in discussions surrounding these topics on a different level.
Q: What has been the most valuable lesson you've learned so far in your healthcare career?
Dr. Sable: The biggest lesson I learned is to keep the focus on the patients and communities we serve, and to understand we are here to provide care that people need. By directing all of our activities around this patient-centered approach, we will be successful in achieving our mission.
Q: What are your biggest goals for the hospital as its new leader?
Dr. Sable: Healthcare is changing very rapidly. First and foremost, my main goal is to make sure that both Jersey Shore and Meridian Health as a system have the best physicians, leaders and team members to adapt to all of the changes we are experiencing. We must provide efficient, patient-centered and high-quality care in a clinically integrated fashion while managing population health. Another goal I have for the hospital is to further develop its academic enterprise and continue to expand upon the clinical research and academic educational efforts.