Outgoing RWJBarnabas CEO reflects on 32-year career, from merger to COVID-19

In 1991, Barry Ostrowsky joined Barnabas Health as executive vice president and general counsel. In 2016, Barnabas Health merged with Robert Wood Johnson Health System, and he became the first president and CEO of the resulting West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health. 

At the end of 2022, Mr. Ostroworsky is retiring — and reflecting, in a Q&A the health system shared with Becker's

In 2018, RWJBarnabas became part of New Jersey's largest academic health system through a private partnership with New Brunswick, N.J.-based Rutgers University. 

"When we began to explore the partnership, we set the bar high for what we wanted to accomplish. At the time, New Jersey lagged behind other national leaders in funded research," Mr. Ostrowsky said. "That translated to fewer clinical trials, less donor interest and more difficulty attracting and retaining top physician talent. Ultimately and most critically, this meant that our patients had fewer options." 

The $1 billion private-public partnership with Rutgers allowed the health system to expand access and invest in research and education, according to Mr. Ostrowsky. 

When COVID-19 struck in 2020, Mr. Ostrowsky was at the helm, guiding the health system through unknown territory. 

"As a result of the challenges we faced during the pandemic, RWJBarnabas formed a strategic council to guide C-suite executives through sharing best practices, setting priorities and allocating resources," Mr. Ostrowsky said. "Some of those priorities include optimizing our disaster response for potential future pandemics, ending systemic racism and focusing on a more concerted approach to population health management."

Under Mr. Ostrowsky's leadership, the health system expanded its focus on social determinants of health and equitable care — including a center for transgender healthcare, an obstetrics collaborative which emphasizes combatting Black infant mortality and a community investment initiative to support minority-owned businesses. 

"RWJBarnabas Health will continue to help the communities of New Jersey thrive for many generations to come, and I look forward to what the future will bring," he said. 

 

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