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 Rob Calhoun,
President and
Chief Executive Officer
Rob Calhoun, MHA is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for
West Jefferson Medical Center. He comes to West Jefferson with more than
16 years of healthcare leadership experience. He began his healthcare
career as an administrative resident at New Hanover Regional Medical Center
in Wilmington, North Carolina. He went on to serve in numerous leadership
positions, including his most recent appointment as Chief Executive Officer
of Merit Health Biloxi in Mississippi. In that role he successfully led
the recruitment of 25 new providers to join the medical staff while decreasing
nursing turnover by 21 percent. He also spearheaded many initiatives that
led to improved access, increased physician and employee engagement, and
zero serious safety events within a two-year span. He earned his Bachelor
of Science in Marketing from Clemson University, and a Master of Health
Administration from Medical University of South Carolina.
His little something extra is taking the time to get to know his hospital family.
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 Robert (Eli)
Smith,
Chief Operating Officer
Eli Smith, MBA is the Chief Operating Officer for West Jefferson Medical
Center. Eli is an accomplished healthcare executive and comes to West
Jefferson with more than 20 years of experience in overseeing hospital
operations, physician recruitment and strategic planning for many hospitals
and health systems across the country. He most recently served as Chief
Strategy Officer for LCMC Health’s Adult Hospital Market, after
serving as Vice President of Business Development at University Medical
Center New Orleans. In his previous roles, he was responsible for leading
operational improvement efforts and consolidating physician practice management
functions to enhance the patient experience. Prior to joining University
Medical Center, Eli served in multiple leadership roles including the
Carle Physician Group in Champaign-Urbana Illinois, the Saint Francis
Health System in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the CHRISTUS Spohn Health System
based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Most recently, he served as Vice President-Primary
Care and Medical Specialties for the Carle Physician Group where he led
the clinical and budgetary operations of Carle Physician Group’s
Champaign-Urbana-based primary care and medical specialty clinic site(s)—a
$255 million enterprise—comprised of 250 physicians and 75 advanced
practitioners. Eli holds a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma
State University and Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate Communication
from The University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the Board of Directors
for the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and LCMC Health Urgent Care. He
is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
 Jay Pennisson,
Chief Financial Officer
Jay joins us as an accomplished healthcare executive with more than 20
years of experience in financial oversight of healthcare systems and facilities
across the country. He most recently served as Group Chief Financial Officer
for Brookwood Baptist Health System and Chief Financial Officer of Brookwood
Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. In his previous roles,
Jay was responsible for leading strategic financial planning and implementing
revenue cycle related initiatives to improve the financial performance
of multiple organizations. Jay earned his Master of Business Administration
from Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business and a Bachelor
of Science degree in Accounting from Louisiana State University. He is
an active member of Healthcare Financial Management Association and is
a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional honored by the Healthcare
Financial Management Association.
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 Robert Chugden, MD,
Chief Medical Officer
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Chugden ensures patients receive the
highest quality treatment possible by hiring, evaluating and training
new physicians. He works closely with physicians, nurses and staff to
create and enforce clinical guidelines that help make the Medical Center’s
healthcare delivery run smoothly, and he acts as a liaison between the
medical staff and the hospital’s executives. For more than 30 years,
Dr. Chudgen, board-certified in emergency medicine, has served as an ER
physician for West Jefferson Medical Center and as the ER’s Medical
Director for 18 years. In addition, he has held various positions with
the hospital’s medical committees. Prior to joining West Jefferson,
Dr. Chugden was an ER physician at Charity Hospital, St. Jude Medical
Center and Hotel Dieu Hospital. He also served as clinical assistant professor
of medicine at LSU School of Medicine. Dr. Chugden received his medical
degree from LSU and completed his general surgeon residency at Baylor
College of Medicine in Houston.
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 Monica Bologna,
Chief Nursing Officer
As Chief Nursing Officer, Monica Bologna’s primary role consists
of providing strategic and operational leadership to the Nursing Department,
while assisting the Medical Center to maintain and advance cost-effective
quality care and patient satisfaction. Prior to being promoted to this
position, Monica was the Vice President of Inpatient and Outpatient Medical
Surgical Services for West Jefferson Medical Center. She has been part
of the West Jefferson family for nearly a decade. A registered nurse for
20 years, Monica has a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from William
Carey College and her Master’s in Heath Systems Administration from
Loyola University. She resides on the West Bank and since 2008 has served
in various nursing leadership roles at West Jefferson. Monica’s
background includes critical care in the area of cardiac services and
cardiothoracic surgery. For several years, Monica has been part of the
Medical Center’s senior leadership and has worked closely with staff
and members of the medical staff across the organization.
 Dean Roy,
Vice President of Physician Services
As Vice President of Physician Services, Dean Roy’s primary role
consists of providing strategic and operational leadership to the Physician
Clinics, while working with the rest of the executive team to develop
partnerships to further the mission of the hospital. Prior to being promoted
to this position, Dean led several areas of the organization including
Decision Support, Marketing and several outpatient departments. He has
been part of the West Jefferson family for over 7 years. While a native
of Belle Chasse, Dean received his Bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration from the University of Georgia and his Master’s in
Business Administration with a focus on Healthcare Leadership from Yale
University. Dean resides in the Lakeview neighborhood with his wife and
three children – all born at West Jefferson Medical Center.
 Darlene Gondrella,
VP of Quality
Darlene, CPHQ has over 26 years of nursing experience and has spent the
last 10 years over Quality, Risk Management and Infection Prevention.
Over the course of her 20-year career at West Jefferson Medical Center,
she has managed departments such as Case Management, Guest Services and
Patient Experience, and Nurse Education. She loves her work family and
was honored to be chosen as a New Orleans CityBusiness Healthcare Hero
in 2006. Darlene received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from LSU
School of Nursing and is a Certified Case Manager, and Certified Professional
in Healthcare Quality. Darlene lives with her wonderful husband and son,
who was born at West Jefferson.
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