HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) announced today that Harold L. Paz, M.D., M.S., will join Aetna later this month as executive vice president and chief medical officer. Paz will lead clinical strategy and policy at the intersection of all of Aetna’s domestic and global businesses. He will drive clinical innovation to improve patient experience, quality and cost in all areas of the health care delivery system.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Paz, who has a clear vision for establishing growth platforms based on integrated care delivery, clinical evidence, training and outcomes-based goals. His clinical expertise and leadership will support ongoing transformation of health care delivery,” said Mark T. Bertolini, chairman, CEO and president of Aetna.
Before joining Aetna, Paz served as chief executive officer of Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Health System, senior vice president for Health Affairs for Penn State University, dean of its College of Medicine and professor of medicine and public health sciences for eight years. Prior to his appointment to Penn State, he served as dean of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and chief executive officer of Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Group, the largest multispecialty group practice in New Jersey, and professor of medicine. During his tenure at Penn State, Paz initiated the formation of the Penn State Hershey Health System, which includes four hospitals, 64 ambulatory care practices, and 18 affiliated hospitals.
Paz received a bachelor's degree in biology and psychology from the University of Rochester, a master of science in life science engineering from Tufts University, and his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He completed his internship and residency at Northwestern University, where he served as chief medical resident and instructor in clinical medicine. He was a Eudowood Fellow in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School. In addition, he was a post-doctoral fellow in environmental health science at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.
Paz has focused his medical practice on pulmonary medicine with a special interest in patients with sarcoidosis. His research looks at critical care clinical outcomes, health system organization, and health care effectiveness. A pioneer in the field of quality management, Paz was among the first to study clinical outcomes in the intensive care unit. From this early work, he recognized the need to formally train physicians in quality, and in 1993 he started the first fellowship of its kind in quality management.
Paz is chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Academic Health Centers and a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the University Health System Consortium board of directors. He is chair of the AAMC Council of Deans administrative board and has served on the AAMC executive council. A former trustee of the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust, he has served on corporate and scientific advisory boards in the biotechnology field. Paz has authored more than 85 publications, including peer-reviewed research and quality articles, chapters, commentaries and abstracts. He also is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Sir William Osler Humanitarian Award from the American Lung Association of New Jersey, the Alumni Merit Award from Northwestern University, the Honorary Alumni Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and an honorary degree from Elizabethtown College. A member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, he is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians. Paz recently joined the Board of United Surgical Partners International. Paz will be based in Hartford, Connecticut.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified
health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 44 million people
with information and resources to help them make better informed
decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of
traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products
and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral
health, group life and disability plans, and medical management
capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers’
compensation administrative services and health information technology
products and services. Aetna’s customers include employer groups,
individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health
plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored
plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com
and the 2014
Aetna story about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world.
