Successor to Michael Israel named to head WMCHealth

A successor to Michael Israel as president and CEO of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network has been named. He’s David Lubarsky, who currently is vice chancellor of Human Health Sciences and CEO at U.C. Davis Health, associated with the University of California in Sacramento.

“Dr. Lubarsky is a visionary leader with demonstrated success managing complex health care organizations, driving financial and operational excellence with an emphasis on quality of care, expanding community access to care, and improving the patient experience,” said Zubeen Shroff, chairman of the Westchester County Health Care Corporation (WCHHC) Board of Directors. “His experience and dedication to innovation will ensure WMCHealth is positioned to continue to grow and evolve to meet our patients’ needs and serve our diverse communities for decades to come.”

Lubarsky is scheduled to assume his new role in Westchester on Feb. 17. Michael Israel earlier this year announced his plans to retire from his position as WMCHealth’s president and CEO after nearly two decades leading the Network.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors we want to congratulate and thank Mike for his leadership over the last two decades,” Shroff said. “Under his direction, the organization was transformed from a single three-hospital campus into a multi-hospital regional healthcare Network with nearly 1,800 inpatient beds across nine hospitals at seven campuses.”

Lubarsky is a graduate of Edgemont High School in Scarsdale. He started his medical career with an internship at Westchester Medical Center.

“Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and I am inspired by WMCHealth’s unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care to every individual who walks through its doors,” said Lubarsky. “I greatly look forward to the road ahead and I’m excited to work alongside the Network’s clinical and executive leadership to shape the future of health care in the region.”

Lubarsky joined UC Davis Health in 2018, where he oversees the integrated health system’s academic, research, and clinical programs. UC Davis Medical Center, the health system’s flagship hospital, is a 684-bed Level I Trauma hospital. Lubarsky is professor of anesthesiology, professor of nursing, and a faculty member in the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis.