Jessie Cheung, Staff Photographer

Yale Health’s chief clinical operations officer Nanci Fortgang has been appointed to serve as the organization’s interim director, according to a Jan. 13 email to the Yale Community from Vice Provost for Health Affairs and Academic Integrity Stephanie Spangler. 

This announcement came just a week after previous Yale Health CEO Paul Genecin officially left his position. He announced his retirement in August, which was soon followed by Christine Chen stepping down as Chief of Student Health in September. 

Fortgang’s promotion also came just days before the creation of a Campus Health Office at Yale Health with a mission to “develop and maintain an infrastructure that protects the university’s core mission while supporting the health and productivity of its community in the face of both routine and emergent health risks,” according to Spangler’s Thursday morning email. The new office will be led by chief quality officer Madeline Wilson, who will now take on an additional role of chief campus health officer. 

Genecin said that he is “delighted” with Fortgang’s appointment and added that she would “stabilize” the organization during the time of transition. 

“When Yale identifies my successor in the CEO role, that person will arrive at an organization that is running smoothly,” Genecin wrote to the News. “They will benefit from her deep knowledge of Yale Health and Yale University.  I am delighted that Nanci was willing to take on this important challenge.”

In her Jan. 13 email announcing the appointment, Spangler wrote that Fortgang came to Yale Health nearly 30 years ago and “quickly demonstrated her superb operational skills and deep commitment to patient care,” earning promotions which ultimately resulted in her appointment as chief clinical operations officer in 2015. 

Spangler added that Fortgang has a “collaborative and caring approach to leadership,” which will ensure Yale Health will “thrive and move forward” during this transition period. 

“I am deeply committed to the care of our members and assuring the essential work of Yale Health will continue,” Fortgang wrote to the News. 

Fortgang holds a Bachelor’s of Nursing from Boston University and a Master’s of Public 

Administration from New York University. She serves as a board member for the Connecticut Medical Group Management Association and the Telehealth Special Interest Group. Additionally she is a member of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing and a certified medical practice executive at the Medical Group Management Association. 

Among Fortgang’s accomplishments, Spangler noted her standardization of medical triage protocols, her re-envisioning of Yale’s flu vaccine program, her work designing the Lanman Field Hospital operation and her leadership in Yale’s COVID-19 vaccination program. 

Genecin added that amid the pandemic, Fortgang helped set up the Campus COVID Resource Line, helped staff and patients adapt to the changing rules for infection control in healthcare settings and played an “important role” in the transition to telemedicine. 

“Nanci Fortgang has long been one of our most respected leaders,” Genecin wrote in an email to the News. “She oversees the operations of all our clinical programs. She has a detailed knowledge of what it takes to keep the program humming. She has earned the respect of our entire staff because of her excellent [judgment] and commitment to doing the right thing.”

Spangler wrote that an active search is underway for a CEO of Yale Health who will permanently replace Genecin, progressing “extremely well.” 

Yale Health is located at 55 Lock Street.