The Board of Directors of Winthrop- University Hospital has announced that following an extensive national search, it has named John F. Collins President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Winthrop-University Hospital.

Mr. Collins has been an integral member of the Winthrop leadership team for more than a decade, most recently in the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Collins’ appointment became effective March 1, 2009 and in order to facilitate a smooth transition, longtime President and CEO Daniel P. Walsh, who announced his retirement plans last fall, will remain involved with the Hospital, serving as a consultant and advisor to Mr. Collins, through June 30, his official retirement date.

“I am honored by the vote of confidence expressed by Winthrop’s esteemed Board of Directors,” said Mr. Collins. “And I look forward to working with Dan during this transition – as we have worked together over the past ten years – for the benefit of the Hospital and the communities it serves.”

Mr. Collins has had an illustrious career at Winthrop, and his promotion to President and CEO reflects the respect he has earned from the Hospital’s Board of Directors, medical staff and administrative leadership, with whom he has worked closely for nearly 12 years.

“After a comprehensive search it soon became evident that we had a superb CEO candidate within our own organization,” said Charles M. Strain, Chairman of the Winthrop-University Hospital Board of Directors. “John Collins has in-depth knowledge of Winthrop and a strong record of success in managing the Hospital’s financial and operating activities. Clearly he has the ability to be our hospital’s President and CEO. The Board and I look forward to working with him toward our common goal of supporting Winthrop’s mission to provide ‘Care without compromise’ to all our patients and their families.”

Mr. Collins joined the Winthrop team in July 1997 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO); in February 2007 he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) and CFO. In September 2008, Mr. Collins was promoted to Executive Vice President of Winthrop, a role that he assumed as he continued in the capacity of the Hospital’s COO.

Over the past two years, Mr. Collins has effectively managed all aspects of the Hospital’s operations, and over the past decade, he has carried out expert management of all financial operations for the Hospital, as well as those of Winthrop’s property holding company, subsidiaries, foundation, faculty practice and joint ventures.

He is active in several professional organizations, including the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the New York State Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the Finance Committees for the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), is a past-president of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) Metropolitan New York Chapter and past-Chairman of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council Committee on Finance. On several occasions, he has been honored with awards from the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Mr. Collins earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Queens College in 1976 and became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1982.