Meet Our New CEO,
David T. Feinberg, MD, MBA

In 1990, when David Feinberg and his wife Andrea – both medical doctors – drove their Chevy Malibu from Chicago and checked into the now defunct Holiday Inn on Sunset Boulevard, they were certain of two things: one, they would stay in Los Angeles just long enough to complete their respective training; and, two: academic medicine had no place in their professional futures.

Now, in the summer of 2007, as newly appointed interim UCLA Health System CEO and associate vice chancellor of UCLA Medical Sciences, Dr. Feinberg couldn't be happier.

What changed your mind about Los Angeles and academic medicine?
UCLA's child psychiatry program's reputation as one of the country's best drew me to Los Angeles. I believed that after training, my wife and I would move on to a more child-friendly location to raise a family and to open private practices.

However, at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital (NPH), I was offered one challenging opportunity after another and I found myself loving my work and UCLA. I worked on revitalizing the outpatient child psychiatry clinic, improving inpatient service standards, overseeing managed care practices, and finally, serving as director. These opportunities came to me in rapid succession. In any other setting, I probably would have had to wait many more years to tackle this breadth of challenges.

As the interim CEO of UCLA Health System, what do you hope to accomplish?
I want the UCLA Health System to be the best health system and hospital system possible. We have a stellar reputation as one of the best hospitals in the country if not the world. In fact, U.S.News & World Report just raised our national ranking from number five to number three in its 2007 Best Hospitals issue. That's a huge achievement. But the real challenge is making sure that the next patient that walks though our doors receives the highest quality care and best patient experience possible. My number one priority is to improve the patient experience for all the patients and the families that entrust their care to us.

We have the finest physicians, nurses, staff, equipment and technology; and, soon the most advanced hospital facilities that anyone can hope for. This equips us with the necessary tools to care for our patients during their most vulnerable and difficult times and charges us with the responsibility to make sure that we always communicate clearly about their condition; that we always work as a team in providing care, and that we always keep the treatment environment safe, clean and patient friendly.

How can we achieve that?
Each day, everyone here – including physicians, nurses, administrators and staff – has the opportunity to make our patients and visitors feel welcome and cared about. We each have the ability to remove obstacles and contribute to the healing of our patients, either directly or indirectly. If each of us acts on the importance of our role here, we can all contribute to providing the best hospital experience.

Do you have any specific plans for Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital?
Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital is transitioning from a community hospital to that of a hybrid community hospital/academic medical center. Our partnership with Orthopaedic Hospital at Santa Monica allows us to care for many underserved individuals with bone and joint problems. Our partnership with local physicians in Santa Monica and in the surrounding areas allows us to connect with primary care being delivered in our community.

Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital is the jewel in our health system. I am spending a significant amount of time at Santa Monica each week because I know that we must maintain its great community tradition while at the same time integrate many of the wonderful programs at Westwood that are moving to Santa Monica.

When you're not working, what do you enjoy?
Aside from my obsessive daily work out at the gym, my wife, daughter, son and I love to travel. We've traveled together to Costa Rica, Paris, Alaska, and Israel, among other places. Andrea and I joke that our teenaged children are our favorite couple to travel with.