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Virtua Health Names Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer

JenniferJennifer Khelil, DO, MBA, has been promoted to executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Virtua Health, the largest health system in southern New Jersey.

In her new role, Dr. Khelil collaborates with the leadership teams of the not-for-profit health system to provide clinical oversight across the organization, focusing on high reliability, quality and safety, and patient outcomes. She also provides leadership for nursing, physician services, and medical affairs. Additionally, Dr. Khelil helps lead Virtua Health’s academic affiliation with Rowan University.

“I have always been impressed by Dr. Khelil’s empathy and commitment to quality,” said Virtua President and CEO Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE. “From our providers to our patients, everyone will benefit from Dr. Khelil’s dedication to creating outstanding experiences that reflect the best of health care delivery.”

Dr. Khelil has served as Virtua’s chief medical officer since 2019 and was previously vice president of medical affairs starting in 2013. In these roles, she helped drive Virtua’s considerable strategic growth and expand access to care. Today, Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health encompasses 1,400 employed physicians and a 3,000-person medical staff. Dr. Khelil is hands-on in developing the clinical staff and capabilities for Virtua’s key service areas, including cardiovascular care, neurosciences, gastroenterology (GI), maternity, and organ transplantation. 

“From the moment I joined Virtua 12 years ago, it was clear that I was part of a special organization unified in its mission to improve health and wellness for the people in our service area,” said Dr. Khelil. “It has been thrilling to see Virtua grow over the years and to contribute to that growth. I’m looking forward to bringing even greater advances to the people of South Jersey.”

Dr. Khelil has also led the expansion of Virtua’s graduate and undergraduate medical education programs to help train more doctors. In 2021, Virtua offered five small, well-regarded residency programs. Today, Virtua has twice as many residency programs, including those for surgery, psychiatry, geriatrics, osteopathic neuromuscular manipulation, OB-GYN, podiatry, and pharmacy, among others. The internal medicine program presently employs 36 residents and will expand to 54 residents in July. Two soon-to-merge large family-medicine programs will help address the shortage of primary care providers in New Jersey and beyond (growing from 18 to 34 trainees over the next year).

For undergraduates, Dr. Khelil has helped establish the capacity for 70 to 80 students to concurrently learn at Virtua’s campuses – representing more than 600 rotations to date. Dr. Khelil also oversees a program for future physician assistants, who are vital to the continuum of care.

Beyond creating opportunities for student learners, Dr. Khelil supports the many providers who serve as faculty – many for the first time. More broadly, she is dedicated to addressing the holistic needs of all Virtua-employed physicians and medical staff. This includes making a range of resources available to address clinician burnout, work-life balance, and evolving care models.

Dr. Khelil served as a trusted, reassuring voice to the region through every stage of the pandemic. Whether participating in a live Instagram interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer or filming videos about hospital regulations, Dr. Khelil imparted her medical knowledge with poise and compassion. For this and more, the publication NJBIZ named her among its “Healthcare Heroes” of 2020. She has also been listed among Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Chief Medical Officers to Know.”

A graduate of the Health Management Academy’s Physician Leadership Program, Dr. Khelil in 2022 completed a two-year fellowship organized by the Academy and GE Healthcare. She is an active board member of Vantage Surgical Center, the New Jersey Association for Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, and the Rowan-Virtua School of Medicine Alumni Association.

Prior to Virtua, Dr. Khelil was medical director of two South Jersey organizations and a practicing physician in internal medicine, hospital medicine, and geriatrics. She holds a master of business administration from Quinnipiac University and a medical degree from the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine -- which today is the Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine.

A resident of Medford, N.J., she is the proud mom of four children.

About Virtua Health:   

Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health is an academic health system committed to helping the people of South Jersey be well, get well, and stay well by providing the complete spectrum of advanced, accessible, and trusted healthcare services. Virtua’s 14,000 colleagues provide tertiary care, including renowned cardiology and transplant programs, complemented by a community-based care portfolio. In addition to five hospitals, two satellite emergency departments, 42 ambulatory surgery centers, and more than 400 other locations, Virtua brings health services directly into communities through Hospital at Home, physical therapy and rehabilitation, mobile screenings, and its paramedic program. 

Virtua has 3,000 affiliated doctors and other clinicians, and its specialties include cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health, orthopedics, advanced surgery, and maternity. Virtua is academically affiliated with Rowan University, leading research, innovation, and immersive education at the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences of Rowan University. Virtua is also affiliated with Penn Medicine for cancer care and neurosciences, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for pediatrics. 

 As a not-for-profit health system, Virtua is committed to the well-being of the community and provides innovative outreach programs that address social challenges affecting health, most notably the “Eat Well” food access initiative, which includes the unparalleled Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store. Discover more at virtua.org

 

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