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Dr. Carlos Pellegrini has announced his retirement from UW Medicine, which will be effective December 31, 2018.

During his remarkable career, Dr. Pellegrini served as chair of the Department of Surgery for 23 years, and he has been UW Medicine’s founding chief medical officer for the last three years. In these major administrative roles, he has provided outstanding leadership and made numerous contributions to our mission of improving the health of the public.

“As department chair, Dr. Pellegrini was an exemplary role model for the UW Medicine Patients Are First approach to clinical care,” said Dr. Paul Ramsey, CEO, UW Medicine. “He was a mentor to faculty, staff and students, and he focused on developing relationships to bring people together as the best way to advance the profession. His work to advance the Department of Surgery included helping to raise more than $30 million from patients and community supporters to create several chairs and professorships. In addition, with his wife, Kelly, he made significant personal donations to create a fellowship in surgical ethics, a fellowship in education, and the Carlos and Kelly Pellegrini fund for diversity.”

“His impact as CMO has been equally significant,” Ramsey added.

“Dr. Pellegrini has provided executive leadership and strategic guidance for the integration of clinical practice with education and research activities across all UW Medicine sites of practice. He has focused on building support for care transformation as a way to achieve the Triple Aim goals for healthcare reform:  provide a high-quality patient experience, improve the health of populations and decrease healthcare costs. As part of this care transformation, he has been a passionate advocate for advancing healthcare equity, diversity and inclusion, and under his leadership, UW Medicine has become a national leader with our Healthcare Equity Blueprint.”

In reflecting on his career, Dr. Pellegrini said, “It has been a distinct honor to be a part of this wonderful organization. As chair of the department of surgery for 23 years, I had the privilege of helping shape the lives of patients, students, residents and faculty, one at a time. During the last three years, as UW Medicine’s first CMO, I had a chance to reach beyond the individual patients and help our larger community, patients and providers alike.

“This would have never been possible without the team that I had the privilege to work with.  I am tremendously indebted to them for their dedication and for the inspiration they provided me.”

Leadership transition: With Dr. Pellegrini’s retirement, Dr. Tim Dellit has agreed to serve as chief medical officer for UW Medicine, effective January 1, 2019.

Dr. Dellit has been with UW Medicine for 17 years and is highly respected for his collaborative leadership. He was appointed president of the University of Washington Physicians (UWP) on September 1, 2016, and he will continue to serve as UWP president in addition to the CMO role. He will also continue to work as an infectious disease consultant.

“Over the past three years, it has been an honor to work with and learn from Dr. Carlos Pellegrini as the founding CMO for UW Medicine,” said Dr. Dellit. “His commitment to UW Medicine, to our patients, and to our physicians is matched only by his ability to immediately connect on a personal level with everyone he encounters.”

Drs. Pellegrini and Dellit will work together to assure a smooth transition as UW Medicine continues to transform care delivery, advance healthcare equity and improve the health of the populations we serve while always putting the individual patient first.

 

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