Biden taps Newark hospital CEO, former NJ health commissioner for Veterans Affairs post

Dr. Shereef Elnahal, CEO of University Hospital in Newark and a former commissioner of the state Department of Health, was nominated by President Joe Biden Wednesday to serve as Under Secretary for Health at the Veterans Health Administration in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Harvard-educated son of physicians who emigrated from Egypt, Elnahal will return to the agency from which Gov. Phil Murphy plucked him in 2018 to serve as state health commissioner and the first Muslim member of New Jersey's cabinet in state history. Elnahal is 36.

Murphy praised the nomination in a statement Wednesday. "Both in his roles as commissioner and as CEO of University Hospital, Shereef brought together diverse communities and put equity at the forefront of his work," the governor said. Elnahal's efforts during the pandemic "have been nothing short of herculean," Murphy said.

The state's only public hospital, University Hospital has been on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic, with military reinforcements deployed twice to assist the overwhelmed staff. The pandemic's disproportionate impact on Blacks and other ethnic minority people hit Newark hard, and the hospital cared for hundreds of patients, provided COVID vaccines to thousands of residents and employees, and conducted research on COVID treatments.

On March 3, Elnahal noted on Twitter that the hospital had passed a milestone — no COVID patients for the first time in months.

State news: Murphy delays COVID booster mandate for NJ health workers, prison guards

Elnahal took over at University Hospital in a swap with Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, who was then serving as the hospital's acting CEO after a report she wrote at the state's behest identified problems there with leadership, health care quality and accountability. Many improvements have been made, including better relations with unionized employees.

The state's largest health workers' union, Health Professionals and Allied Employees, called Elnahal a "visionary leader" who turned the hospital around in a short time. Elnahal "tackles crises head-on in a manner that is at once forthright yet inclusive of others, including the community and his union partners," said a statement from the union's president, Debbie White. She urged the hospital's board to appoint a new leader with the same dedication.

Two HPAE locals at University Hospital announced Wednesday that they had reached a tentative contract agreement that will help retain and recruit staff.

State news: Murphy lifts NJ COVID public health emergency as state surpasses 30K deaths

The hospital also recently announced a partnership with a developer and the NJ Housing and Mortgage Financing Authority to provide supportive housing to homeless patients.

Elnahal served as state health commissioner during an outbreak of adenovirus that caused the deaths of 11 children at a Wanaque nursing home. During his 18 months in office as health commissioner, from January 2018 to July 2019, he helped lead a new, data-driven state response to address opioid addiction and overdose deaths and to ease access to medical marijuana. He also worked to improve women's health and lower the maternal death rate, especially among Black women.

In his previous stint at the Veterans Administration, Elnahal led efforts to improve transparency in reporting veterans' access to care and performance outcomes. He was a White House fellow during the Obama administration.

Lindy Washburn is a senior health care reporter for NorthJersey.com. To keep up-to-date about how changes in health care affect you and your family, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: washburn@northjersey.com

Twitter: @lindywa

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Biden tabs Dr. Shereef Elnahal for Veterans Administration post