SoutheastHEALTH welcomes new chief operating officer Mariellena Sudak

Mariellena Sudak is SoutheastHEALTH�s new chief operating officer, the company announced Friday.

Sudak�s experience includes more than 40 years of health-care experience, including 20 years in leadership roles, most recently as vice president with Palomar Health in San Diego, the largest public health-care district in California, according to a news release.

At Palomar, Sudak facilitated working collaboratively with physicians, interdisciplinary partners and staff and developing strategies and goal setting for long- and short-range planning, according to the release.

�With the challenges we face in healthcare, navigating disruption, consolidation and ongoing cost pressure, Sudak�s role is vital in assisting me in refining operations and integrating our goals into measureable outcomes,� Ken Bateman, president and CEO of SoutheastHEALTH, said in the release. �Sudak will be responsible for our organization�s operations and ensuring continued efficiencies in services that are designed to meet the needs of patients, physicians, public and staff.�

At Palomar, Sudak also served as chief nursing officer, director of clinical operations improvement, director of clinical transformation and other roles, the release stated. Sudak holds a doctorate of health administration from Medical University of South Carolina.

Her professional affiliations include the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the American Nurses Association, according to the release.