Christine St. Andre, administrator of the George Washington Medical Center in Washington, D.C., has been appointed executive director of University of Utah Hospital.
St. Andre is scheduled to begin the job Feb. 1, 1994. Before that, her appointment needs the approval of the university's Board of Trustees.She replaces Dale Gunnell, who has been acting administrator since January 1992, when George Belsey left to become executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, Chicago.
With the latest change, Gunnell is to be promoted to associate vice president for health sciences for business operations, said hospital spokesman John Dwan.
St. Andre received a master's degree from George Washington University in 1977 and joined the staff of the university's medical center the same year. She had earned her bachelor's degree in economics and mathematics from Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania.
She has served as director of the George Washington University Hospital and administrator of the medical center since February 1992. She is responsible for the 488-bed acute care teaching facility, which employs 2,200 staff members and has a yearly operating budget of $175 million yearly.
"We could not be more pleased with the results of our nationwide search for the top administrative post at University Hospital," said U. President Arthur K. Smith.
"I am confident that Ms. St. Andre's proven leadership and managerial skills will provide the hospital with prudent and visionary guidance during the national metamorphosis in health-care delivery."
She will not only administer the U. Hospital, but also its system of clinics, which provide care for the six-state Mountain West region. The hospital is a 395-bed acute care facility with a budget of more than $300 million.
Every year it has about 15,000 patient admissions and serves 300,000 others in ambulatory care. The medical staff numbers 435, and it has about 500 physicians-in-training and 2,700 other employees.