Touro

Michael J. Sniffen, Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), is an accomplished senior healthcare executive and a Fellow of the American College of HealthCare Executives who has more than 30 years of experience. He began his career at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center, and he soon advanced to a joint leadership position in strategic planning for both the hospital and medical school. He then served as president and CEO of Overlook Health System and later as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Atlantic Health System. Sniffen is no stranger to operating faith-based healthcare systems; he filled the position of interim president and CEO for Bon Secours & Canterbury Partnership for Care, a Catholic and Episcopalian organization. He served as the founder and managing director of The Manchester Group and most recently joined ASPIRE Performance Partners, a healthcare consulting firm that provides performance improvement services and on-site interim management for temporary vacancies.

Susan (Sue) Pitoscia, Chief Operating Officer (COO), has served as senior vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer for Touro since 2006. She has been promoted to the role of COO, in which she will oversee the day-to-day operations of the hospital. She has more than 25 years of progressive healthcare experience, including 11 years at Virtua-Memorial Hospital of Burlington County, advancing from patient care manager of Coronary Care to vice president of Patient Care and chief nurse executive. She served as vice president of Patient Care Services at Lourdes Medical Center and has also worked as a healthcare consultant on operational redesign, patient care delivery models and regulatory compliance. Pitoscia holds an MS in nursing degree with a concentration in nursing administration from Villanova University and a BS in nursing degree from LaSalle University. She received her nursing diploma from Helene Fuld School of Nursing, Camden, New Jersey.

Robert Ficken, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (CFO), has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare finance and has been responsible for the financial management, information services, revenue cycle delivery and investment performance of all Touro Infirmary-affiliated operations since 2002. He started his career with KPMG in Peoria, Illinois and has subsequently held positions of Chief Financial Officer at Decatur Memorial Hospital, Columbia Medical Center West and the Dallas Fort-Worth Medical Center. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Illinois State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Dr. Kevin Jordan, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer (CMO), has served as Director of Medical Affairs at Touro since 2004; and, previously, served as the Director of Emergency Services at Touro since 1996. He has specialized training in emergency medicine and has trained and mentored resident physicians at Louisiana State University, Tulane University and the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is a graduate of the Advanced Training Program in Healthcare Delivery at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also serves on the board of directors for the Orleans Parish Medical Society and previously on the board of the Louisiana Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Jordan gained extensive leadership experience in emergency medicine and medical informatics while serving in the United States Air Force. During his 10 years of service, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, practiced as a flight surgeon and served as Department Chair of Emergency Medicine, Chief of Acute Care and Commander of the 512th Medical Service Squadron, Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center. Dr. Jordan is a diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine. He holds a BA from University of Notre Dame and an MD from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Michael J. Olinger Outstanding Senior Clinician Award. He also completed a Fellowship in Medical Education from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Scott C. Landry, Vice President, Facilities has oversight responsibility for all Touro Enterprise Properties, including Plant Operations, Maintenance, Bio-Medical Engineering, Facilities Development, Environmental Services, Laundry Services and Parking Operations. Scott has over 22 years of healthcare specific facilities management experience with over 16 years with Ochsner Medical Foundation in varying facilities roles and responsibilities. He joined Touro in 2002 as Director of Facilities. In June of 2006 he was appointed to his current position of Vice President. He is a graduate of the University of Phoenix where he received a bachelor’s degree in business. 

Dale F. Mertens, Vice President of Physician Services and President of Crescent City Physicians, Inc., serves as a liaison with the medical staff to help facilitate physician access to hospital services, to develop programs that acknowledge the contributions of the medical staff, to facilitate cross referral relationships between primary care physicians and physician specialists, and to assist in physician recruitment and retention. Dale holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Louisiana Tech University, and attended graduate studies in Accounting and Economics at Louisiana State University.

Chad Courrege, Vice President of Human Resources, has fifteen years of human resources leadership and a comprehensive background in all facets of human resources operations and administration. A native New Orleanian, Chad most recently served as the Director of Human Resources at Children’s Hospital. Other previous positions include Human Resource Manager and Manager of Compensation for the Southern States Region of Tenet Healthcare, and Director of Salary Administration, Recruiting and Employee Relations for Pan American Life Insurance Co., located in New Orleans. Chad holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (with a concentration in Human Resources Management and Healthcare Administration) from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Degree (with a concentration in Accounting) from Our Lady of Holy Cross College and is certified as a Human Resources Professional.

Theresa Williams, Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), has been at Touro since September 2006. She has held the position of Associate Vice President for Patient Care Services for the past year and prior to that worked on special projects for nursing. In the AVP role, Theresa had accountability for the Medical Surgical units, Women’s Services, Nursery and NICU, IV Team, Diabetes Center, Nursing Education and Nursing Resources. She was responsible for implementing the IV Team and developing the Patient Safety Attendant role. During the past year, Theresa has intermittently fulfilled the responsibilities of the Chief Nursing Officer role. In addition to Touro, Theresa’s experience includes staff nursing, Administrative Supervisor, Manager for Obstetrical Services at Providence Health Systems in Medford, Oregon, Clinical Manager for Women’s Services at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana, and Clinical Services Business Officer at Merle West Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Theresa holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Oregon Health Sciences University, and Masters in Nursing, Business Administration and Healthcare Management.

Florence André, Executive Director of the Touro Foundation, joined Touro as Executive Director of Touro Infirmary Foundation in Fall 2007, after serving as President and CEO of the LSU Health Sciences Center Foundation. Her 35-year history in the field of fundraising and philanthropy has included service as Director of University Advancement at the University of New Orleans, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Tulane University and president of her own national consulting firm. Her skills and leadership have been recognized by the AAMC Award of Excellence for “Coming Home,” a video highlighting LSUHSC’s Katrina recovery efforts, and the CASE National Gold Award for the “Satchmo to Marsalis” concert at UNO. The Association of Fundraising Professionals named her “New Orleans Fundraising Professional of the Year” in 1999. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Newcomb College and a Masters in Education from Tulane University. She is a former member of the National Board of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and she now serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Leadership Council.