Shendell-Falik Tapped for Baystate Leadership Post

SPRINGFIELD — Nancy Shendell-Falik, an experienced healthcare and nurse leader with over 15 years of success improving the quality of patient care, hospital efficiencies, and patient satisfaction, has been named to a new dual leadership position at Baystate Health as chief operating officer and senior vice president/chief nursing officer for Baystate Medical Center.

“During our search for these positions, we felt strongly that a combined chief operating officer and chief nursing officer role would assist Baystate Medical Center to achieve its strategic objectives,” said Dr. Mark Keroack, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Baystate Health. “In striv ing to deliver extraordinary patient care to the community, having one leader overseeing the operations of Baystate Medical Center, who also has a knowledge base, a focus, and a competence in nursing, would bring the potential for incredible opportunity.”

For the last four years, Shendell-Falik has served as senior vice president for Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer at Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children in Boston. During her tenure there, she demonstrated a collaborative style of leadership in championing numerous initiatives to improve clinical quality, patient safety, and the patient experience. She implemented a system of performance scorecards across all departments, served as executive sponsor of Tufts’ Patient and Family Advisory Council, and sponsored a novel leadership-education program.

Prior to her work in Boston, Shendell-Falik served as senor vice president, Patient Care Services at Newark Beth Israel Hospital in New Jersey. While at the 673-bed regional care teaching hospital, she led similar successful initiatives to improve quality and safety, implemented a nurse residency program, and reduced
nursing vacancy rates.

“The search committee was impressed with Nancy’s sophisticated grasp of performance-improvement methods, her focus on results, and track record in building strong physician-staff relationships,” Keroack said. “I was most impressed with how she addressed the challenging issues in healthcare and their impact on care at the bedside. I can think of no better partner as Baystate advances our vision of integrated, multidisciplinary care to improve the health of all in our community.

Shendell-Falik holds a master’s degree in Nursing from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Rutgers College of Nursing. She was a fellow of the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Program.
She holds membership in numerous professional societies and organizations, including the Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives, the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Alumni Assoc., the National Assoc. for Female Executives, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives.

Shendell-Falik has been honored with numerous awards recognizing her professional excellence and dedication to nursing, including the Salute to the Policy Maker Award from the Executive Women of New Jersey, the Nurse Executive Award from the Organization of Nurse Executives, and the Editors Choice Award – Change Agent from Advance for Nurses.