Newly-appointed CEO of VCU Health System hopes to tackle healthcare equality, grateful for previous leadership
Peter Buckley will enter his new positions as VCU Health CEO and interim vice president of VCU Health Sciences in January. Photo courtesy of VCU News
Anya Sczerzenie, Contributing Writer
Peter Buckley, who will be replacing Marsha Rappley as interim CEO of VCU Health System and interim vice president of VCU Health Sciences for the 2020 Spring semester, is ready to take on his new jobs.
“Dr. Rappley and I are already working together to ensure a smooth transition of roles,” Buckley said. “In this position, I look forward to uplifting and providing leadership to a strong team … so they may provide the best experience for our patients and those who need us.”
Buckley says he is grateful for Rappley’s leadership and plans to continue projects started by Rappley. He will continue to oversee construction of a new children’s hospital in downtown Richmond.
The hospital began construction in the spring and will open in 2022. In accordance with the VCU Master Plan, the new children’s hospital will replace the children’s unit at VCU’s main hospital.
VCU News announced in October that Buckley would be replacing Rappley as CEO and interim vice president of VCU Health System.
Buckley was appointed as dean of VCU Medical School in 2016. Before that, he was dean of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. He has a background in administration of mental health and psychiatric facilities. He is also executive vice president for medical affairs at VCU, overseeing more than 800 practicing physicians. He will continue to serve in this position and as dean when he is Health CEO.
Buckley acknowledges that the American healthcare system does not serve everyone equally, and says he hopes to address those challenges while working as interim Health CEO.
“The U.S. healthcare system provides extraordinary innovation, and yet many patients still have unsatisfactory experiences that include difficulty in accessing care or poorer outcomes than expected,” Buckley said. “I’m proud of efforts to address these challenges.”
The VCU Health System is the group of medical facilities operated by the university. It contains the VCU Medical Center, Community Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond, MCV Physicians and Virginia Premier Health Plan. As CEO of VCU Health System, Peter Buckley will be responsible for overseeing and managing all these facilities.
Rappley announced her retirement in an email to the VCU community in October, in which she said that she plans to move to Michigan to be with family. She will leave the position on Jan. 2 before the spring semester begins.
Corrections to this article were made Dec. 5.
