Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) has announced the addition of a seasoned medical and human resources professional as the new chief administrative officer for USC Health, effective May 1.
Paul Craig, RN, JD
Paul Craig, RN, JD, comes to Keck Medicine of USC from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he serves as vice president for Human Resources and is the hospital’s chief human resources officer. His more than 30 years of experience includes practicing law and working as a registered nurse in intensive care units and emergency departments.
Reporting directly to Tom Jackiewicz, senior vice president and CEO for USC Health, Craig’s new responsibilities include central coordination of health system activities operations and planning, and ensuring the timely flow of information to and from the executive office. He also will concentrate on streamlining operations and leading task forces and initiatives to facilitate organizational improvement.
“Paul brings a diverse set of experience and skills in health care to his new role — from more than a decade of practice as a registered nurse, to medical malpractice litigation, to health-system administration and risk management,” said Jackiewicz. “His working knowledge of both bedside practice and systems management will enable Keck Medicine of USC to continue to grow and thrive by offering world-class care to the Southern California community and beyond.”
Before his tenure at Children’s Hospital, Craig spent nine years at the University of California, San Diego where he served as associate vice chancellor, Human Resources and Risk Management for UCSD Health Sciences, which includes the medical school, two medical centers and the faculty medical group, as well as chief human resources and risk officer at the UCSD Health System. Before UCSD, Craig was the chief operating officer at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.
Craig expressed excitement about joining Keck Medicine at a critical stage in its expansion and development.
“With the acquisition of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and the expansion of the ambulatory network, USC is launching on a trajectory of real growth,” he said. “Across the country, academic medical centers (AMCs), including schools of medicine as well as faculty research and clinical practices, are at a real crossroads, facing challenges that require us to plan, work and think in very different ways. As Keck Medicine’s CAO, there is a huge opportunity to link and coordinate all these efforts so that the enterprise continues to be a leader in medicine, science and patient care.”
Craig will be responsible for central coordination of operations impacting the health system and leading initiatives for organizational improvement and true system integration. His duties include working on implementing the select insurance network currently under development, as well as managing the Keck Medicine International Medicine Program and assisting in onboarding the practices of the Keck Medicine of USC Medical Foundation. He also will provide leadership to crucial service areas to help them manage their growth.
Craig’s professional memberships include the American Society of Healthcare Risk Managers, American College of Healthcare Executives and Society of Human Resources Management.
Craig earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in behavioral science from National University in Evanston, Ill. and his license as a registered nurse from the Evanston Hospital School of Nursing. He earned his juris doctor cum laude from DePaul University College of Law.
by Leslie Ridgeway