Chief Executive Officer and President
Dartmouth Health
Joanne M. Conroy, MD, has led Dartmouth Health as chief executive officer and president since 2017. As the leader of New Hampshire's only academic health system, including its flagship hospital Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), Dr. Conroy has led significant positive change and growth. Highlights of this work include a dramatic turnaround in Dartmouth Health's financial performance, the addition of Southwestern Vermont Health Care as a member of Dartmouth Health, the completion of two major expansion projects, and a strategic planning process that is guiding the organization into the future.
Under Conroy's leadership, Dartmouth Health expanded the footprint of DHMC to 460 inpatient beds, with the April 2023 completion of a $150 million expansion of a new patient pavilion in Lebanon, NH. In 2021, Dartmouth Health expanded its Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Manchester, NH location with an Ambulatory Surgical Center. Both projects increased access to key clinical services for patients, brought the use of advanced state-of-the art technology to the bedside and enhanced delivery of the world-class care that patients and families have come to expect from Dartmouth Health.
Dr. Conroy has long been a formidable force and is a vocal advocate for increasing the role of women in leadership, including as a founding member of Women of Impact, a group of healthcare executives addressing complex problems in the industry. Her recent national and regional awards and honors include the 2021 Steven Schroeder Award for Outstanding Healthcare CEO given by the LeapFrog Group being named the 2022 Citizen of the Year by the New Hampshire Union Leader, and to Becker's Hospital Review's 2022 "Top 113 Great Leaders in Healthcare" list. She is often singled out as a role model for other women who aspire to become leaders and agents for positive change in healthcare. In 2018 and 2022 Conroy was named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare and was included in the magazine's inaugural listing of Women Leaders Luminaries in 2019. She has been named to Boston Business Journal's "Women of Influence" list, and Beckers' Hospital Review's 2023 and 2024 "130 Women Hospital and Health System leaders to Know," the "135 Nonprofit Hospital and Health System CEOs to Know," and the "36 Women Physician Leaders to Know' lists. She was included in Becker's Top 40 CEO Influencers list for 2023. Under her leadership, DHMC continues to be annually ranked as the #1 ranked hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek.
Prior to joining Dartmouth Health, Dr. Conroy served as CEO of Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, MA, and as chief healthcare officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, DC. She has served as chief medical officer, vice president of academic affairs and executive vice president of the Atlantic health system based in Florham Park, NJ. While serving as executive vice president, Dr. Conroy was named president and chief operating officer for the Morristown Memorial Hospital (now called Morristown Medical Center) in Morristown, NJ. She held several academic and administrative leadership positions at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), including president of the MUSC medical staff, director of Residency Education for the Department of Anesthesiology, chair of the Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine, associate vice president for Medical Affairs, executive medical director and senior associate Dean of the MUSC College of Medicine.
She received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Dartmouth as a member of only the second class to admit women. As an undergraduate, she was the recipient of a Robert Sloan scholarship from Singer Corporation. Dr. Conroy received her medical degree from MUSC, where she completed her residency in anesthesiology, serving as chief resident for one year.
Dr. Conroy is board certified with the American Board of Anesthesiologists. On January 1, 2024 Conroy became chair of the American Hospital Association Board. She lives in Hanover, New Hampshire.
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