Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center’s executive vice president honored with President’s Award by New Hampshire Hospital Association

The executive vice president of Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) was honored at the New Hampshire Hospital Association’s (NHHA) annual meeting on Monday, October 16. Susan A. Reeves, EdD, RN, CENP, received the Leslie A. Smith President’s Award.

“During the pandemic, Dr. Reeves was focused on crisis standards of care—not just for her own hospital, but she wanted to make sure that all hospitals were aligned and supported,” said Steve Ahnen, CEO and president of NHHA. “Her motto was: ‘No one invokes crisis standards alone. We all work together to address and mitigate the pressure points from patient COVID-19 volumes at all hospitals across the state.’ This became something we all adopted, and I can personally attest to how powerful that made all of us during high pressure and chaotic times. Her interests in public health, quality, patient safety and organizational ethics exemplify her as a superior leader and role model across the state.”

The President’s Award is given to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the organization. The recipient is chosen for their dedicated service to the affairs, management, and/or creative growth of NHHA and its members, and must be an NHHA member, affiliate, volunteer, or employee whose service continually brings credit to the field of healthcare in New Hampshire.

Reeves, who is also the chief nursing executive of the Dartmouth Health system, has served as DHMC’s executive vice president since 2020. Her involvement with Dartmouth Health stretches back to 1980, when she received her nursing diploma from the former Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. Early in her career, her clinical specialty was medical oncology, with a sub-specialty in radiation oncology nursing. She went on to serve on the Senior Leadership Team, where she was administratively responsible for the inpatient hospital, DHMC and Dartmouth Cancer Center, and the DHMC Emergency Services programs.

“Receiving the President’s Award was a complete surprise and I am humbled by this recognition from my colleagues,” Reeves said. “Throughout my 40-plus-year career with Dartmouth Health, it’s been an honor to work across New Hampshire with my NHHA colleagues to improve healthcare for all Granite Staters. My sincere thanks goes to all of them, and our teams at DHMC, who are a true model for outstanding healthcare practice in New Hampshire and beyond.”