Richard J. Liekweg became group president of BJC HealthCare and president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in September 2009. He came to St. Louis after six years as chief executive officer and associate vice chancellor for the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center.
Since arriving in September, Liekweg has focus on enhancing the medical staff relationship with Washington University School of Medicine and continuing clinical expansion efforts at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, all while maintaining already high standards of clinical quality and patient safety.
“Barnes-Jewish Hospital is one of the most highly regarded academic medical centers in the country. I am excited to join and continue the mission of patient care, education and research that are cornerstones of the organization,” Liekweg says. “I have a passion for the important roles of teaching and community hospitals and will ensure our staffs are able to continue providing high-quality care to our patients and are focused on continuous quality, patient safety and performance improvement.”
Liekweg succeeds Andrew Ziskind, MD, who, after a four-year tenure as Barnes-Jewish Hospital president, moves to a newly created senior vice president role with BJC HealthCare, coordinating system-wide preparations for health care reform.