New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, who became a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic, is retiring after decades of service, NJ Advance Media is reporting.
Persichilli began serving as Acting Commissioner of Health on August 5, 2019, and was confirmed by the State Senate on January 9, 2020, just months before the pandemic erupted.
Referred to by Gov. Murphy as “the woman that needs no introduction,” she has been alongside him leading the state’s response to the pandemic. Along with the response to this once-in-a century health emergency, the Department of Health under her leadership works to protect and improve the health of New Jersey residents.
The Department’s priorities include reducing health disparities, improving maternal health, addressing the overdose epidemic and increasing access to health care.
Prior to leading the department, Persichilli served as the CEO of University Hospital in Newark.
Persichilli was president emerita of CHE Trinity Health, the health ministry formed in May 2013 by the consolidation of Catholic Health East and Trinity Health of Livonia, MI. She previously served as the interim president and CEO of CHE Trinity Health. Prior to this appointment, Persichilli was President and CEO of Catholic Health East.
Persichilli joined CHE in 2003 as the Executive Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic Division. She was promoted to Executive Vice President of acute care for the system in 2008 and then to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in December 2009 before assuming the role of CEO. Prior to joining CHE’s System Office, she served for eight years as CEO at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton.
Persichilli received her nursing diploma from the St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing summa cum laude from Rutgers University, and a Master of Arts in Administration summa cum laude from Rider University. She also received an honorary Doctor of Health degree from Georgian Court University in 2009. In May 2011, Persichilli received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.
In 2006, Persichilli was inducted into the New Jersey State Nurses Association Hall of Honor. She also received the Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton’s highest honor when she was awarded the 2008 Richard J. Hughes Humanitarian Award. In 2011, Persichilli was named one of the 50 most powerful people in New Jersey health care by NJ Biz and was selected by KYW Newsradio as a recipient of its annual Women’s Achievement Award. She also received the 2011 Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Award for Outstanding Medical Executive.
In October 2011, the Philadelphia Business Journal’s inaugural Healthcare Innovation Awards program named Persichilli as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Persichilli was named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s “300 Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know” list in 2012, which recognizes individuals leading prominent American health care organizations.
Persichilli co-founded the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, which provides fundraising support to organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. In April 2013, Modern Healthcare named Persichilli to its 2013 list of Top 25 Women in Healthcare.