Edward Cucci appointed president of University of Chicago's Weiss Memorial Hospital

Edward Cucci appointed president of University of Chicago's Weiss Memorial Hospital

September 13, 1999

Edward A. Cucci has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital, the University of Chicago Hospitals' north side facility, effective November 1, 1999. Cucci will also serve as a vice president of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System.

Cucci comes to the University of Chicago Hospitals from Swedish Covenant Hospital, also in Chicago, where he has served as president and chief executive officer since 1990. During his nine-year tenure at Swedish Covenant, Cucci was able to improve operational and financial performance, develop new facilities, and expand clinical programs.

"We are excited to have found someone who combines Mr. Cucci's strong leadership skills with his extensive experience in hospital administration and his familiarity with the competitive North Side healthcare marketplace," said Michael Rosenberg, chairman of the board of governors at Weiss. "We expect him to become an imaginative and influential leader for Weiss and to continue the Weiss tradition of providing superb and innovative care to a wide range of patients."

Cucci will succeed Greg Cierlik, who has served as President of Weiss Hospital since 1995. Cierlik announced his intention last spring to step down before the end of 1999 as president of Weiss. The search for his replacement began this summer.

"Edward Cucci has demonstrated the ability to run hospitals efficiently, to coordinate the needs and wishes of both doctors and hospital staff, and to guide the development and expansion of new clinical programs," said Ralph Muller, president of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System. "We look forward to making the best use of his extensive healthcare experience and his thoughtful and detail-oriented leadership style."

Edward Cucci, 54, of Lincolnshire, Illinois, has more than 25 years of experience in hospital administration. He earned his undergraduate degree from North Park College in 1968, completed a master's degree in teaching from Northeastern Illinois University in 1971 while working at Augustana Hospital in Chicago and Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, then earned a master's degree in healthcare and hospital administration from the University of Minnesota in 1974.

He served as vice president and then senior vice president of Methodist Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, from 1974 to 1983. He was appointed executive vice president of St. John's Medical Center in Anderson, Indiana, in 1983 and became its president and chief operating officer in 1985. In 1986, he was named executive vice president of Swedish Covenant and became its president and CEO in 1990.

Weiss Memorial Hospital opened in 1953 to serve the medical needs of Chicago's North Side. A University of Chicago Hospital since 1987, Weiss is a private, non-profit, 372-licensed-bed facility, providing comprehensive medical, surgical, and obstetrical services and has nationally recognized programs in cancer care, prostate disease, gastroenterology, spinal disorders, and minimally invasive surgery.