UW Medical Center hires executive director

After a 15-month search, an executive from an academic hospital in Missouri has been picked to lead the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC).

Stephen P. Zieniewicz was previously the chief operating officer of Saint Louis University Hospital, a large teaching facility owned by the private Tenet Healthcare Corp. of Dallas.

He holds a master's degree in public health from Columbia University, and has held administrative jobs at several New York hospitals during a 25-year career in health care.

As executive director of UWMC, Zieniewicz will oversee one of the state's largest hospitals, with 450 beds and 5,050 employees, including 400 attending physicians. The medical center is a research and training hub, sending residents to hospitals across the Northwest.

Zieniewicz (pronounced zinn-o-witz) replaces Lisa Brandenburg, who served as interim director before accepting a leadership position at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Seattle. A search for a new executive director for UWMC's sister hospital, Harborview Medical Center, is still under way.

Zieniewicz will report to Johnese Spisso, the UW's vice president for medical affairs. He is expected to arrive in Seattle later this week.

Jonathan Martin: 206-464-2605 or jmartin@seattletimes.com