PROVIDENCE – Lifespan Corp., Rhode Island’s largest hospital system, announced on Thursday that Arthur J. Sampson has been named interim CEO and president of Lifespan.
Sampson is stepping into the position following the mid-April resignation of Dr. Timothy J. Babineau as CEO and president of Lifespan, a position he held since the summer of 2012. Babineau resigned in the wake of a failed merger with the state’s second largest hospital company, Care New England Health System.
The company, which operates Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital and other health care facilities around the state, said Sampson will step into the role effective June 1.
Sampson has worked for Lifespan hospitals for 35 of his 45 years in the health care industry, most recently as the president and CEO of The Miriam Hospital, after previously serving as president and chief executive officer of Newport Hospital. Before his time at Newport Hospital, Sampson served in various senior executive positions at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River. Sampson is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Lawrence A. Aubin Sr., chairperson of Lifespan’s board of directors, sent a message to Lifespan’s more than 15,000 employees on Thursday, notifying them about Sampson becoming the interim CEO and president of the company. Aubin said Sampson will lead the nonprofit hospital company while the Lifespan board of directors conducts a national search for a permanent successor to replace Babineau, who will serve the board in an advisory role through the end of September.
“Arthur is an agile and strong leader and works well with individuals at all levels of the organization,” Aubin said. “We are fortunate to have him rejoining Lifespan during this transition period, bringing his institutional knowledge, expertise and experience to continue the important work laid out in our Lifespan 2025 strategic plan.”
Aubin said the Lifespan board of directors will initiate a national search for a new president and chief executive officer “in the coming weeks,” with the most immediate steps in the process involving the selection of an executive search firm and a search committee to support the search.
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @LaRockPBN.
