ProMedica Announces Senior Leadership Appointments

ProMedica is pleased to announce the appointments of three executives to the health system's senior leadership team: Kent Bishop, MD, as system chief medical officer; Debi Brobst as chief information officer; and Kathleen Merrill as chief marketing officer. All three executives were promoted from within the organization, and they will report directly to Arturo Polizzi, president and CEO, ProMedica. Their new roles are effective immediately.

"Strategic and effective leadership is essential for our organization to shape a brighter future and continue achieving our goals," said Arturo Polizzi. "As we have looked to round out our executive leadership, we have been fortunate to already have incredibly strong talent within our organization. We are very pleased to be able to promote these internal candidates and have complete confidence in their ability to help ProMedica advance its mission."

Kent Bishop, MD, has been elevated from president of ProMedica Physician Group (PPG) and division-level chief medical officer. He continues to serve as president of PPG alongside his new role as system-level chief medical officer. In his newly combined role, Dr. Bishop leads ProMedica's system-wide focus on providing exceptional healthcare quality, access and equity. He has served as a physician and leader at ProMedica for 29 years. Dr. Bishop earned his medical degree at UTMC (formerly Medical College of Ohio). He is a Fellow of American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Last year, Debi Brobst was appointed to serve as interim chief information officer of ProMedica. In her newly formalized position as system-level chief information officer, she is responsible for maintaining, enhancing and growing ProMedica's information technology systems division. Prior to taking on the job responsibilities on an interim basis, Brobst was a division-level chief information officer at ProMedica. She has served in various other technology leadership roles at the organization over the past 22 years. Brobst earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Findlay and a master's degree in business from the University of Toledo.

Kathleen McCreery Merrill has been promoted from vice president, marketing communications, to ProMedica's chief marketing officer. In her new role, Merrill is responsible for leading the organization's strategic marketing and communications efforts to drive brand affinity and loyalty. She oversees various system-level marketing and communications functions, including public relations, internal communications, digital marketing, creative and video services, content development and advertising. Merrill is a seasoned marketing professional who has held multiple leadership positions during her 16-year career at ProMedica. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in advertising from the College of Communications Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University.