Dr. David C. Herman is the new CEO for Essentia Health.
Herman has been on the job for two weeks and is getting to know physicians and staff. In the coming weeks, he is planning trips to meet with employees in the Duluth, Brainerd and Fargo areas.
Former CEO Dr. Peter E. Person, will assist Herman with the transition. Person will continue to serve Essentia as emeritus CEO, working part-time on special projects until June 30.
An International Falls native, Herman said he looks forward to caring for communities in northern Minnesota and beyond. "Minnesota is our home, and home to our families," Herman said in a news release. "We are thrilled to return to northern Minnesota."
Herman comes to Essentia from Vidant Health, an integrated health system in eastern North Carolina. There, he most recently served as president and CEO, overseeing an organization with eight hospitals, 70 clinics, 12,000 employees and $1.5 billion in net operating revenues.
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Before that, he worked at the Mayo Clinic from 1988 to 2011, where he was a professor of ophthalmology. Herman has more than 20 years in health care leadership, and continues to practice as an eye specialist. He will see patients in ophthalmology while serving as Essentia's CEO.
Herman received his medical degree from Mayo Medical School in Rochester and completed his residency at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education. He completed a fellowship in ocular immunology and uveitis from the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. He also has a master's degree in medical management from the University of Texas at Dallas.
"Dr. Herman is a highly qualified and experienced health care executive and physician who will further advance Essentia's mission of making a healthy difference in people's lives," says Richard Blair, Essentia's board chairman.
