David Zvara, MD, will serve as the next chief medical officer for UNC Hospitals, effective Monday, Oct. 30.
In June, UNC Hospitals announced Tom Ivester, MD, MPH, would move into a focused chief quality officer role upon the appointment of a new chief medical officer. The executive leadership restructuring will better support hospital operations as we strive to continue delivering safe, quality care to patients.
“UNC Hospitals is a multi-faceted academic medical institution changing lives every day,” noted UNC Hospitals President Janet Hadar. “By positioning these two accomplished and reliable leaders in these roles, we further enable and support our teammates to deliver the kind of patient-centered, Carolina Care that inspires us to serve the people of North Carolina and beyond.”
Since 2008, Zvara served as chair of the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology, overseeing important growth in services across the Triangle. He has been an integral part of the executive leadership for the past several years, having served as chief operating officer of the UNC Faculty Practice until 2022. Zvara was also director of the UNC Medical Center Ambulatory COVID Response Team.
“Dr. Zvara has been an invaluable part of our team for many years,” said Cristy Page, MD, MPH, executive dean of the School Medicine. “We will miss David’s leadership as chair, but we are thrilled to have him serve our system in this new capacity.”
In this updated leadership structure, Zvara will be responsible for the medical staff office, graduate medical education, and act as the senior medical officer assisting in operations. Ivester will devote his time to quality, safety, infection prevention and accreditation as the CQO while maintaining his clinical practice.
Anthony Passannante, MD, will serve as interim chair of the Department of Anesthesiology. A nationwide search for a permanent department chair has already begun.
