The Hospital Association of Rhode Island Board of Trustees elected new officers during the association’s recent annual meeting. Christopher Lehrach, MD, was appointed chair and Michael Dacey, MD, will serve as vice chair.

Lehrach, chief transformation officer at Lawrence + Memorial Healthcare and president of the L+M Medical Group, will serve a two-year term. Dacey, president and chief operating officer of Kent Hospital, will also serve for two years.

“Only by working together will we transform Rhode Island health care in a direction that achieves our goals of higher quality and lower cost. At the center of this discussion must be the benefit of the patient. When the inevitable differences of opinion occur, this must be our standard,” Lehrach said in a statement. “At this extraordinary time, I look forward to participating in, guiding and leading these and other essential conversations as the new chair of HARI.”

“I am proud to serve as vice chair for the Hospital Association of Rhode Island,” Dacey said in a statement. “I look forward to working with my peers in addressing challenges confronting our hospitals. Our organizations serve a vital role in maintaining a healthy, strong and vibrant state - their mission must be protected.”

Lehrach played a key role in the acquisition of Westerly Hospital by L+M Healthcare. He continues to practice medicine as an emergency department physician at Westerly Hospital. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from Yale University. He is also a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lehrach also serves on the board of the Rhode Island Blood Center.

Dacey joined Kent Hospital in 2000. He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in critical care medicine. He received his undergraduate degree from Providence College and his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He completed an internal medicine residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC as well as a critical care medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He also holds a Master of Science in health care management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Virginia Burke, JD, chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Health Care Association and Amanda Oberlies, RN, MSN, MBA, CENP, PhD(c), chief executive officer of the Organization of Nurse Leaders MA/RI/NH/CT were appointed to the board for one-year terms.