Sherry B. Perkins, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of University of Maryland Capital Region Health, effective immediately. Perkins is an accomplished clinician and hospital executive with a sharp focus on patient care, quality and safety.

In early 2018, the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) convened a search committee and engaged a national search firm to identify the next president and CEO of UM Capital Regional Health. The search committee’s candidate review was centered around the goal of creating a thriving health care delivery system for Prince George’s County, Southern Maryland and the surrounding region.

“I am extremely confident that Sherry Perkins is the right leader to drive continued positive change for UM Capital Region Health, its patients, staff, physician partners and community,” says Robert A. Chrencik, president and chief executive officer of UMMS. “She recognizes the critically important role that this regional health system plays in delivering high quality care to Prince George’s County and the surrounding area, and appreciates the significance of this transformative period during which we bring together community physicians and University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty experts to make a meaningful and positive impact on the health of patients and families.”

Dr. Perkins has most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UM Capital Region Health, a role she began in 2016. During these two years, she has been a catalyst for collaborative clinical, workforce, operational and financial performance improvements.

“It is the greatest privilege of my career to lead University of Maryland Capital Region Health into a very bright future as we address the health care needs of Prince George’s County and the surrounding region, both inside and outside the walls of our facilities,” says Dr. Perkins. “This role embodies the elements of hospital leadership and medicine that drive my passion to work with patients, families, and the people who take care of them. Safety, quality, patient experience, and clinical excellence – delivered through a strong collaboration between community and faculty physicians, nurses, and every member of our team from the front doors of our practices to the patient floor – are what will make the difference in the near and long term.”

Prior to her joining UM Capital Region Health, she held executive leadership roles with the Anne Arundel Health System. From 1991-2006, Dr. Perkins had an earlier track record of success as a clinical leader with the University of Maryland Medical System, having held roles of increasing responsibility at the University of Maryland Medical Center , where she ultimately served as Vice President for Patient Care Service and Clinical Effectiveness.

“Dr. Perkins brings the right balance of experience in patient care and community health to successfully lead UM Capital Region Health going forward,” said University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who also served on the search committee. “We are eager to continue the clinical partnership that we have launched with UM Capital Region Health, and to now enhance this partnership into areas of advanced specialty care and academic training, in order to provide the best possible care to patients in the region,” added Dr. Reece, who is also Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor.

Dr. Perkins earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baylor University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University, and a PhD in Nursing from the University of Kansas. She also completed the Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellows Program in Management at the University of Pennsylvania.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and an adjunct faculty member of the University of Maryland School of Nursing since 1992, Dr. Perkins holds several appointments including the Maryland Hospital Association Executive Committee, the Maryland Hospital Association Council on Clinical and Quality Issues, the Maryland Patient Safety Center Board of Directors, and Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care. She has been honored by the YWCA, Maryland Nursing Association, and Nursing Spectrum for leadership among women and the nursing profession. Dr. Perkins becomes one of 10 female CEOs serving Maryland’s 46 acute care hospitals. She is the recipient of more than 12 research grants on clinical topics, and has shared her expertise in nearly 120 professional publications and presentations.

“Dr. Perkins is an exceptional leader and I could not be more pleased with her appointment as President and CEO of UM Capital Region Health,” said Bijan Bahmanyar, MD, President, UM Prince George's Hospital Center Medical Staff. “I commend her for efforts to prioritize a collaborative approach with medical staff to enhance patient care. I am committed to working with Dr. Perkins to accomplish great success."

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s 25,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 14 hospitals. UMMS’ flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. In addition, UMMS operates health insurance plans serving Medicare and Medicaid members. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

About University of Maryland Capital Region Health

Providing primary and specialty health care services to Prince George’s County and the neighboring area, University of Maryland Capital Region Health was established in September 2017 upon formal affiliation with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), and is committed to making a positive impact on the health and well-being of patients and families. University of Maryland Capital Region Health operates the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, University of Maryland Laurel Regional Hospital, University of Maryland Bowie Health Campus, and the University of Maryland Family Health & Wellness Center in Suitland. Together, community physicians and University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) faculty provide clinical expertise across a range of specialties and programs including: acute rehabilitation; anesthesiology; critical and chronic ventilation care; emergency medicine; neonatology (including the County’s highest level NICU); orthopaedics; vascular surgery; a certified and designated primary stroke center; and the State’s second-busiest Trauma Center. University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty also lead the highly-regarded cardiac surgery program at UM Prince George’s Hospital Center. A new state-of-the-art regional medical center is expected to open in Largo in 2021. For more information, visit www.umcapitalregion.org