FROM WVU MEDICINE

 

Sean Smith, chief operating officer at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, will become president of Wetzel County Hospital in New Martinsville effective Jan. 1. He will assume the role from David Hess, M.D., who, in addition to serving as president and CEO of Reynolds Memorial Hospital, will fill the same position at Uniontown Hospital.

 

Sean Smith and David Hess, M.D.“Sean is an experienced leader who has been very successful at Camden Clark and is more than ready to step into this new role. I know he will do a great job working with the Wetzel team and medical staff to help lead the continued development of services and access,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the West Virginia University Health System, said. “As we work to establish our presence more firmly in the Uniontown area, we needed someone who understood the WVU Medicine family and who has worked through a hospital’s transition into full System membership. That’s why Dr. Hess is a perfect fit to take the reins at Uniontown Hospital.”

 

A St. Marys native, Smith is a two-time graduate of Marshall University. He joined Camden Clark in 2011. Over the past 10 years, he has held various management positions, including COO, vice president of physician enterprises and clinical integration, vice president of operations, executive director of Camden Clark Physician Corporation, and director of physician recruitment. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and was selected to the inaugural 2018-2019 West Virginia Hospital Association State Leadership Class. He will continue to serve as COO at Camden Clark.

 

“I’m honored to have been chosen to lead Wetzel County Hospital here in a community with which I’m familiar,” Smith said. “This hospital has a long history of serving this area, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help grow the healthcare services we provide and to serve the patients and families who come here. Dr. Hess leaves big shoes to fill and has done an excellent job. I look forward to working with the Wetzel County Hospital team and the community.”

 

Hess, from Lumberport and a Lincoln High School alum along with being a graduate of the WVU School of Medicine, completed his internship and residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. He has led Reynolds Memorial Hospital since 2016 and became president and CEO of Wetzel County in 2018. In October, he was announced as the incoming president and CEO of Uniontown Hospital, which will become a full member of the WVU Health System on Jan. 1.

 

“As I assume new responsibilities within WVU Medicine, I’m delighted that Sean has been selected for this position here in Wetzel County. I’ve known him personally for more than five years and can’t think of a better person to help guide and grow this hospital. Sean is very familiar with the community and will be a true asset in his expanded role,” Hess said. “I’m looking forward to working with the team at Uniontown Hospital during the transition to full membership in the WVU Health System and to serving the people of Fayette County.”