Chicago — The Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD), a 4,000-member personal membership group of the American Hospital Association, announced the election of Christine Gallery, a healthcare planning executive from Concord, Mass., as president-elect of the SHSMD board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2014. Gallery’s term as president of the organization of healthcare strategy professionals will begin on Jan. 1, 2015.

President-elect designate Gallery is a senior healthcare executive with 20 years of experience in strategic planning, business development, physician recruitment and relations, marketing communications and community benefits management. Currently, she is vice president of planning and market development at Emerson Hospital (Concord, Mass.) where she has worked since 1996. In this position, Christine has responsibility for developing programs that ensure the continued growth of hospital services. She leads the strategic planning and business development efforts of the organization, the physician recruitment and relations program and the community benefits initiatives, including the Emerson Hospital Healthy Living Program that includes hundreds of health and wellness classes for the community. In addition, she develops marketing strategy that supports the hospital’s mission, vision and goals as set forth in the strategic plan. In 2012, the New England Society for Healthcare Strategy named her Healthcare Strategist of the Year.

A member of SHSMD since 2006, Gallery has served on the board of directors since 2007 and is chair of the 2013 Executive Strategies Task Force. In addition, she has been a member of the Annual Conference Planning Committee (2008 and 2011), Nominating Committee (2007) and Finance Committee (2009). Gallery also has served as a Board liaison to SHSMD’s Physician Strategies Task Force (2007–2010) and the Executive Strategies Task Force (2012).

In addition, four healthcare leaders were elected to the 17-member SHSMD board of directors for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2014. They are:

Ben Dillon, vice president and eHealth evangelist, Geonetric, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Rose M. Glenn, APR, senior vice president, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Mich.

Ryan S. Gish, senior vice president, Kaufman Hall, Skokie, Ill.

Holly Sullivan, senior vice president, Hammes Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.

About SHSMD

The Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development is the premier organization for healthcare planners, marketers, and communications and public relations professionals. A personal membership group of the American Hospital Association, SHSMD serves more than 4,000 members and is the largest organization in the nation devoted to serving the needs of healthcare strategy professionals. The Society is committed to helping its members meet the future with greater knowledge and opportunity as their organizations work to improve health status and quality of life in their communities. For more information, visit shsmd.org.