West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, a full-service acute care facility, welcomes Yale D. Podnos, M.D., MPH, FACS, as its new chief medical officer (CMO) beginning Aug. 1, 2018.

Dr. Podnos is joining West Hills Hospital from University of North Carolina (UNC) REX Healthcare, where he served most recently as chairman of the department of surgery for the last two years and chief of the division of surgical oncology for nine years. He also served on the medical faculty at Duke University School of Medicine for three years and spent nine years on the medical faculty at UNC. His specialties include liver and pancreas cancer and melanoma.

“I am pleased to announce Yale as our new CMO,” said Douglas Long, chief executive officer of West Hills Hospital. “He brings exceptional leadership and medical experience to our management team, and his expertise will help us continue to provide the high-quality, compassionate care our community deserves.”

In his new role, Dr. Podnos will provide leadership and serve as the liaison between the medical staff and the hospital administration, reporting to the CEO. In addition, he will oversee numerous hospital initiatives focusing on patient care and quality measures.

“It is an honor to take on the role of chief medical officer,” Podnos said. “I’m looking forward to working collectively with our physicians as we continue to grow our high-quality health care services and distinguish our facility as the hospital of choice in our community.”

Dr. Podnos attended graduate school at Harvard University and medical school at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency in general surgery. He then completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at City of Hope. When he isn’t performing his professional duties at the hospital, he enjoys cooking, golfing and playing with his 10-year-old son.

For more information about West Hills Hospital and its staff, please visit http://www.westhillshospital.com.