HARRISBURG (TNS) — Penn State Health has a new CEO.

The university announced Wednesday morning that Dr. Michael E. Kupferman was appointed to lead the health system.

And Kupferman won’t just be Penn State Health’s new CEO, overseeing the $4.2 billion health system. He will also continue to see patients and teach the next generation of doctors.

Kupferman plans to continue caring for head and neck cancer patients and teaching medical students, residents, and fellows.

In addition to his role as CEO, he will hold a College of Medicine faculty appointment as a professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Kupferman will assume his duties as Penn State Health CEO on June 23.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael Kupferman to lead Penn State Health. Michael is an innovative and accomplished academic physician leader who is deeply aligned with our health system’s tripartite mission to train the next generation of health care providers, conduct life-changing health science research and provide patient care of the highest quality,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Working together with Penn State College of Medicine, I have great confidence in his ability to elevate our integrated academic health system to benefit the people of our Commonwealth and beyond.”

Kupferman joins Derry Township-based Penn State Health after serving as president of the Banner University Medicine Division and senior vice president of the physician enterprise for Phoenix-based Banner Health.

He also served as a board member on the CVS-Aetna payer joint venture with Banner, and as a board member of the wholly-owned Medicare Advantage plan and Banner Health Plans corporate boards.

Kupferman previously served as senior vice president of clinical and academic network development at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he served from 2006 to 2022.

He led the development, management and growth of clinical oncology and research programs across the MD Anderson Cancer Network. While at MD Anderson, he was also a professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery.

Kupferman is a fellowship trained head and neck cancer surgeon and researcher who completed his clinical and research fellowships at MD Anderson.

He is a graduate of Yeshiva University, and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his surgery internship and otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

He also holds a master’s in business administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. He is board-certified in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

The National Institutes of Health had previously funded Kupferman. His research interests included the mechanisms of metastasis in head and neck cancer, salivary gland tumor biology, affordability and access in patient care, and emerging robotic technologies for cancer treatment.

“I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the CEO of Penn State Health,” Kupferman said. “I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with my talented and dedicated colleagues at Penn State Health and the College of Medicine to deliver on our promise to provide unparalleled and innovative care to the people of Central Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth.”

Penn State Health serves patients across 15 counties in central Pennsylvania and employs more than 20,900 people.

The system includes Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, Penn State Cancer Institute, Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center, Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center, Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center, Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center and Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, and 2,417 physicians and direct care providers at 186 outpatient practices. Additionally, the system jointly operates with various healthcare providers. Penn State Health shares a strategic plan and operations with Penn State College of Medicine, the University’s medical school.