Leadership
Dean M. Harrison
President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Dean M. Harrison is President and Chief Executive Officer of Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial HealthCare; the parent corporation of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Foundation and Prentice Women’s Hospital. Before joining Northwestern Memorial in July of 1998 as Senior Vice President, Corporate Operations, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Chicago Health System.
As the primary teaching hospital for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Memorial and Feinberg have developed Northwestern Medicine, a joint strategic plan to become a Top 10 Academic Medical Center by 2020. Under the Northwestern Medicine strategic plan, the medical school and health system will align to create one of the nation’s safest hospitals, advance new knowledge that accelerates novel discoveries that bring treatments and cures to patients faster and become one of the most sought-after teaching programs for the next generation of physicians, healthcare professionals and scientists.
Mr. Harrison has been honored by B’nai B’rith International with the National Healthcare Award in 2008 and the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency and the Chicago Minority Enterprise Development Council with the 2010 CEO Leadership Circle of Excellence Award for Diversity.
Mr. Harrison currently serves on the Member Board of Directors of the University HealthSystem Consortium, Board of Directors of United Way Metropolitan Chicago, Board of Directors of the Illinois Hospital Association and is a special advisor to Merrick Ventures. He is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, The Commercial Club of Chicago, World President’s Organization, The Institute of Medicine of Chicago and the Business Leadership Group for Workforce Chicago 2.0.
Peter J. McCanna
Executive Vice President Administration and Chief Financial Officer, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Peter J. McCanna is Executive Vice President Administration and CFO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, and its principal subsidiary, Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Mr. McCanna joined Northwestern Memorial in August 2002 as Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer. Previously he was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 1998. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President and CFO of the University of Colorado Hospital.
Mr. McCanna serves on the Catholic Extension Society Board of Governors. He is a member of the Health Management Academy, and The Economic Club of Chicago. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from The University of Michigan, and earned his Master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dennis M. Murphy
Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Dennis Murphy is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. He is responsible for hospital clinical and support operations, Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group, and planning for clinical program development in Northwestern’s new strategic plan. He oversaw the development and opening of the new replacement Prentice Women’s Hospital, which opened in 2007 and is leading the service excellence program.
Before joining Northwestern Memorial in 2000, Mr. Murphy was the Vice President of Ambulatory Services and Business Development at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Prior to this experience, he spent 10 years at John Hopkins Hospital in a variety of roles from Administrative Fellow to Medicine Department Administrator.
Mr. Murphy earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1986 from University of Notre Dame and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Duke University in 1989.