(Long Island, NY) Catholic Health Services (CHS) appointed Jim Spencer, senior vice president for Mission and Ministry. In this newly created role, Spencer will be primarily responsible for promoting and fostering the Catholic identity of the health system by providing oversight in the development and evaluation of systems to ensure that the core values of CHS are integrated into the organization’s operations, structures and practices.
“Jim will also play an important role in providing advice and direction on matters related to the orientation and education of trustees, leadership, staff and physicians regarding the CHS mission and Catholic identity,” explained CHS President and CEO Alan D. Guerci, MD.
W. James Spencer, PhD, has joined Catholic Health Services (CHS) as senior vice president for mission and ministry. Photo Credit: CHS.
Formerly vice president of mission, ethics and spirituality for Trinity Health’s Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa Spencer was also assistant professor of pharmacy at Creighton University’s School of Pharmacy and Health Professions since 2001. Prior to that, he served in the Human Rights Office for the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri as a staffer on health care related issues for U.S. Senator James Jeffords of Burlington, Vermont. Also, Jim practiced pharmacy for 15 years in hospital, community and home infusion settings.
Spencer earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Southern California, followed by a Master of Science degree in administration/leadership and a Master of Arts degree in systematic theology from Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, as well as coursework in leadership offered by Capella University. In addition, Spencer is currently a doctoral student in the area of Catholic bioethics through the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum.
With 14 years of experience as a clinical ethicist, Spencer successfully led efforts to invigorate ethics committees at two organizations. He has presented at international conferences in Canada and Lebanon and across the U.S., addressing organizational ethics, Catholic social teaching and health care, advance directives, ethics for pharmacists and other topics. Spencer is an expert in the area of community benefit and mission-related operations. Also, he has overseen spiritual care and pastoral care departments and served on the Spiritual Care Council for Trinity Health, among other appointments.
Spencer resides in West Hempstead, and he and his wife Michelle have five children: Katie, Michael, Jackie, Will and Kristen.
Catholic Health Services (CHS) is an integrated system encompassing some of the region’s finest health and human services agencies. With 22,000 staff members, six acute care hospitals, three nursing homes, a home nursing service, hospice, a community-based agency for persons with special needs and a regional lab, CHS’s high standards have resulted in a 23% market share.
