Westchester Medical Center Health Network Welcomes Paula Fessler, RN, MSN, MS, FNP-BC as Chief Nurse Executive

VALHALLA, N.Y. (December 11, 2018) – Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) welcomes Paula Fessler, RN, MSN, MS, FNP-BC, as Chief Nurse Executive for the health network's Valhalla and Poughkeepsie campuses.

In her new role, Fessler will oversee all nursing operations at WMCHealth's flagship Westchester Medical Center, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital and the Behavioral Health Center in Valhalla, as well as MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie.

Fessler brings to WMCHealth more than 20 years of clinical experience and a passion for leading teams to deliver high- quality, compassionate patient care. Most recently, Fessler served for four years as Vice President of the Emergency Medicine service line at Northwell Health, overseeing 17 emergency departments and numerous urgent care facilities.

Her clinical experience also includes roles at the Mayo Clinic, St. Louis Children's Hospital, and the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Fessler's healthcare philosophy recognizes that nurses – and all healthcare professionals – enter the profession with a desire to help people. One of her primary goals is to support nursing team members at all levels with the guidance and resources to be successful in the critical work that they do. She believes strongly that employee talent development and innovation are the keys to success and she prioritizes working directly with nursing teams to meet common goals.

After earning an undergraduate nursing degree at Syracuse University, Fessler earned a Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Duke University and a Master of Science degree with an emphasis in healthcare from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester.

Fessler is married with three children and is an active parent volunteer in her children's high school, participating in student activities that focus on career preparation, community involvement, leadership, and diversity and inclusion. In her leisure time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family.