Harney takes helm of UCH

Harney

John Harney officially assumed the presidency of University of Colorado Hospital on March 1, replacing Bruce Schroffel, now president and chairman of the board of the recently formed University of Colorado Health system.

“I’m a jack of all trades, an expert in none,” Harney freely admits. But more than 30 years spent in hospital administration and operations, including the past four as chief operating officer (COO) at UCH, has given him the broad perspective necessary to lead highly complex and diverse health care organizations.

“A health care team is not just physicians, nurses, physical therapists and other clinicians,” he says. “It’s also the business office and supplies. The components have to get connected. That’s my skill set: to communicate and prioritize.”

The native New Yorker earned an undergraduate degree in business but then went into social work, handling foster care cases on Long Island. While he found the work too emotionally draining, he knew he wanted a profession where he could make a positive contribution to society.

When a cousin’s husband, a physician, recommended hospital administration, Harney says he found a career fit.