PeaceHealth names Dr. Kim Ruscher as chief medical officer of its Oregon network

Springfield, Ore. – Kim Ruscher, MD, MPH, has accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer for the PeaceHealth Oregon network, effective April 1.

Dr. Ruscher was serving as interim chief medical officer following the appointment of Jim McGovern, MD, to chief hospital executive for the PeaceHealth Oregon network in February. Dr. Ruscher had also been serving as chief medical officer — surgical since being named to the position in March 2023.

“Dr. Ruscher is the perfect person to fill this position,” McGovern said. “The breadth and depth of the experience that she’s amassed throughout her career serves as an excellent foundation for her to excel as PeaceHealth Oregon’s new chief medical officer. I have been consistently impressed with Kim's leadership approach and perspective on safety, and I look forward to working alongside her as we continually strive to provide the best care to the people of western Oregon.”

In her new role, Dr. Ruscher will be accountable for quality, patient safety, medical staff and utilization management for PeaceHealth’s hospitals in Springfield, Cottage Grove and Florence.

Dr. Ruscher joined PeaceHealth in 2013 as a pediatric surgeon, taking on progressive leadership roles throughout her career. As the Pediatric Specialties Chief for PeaceHealth Medical Group since 2020, she has implemented organizational and structural improvements to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Dr. Ruscher has served as an active member of many hospital and medical group committees, including as vice chief of medical staff for Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.

As part of her commitment to lead, she has strived to create a more equitable workload distribution for surgeons, revised clinic workflows and led outreach programs to bring care closer to underserved communities.

Dr. Ruscher donates her time and expertise to Parenting Now, where she serves on the board of directors. She also serves on the board for the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband support FOOD for Lane County through fundraising and event planning.

Dr. Ruscher earned her undergraduate degree and Doctor of Medicine from Florida State University, and completed her general surgery residency at the University of Connecticut. She earned her master’s degree in public health from Harvard University School of Public Health and completed a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center at the University of Connecticut.

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a non-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, more than 3,000 providers, more than 160 clinics and 9 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.