UPMC Names Chief Nursing Officer for First Hospital in China

Doris Wang, a 30-year international health care veteran, has been named chief nursing officer of the first UPMC-managed hospital in China. Born and raised in Beijing, Wang brings her experience from both public and private health care institutions in Asia to the soon-to-open Chengdu Wanda UPMC International Hospital. 

Owned and financed by Wanda Group, one of China’s leading conglomerates, the 500-bed facility will be the first hospital in China to be modeled after and managed by a leading American academic medical center. Services will encompass patient-focused Centers of Excellence for cancer care, orthopaedics and sports medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, heart and vascular treatments, ophthalmology and digestive disorders. 

“Creating a patient-centered environment is our goal for this hospital,” Wang said. “We must cultivate an excellent experience for patients that combines both the western and local practice of medicine.” 

Wang trained as a nurse in China, where she practiced in the public health system until she joined the National University Hospital of Singapore for two years. After returning to China, she worked at United Family Hospital in Beijing, where she held multiple leadership positions, including chief nursing officer and operations director of clinical quality. While there, she met Dr. Randy Jernejcic, who was then the hospital’s chief medical officer and was recently named chief executive officer of Chengdu Wanda UPMC International Hospital. 

“Doris is highly respected in the nursing community and has proven herself as a mentor and a leader who always puts patients first,” Jernejcic said. “I’m excited to welcome her to UPMC, and I know that she’ll bring the best of Chinese and American medicine to our patients.” 

The nursing staff at the new hospital, scheduled to open in March 2023, will consist of mostly local nurses who speak both Mandarin and English. In addition to providing high-quality nursing care, these nurses will act as a bridge between patients and foreign physicians, allowing all the medical staff to act as a cohesive team. 

“Team spirit is very important for our nursing staff,” Wang said. “We want to build an environment in which nurses want to work, and they feel comfortable speaking up when they have questions or concerns. We need to work together to provide the highest quality of care.” 

Wang also hopes to create an environment that allows nurses to grow professionally while caring for the Chengdu community. 

“An international hospital gives us the opportunity to provide a higher level of care to the Chinese people,” Wang said. “It also gives us more opportunities to grow our nursing staff through learning new specialties, taking their expertise to the next level.” 

Wang plans to visit Pittsburgh for face-to-face training with the UPMC team once China’s travel restrictions have been lifted.  

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