The Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) Board of Trustees has appointed Brian A. Nester, DO, MBA, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the health network effective immediately.

Nester, who has served as LVHN's acting president and CEO since July when former president and CEO Ronald W. Swinfard, MD, retired, accepted the position.

"Dr. Nester displayed exceptional foresight and leadership, and instilled confidence in both the board and LVHN's senior management team over the past four months as acting president and CEO," said William F. Hecht, LVHN's chair of the Board of Trustees.

"Because of this, it became clear that he was the right person to serve as LVHN's president and CEO and to guide our organization through the ever-changing health care landscape."

Upon Swinfard's retirement and Nester's appointment as acting president and CEO, the board announced it would conduct a national search for Swinfard's replacement. Nester was a candidate for the position.

"It has been an honor to be part of the team caring for the Lehigh Valley community for the past 17 years," Nester said. "It's an even greater honor to serve our community and my colleagues as the new president and chief executive officer of Lehigh Valley Health Network.

"While the future of health care continues to evolve rapidly, I am absolutely confident that LVHN will continue to be well positioned to meet the health care needs and expectations of our community. We are up for the challenge."

Nester came to LVHN in 1998 from an academic post in emergency medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, to serve as associate vice chair of department of emergency medicine as both the research director and the director of the Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)-Muhlenberg emergency department.

Prior to becoming acting president and CEO in July, Nester served as the health network's chief strategy officer since 2011. In this role, Nester oversaw the development of LVHN's strategy to address the opportunities and challenges associated with the Affordable Care Act.

In 2003, Nester was named senior vice president for physician practice network development. He was responsible for aligning the physician community and coordinating efforts to provide greater access to LVHN's services to the local community and the region.

In 2007, Nester's role expanded to include oversight of Health Network Laboratories and the formal cultivation of inter-hospital relationships. Those responsibilities included the formation of AllSpire Health Partners, a consortium of seven hospital systems in New Jersey and Pennsylvania aimed at addressing quality, population health and business efficiencies.

Nester received DO and MS degrees from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and an MBA from Columbia University.

He is a certified physician executive through the American College of Physician Executives. Nester is chairman of the board of the Lehigh Valley Physician Hospital Organization and is a member of the board of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

He speaks nationally on issues related to physician integration and business development, and is guest lecturer at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business and Mailman School of Public Health on issues related to health care reform and strategy.