Baystate Health taps new leader to replace Keroack

Peter D. Banko will take over as president and chief executive officer of Baystate Health in June.

Peter D. Banko will take over as president and chief executive officer of Baystate Health in June. CONTRIBUTED

Staff Report

Published: 03-13-2024 8:30 AM

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health has appointed Peter D. Banko president and chief executive officer, succeeding Dr. Mark Keroack.

Banko was most recently president and CEO of Centura Health in Colorado.

“Among a slate of high-qualified candidates, Peter stood out for both his commitment to our community-based health care mission and decades of experience leading complex health systems in diverse and competitive markets,” trustees Chair Harriet A. DeVerry said in a statement.

Keroack previously announced his plans to retire after serving as the system’s leader for 10 years.

“Baystate Health has a stellar reputation around the country, and I greatly appreciate the immense responsibility that comes with joining such a truly mission- and values-driven team,” Banko said in a statement. “I am beyond excited to embark on an exciting new era of healthy growth with my fellow 13,000 caregivers — in care for our patients, in community, in business, and in spirit. The possibilities for us together are endless in redefining health and health care in western Massachusetts and beyond.”

A native of New Jersey, Banko started his calling in healthcare as a junior volunteer and has served in CEO-level roles for several health systems for nearly two decades. He earned his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Notre Dame and his master of health administration degree from the Sloan Program in Health Services Administration at Cornell University.

Centura Health, in Centennial, Colorado, was a part of the national system CommonSpirit Health. The Centura name was retired recently after 27 years when CommonSpirit and AdventHealth dissolved their partnership. The $3.8 billion hospital and health services system comprised more than 20 owned and affiliated tertiary and rural hospitals, an extensive network of physician partners, and numerous community-based services and clinics across Colorado, Kansas, and Utah.

Banko will officially join Baystate Health at the beginning of June.

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The board of trustees offered praise also for the outgoing CEO.

“We are immensely grateful for the contributions of Dr. Mark Keroack as an exceptional leader and clinician who has successfully led the organization for the last 10 years with a deep commitment to Baystate Health and to our community,” Vice Chair Colleen W. Holmes said.

Keroack was a leading voice during the COVID-19 pandemic for the region, offering public-health information and partnering with public-health officials to address the crisis. A native of Springfield, he joined Baystate Health in 2011 as chief physician executive and president of Baystate Medical Practices and was appointed to the CEO role in 2014. He has had a long career in both medicine and health administration, serving in leadership roles at UMass Memorial Medical Group and the University HealthSystem Consortium.

The largest health care organization in western Massachusetts, Baystate Health is a not-for-profit, integrated health system serving over 800,000 people throughout western New England. With roots dating to the founding of Springfield Hospital in 1883, Baystate Health has been providing high-quality and compassionate health care in the Pioneer Valley for more than 140 years.