RIT names new executive director of the RIT-Rochester Regional Health Alliance

Catherine Shannon has joined Rochester Institute of Technology as the new executive director of the RIT and Rochester Regional Health Alliance.

As the liaison between the institutions, Shannon will work to facilitate collaborations that enhance the strategic partnership.

“The mission of the alliance is to improve healthcare for patients, professionals, and students through collaboration in innovation, education, research, and business enterprise,” Shannon said.

She will maintain a presence on both the RIT and RRH campuses and work closely with Ryne Raffaelle, RIT vice president for research, and Renee Demski, RRH executive vice president for Quality, Patient Safety, and Performance Excellence, among other senior leaders at RRH, and RIT faculty, staff, and students.

The RIT and RRH Alliance began in 2008 under the leadership of then-RIT president Bill Destler and led to the creation of the College of Health Sciences and Technology. Shannon will cultivate new opportunities and ways to make the alliance more visible on both campuses.

RRH offers clinical hours and training for RIT students in several programs, including physician assistant, diagnostic medical sonography, medical illustration, and for the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition.

“These programs are very important because they address large-scale shortages of healthcare providers and ancillary professionals,” Shannon said.

RRH has rolled out a process to review daily challenges staff face, which will create a pipeline for collaborative projects with RIT, she said. “We will work closely with Rochester Regional leadership to prioritize those projects to make the greatest impact.”

According to Shannon, her RRH colleagues have expressed interest in collaborating with RIT faculty and students on projects related to industrial engineering, quality improvement, information technology, and expanded clinical programs.

Shannon began her new role at RIT after 14 years at University of Rochester Thompson Health, where she served as director of practice management and urgent care. Prior to that, Shannon worked for Harris Interactive, now Neilsen, as a research manager for health care and pharmaceuticals.

She holds a master’s degree in health systems administration from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from State University of New York at Fredonia.

Shannon resides in Fairport, N.Y., and enjoys baking, gardening, playing tennis, and traveling.