Cathy Garzio, a distinguished academic medicine administrator, has been appointed executive vice provost and chief operating officer of Weill Cornell Medicine, effective early February.

In her new role at Weill Cornell Medicine, Garzio will oversee a portfolio of administrative departments including Human Resources, Facilities Management, Capital Planning and Construction, and Student and Faculty Housing, which collectively provide efficient daily operations for the institution’s almost 9,000-person workforce. She succeeds Stephen Cohen, who retired last year. Scott Puccino, the institution’s chief financial officer, has been serving as interim chief operating officer.

Garzio was previously vice chair and director of finance and administration in the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where she led all financial and administrative operations, including overseeing 12 clinical and two research divisions, two administrative divisions, 700 faculty and 950 staff and trainees.

“Cathy is a talented executive administrator whose proven experience galvanizing diverse groups to advance academic medicine will make her a valuable addition to our senior leadership team,” said Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. “I look forward to again collaborating with her as we expand Weill Cornell Medicine’s mission to improve the health of people living in New York City, the United States and around the world through clinical care, research and education.”

“I’m very excited to join Weill Cornell Medicine,” Garzio said. “I’m strongly grounded in financial administration, but my passion is building teams in a matrix structure and putting people first. Weill Cornell Medicine’s culture is built on multidisciplinary collaboration, transparency, diversity and equity, and I share all those values.”

Recognizing that patient care is the economic engine that fuels the growth of Weill Cornell Medicine’s research and education programs, Garzio will step into her new roles as the institution continues expanding its clinical, research and educational footprints and operating revenues within one of the most competitive medical and real estate markets in the country. 

Garzio will participate in institutional strategic planning as an integral and influential member of the Dean’s Leadership Council. She will foster and maintain strong relationships with members of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Fellows and the Cornell Board of Trustees, as well as key administrative partners at parent university Cornell as well as NewYork-Presbyterian, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, Hospital for Special Surgery and other affiliates.

Garzio will also be a critical steward for Weill Cornell Medicine’s organizational climate and culture, which supports and values diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

Garzio is a senior academic medicine leader with broad experience in financial management, faculty affairs, human resources, research administration and project management. She received a bachelor’s degree in human biology and Italian from Stanford and a master’s in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Garzio began her career as a practice administrator at the University of California, San Francisco and was the first nonclinician and person with an MBA to hold the title. She went on to roles in health system IT and served as administrative director of UCSF’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Subsequently, she was administrative director of the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and administrative director of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at the UCSF School of Medicine before serving as vice chair and director of finance and administration in the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine for the past nine years.

Her many awards include the Carol Muller Award in 2023 from Stanford University’s Faculty Women’s Forum in recognition of her significant contributions to advancing gender equity. She was also one of three 2021 Amy J. Blue Award winners, an award given annually by Stanford honoring individuals who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work.

Jane Langille is a freelance writer for Weill Cornell Medicine.