Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Names New COO/President

🔴 Current President/CEO Jeff Hughes announced his retirement in March

🔴 He held the position since 2020

🔴 Darin C. Roark takes the position in July

Mass General Brigham has named a man with nearly a quarter century of health care experience as the new president of Dover's Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

Darin C. Roark will succeed Jeff Hughes as the hospital's president and COO on July 24. Hughes, who announced his retirement in March, has been with Wentworth-Douglass since 2012 and was named to the top position in 2020.

"Jeff was instrumental in bringing Wentworth-Douglass into the Mass General Brigham system back in 2017, and has remained at the forefront of our integration efforts ever since,” Dr. Gregg Meyer, president of Mass General Brigham’s community division said in a statement. “We would like to again thank him for his significant contributions to the success of Wentworth-Douglass, his commitment to our patients on the Seacoast, and wish him well in retirement.”

Hughes will serve in a consultant role to ensure a successful transition.

Welcome to New Hampshire

Roark is currently the hospital president of Baptist Medical Center Clay in Fleming Island, Florida, and system vice president of ambulatory campuses & emergency services for Baptist Health, a non-profit health system based in Jacksonville.

“With Darin's strong leadership and collaborative approach, we are confident that he will further enhance the hospital's ability to serve the community and provide exceptional care," Meyer said.

Roark is married with three children.

Hughes listed some of his accomplishments when announcing his retirement in March, including opening the four-story Garrison Wing, the hospital's largest addition in 2013. The hospital also opened the Wentworth-Douglass Portsmouth Outpatient Center on the Pease Tradeport, including a new satellite cancer center in 2016.

Wentworth-Douglass first opened in 1906 as a facility called The Wentworth, a 30-bed hospital at the foot of Garrison Hill. Today, 400 healthcare providers, over 500 nurses, 3,500 employees, and 200 volunteers all work at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH