The Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS) Board of Directors elected Muhammed Javed, MD, as the board chair in the April meeting.  He steps into the role succeeding Jeff Belt who held the position since 2019.  UAHS is very thankful for his service and commitment to create better healthcare for the Bradford, Olean, and surrounding communities.

            Dr. Javed is a board-certified nephrologist practicing in both the Bradford and Olean communities for the past 28 years.  He’s currently serving as the medical director for dialysis units, DaVita Healthcare in Bradford and Marie Lorenz Dialysis Unit in Olean.  He earned his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed his nephrology fellowship at SUNY Downstate.

            Dr. Javed also is very active in the local communities having served on the board of directors for the YMCA of the Twin Tiers and Olean General Hospital Foundation.  He currently serves as a member on the Kaleida Health board of directors and the board of trustees for the Healthcare Association of New York State Inc. (HANYS).

            “Healthcare has been in a constant change.  Adapting to these changes in order to maintain access and services is challenging.  The UAHS board is committed to providing quality access and service in our region,” said Muhammed Javed, MD, UAHS board chairman.  “My role as chairman is to support Dr. Jill Owens as UAHS president and I am confident in Dr. Owens’ leadership that the ongoing work will continue to make improvements in providing access and quality services for our communities.”

            This is the first time since the inception of UAHS that key leadership roles are filled by clinical providers. 

            “Navigating and understanding the healthcare industry has always been demanding, but since the pandemic there have been added challenges that every healthcare provider, network, or system are currently facing.  This past year we’ve faced these struggles head-on to build a stronger more sustainable healthcare system for our region,” said Dr. Owens, president, UAHS.  “I’m excited to work with Dr. Javed, a fellow physician, in his new role. As physicians we understand the ins and outs of the healthcare business and will be able to navigate these obstacles to improve services and quality while creating a financially stable healthcare system for our region serving a population over 140,000 people.”

            The April UAHS board of directors meeting also approved the appointment of Richard Esch, president, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford to serve as a member of the UAHS Board of Directors.

            Upper Allegheny Health System, parent company of Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) and Olean General Hospital (OGH), is a member of Kaleida Health.