Robert C. Garrett

Robert C. Garrett is the CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest health network with 17 hospitals, 500 patient care locations, 36,000 team members and 7,000 physicians.

The network has played a major role in the COVID-19 pandemic, including treating more patients than any network in New Jersey and developing major breakthroughs – the state’s first rapid COVID test, reducing wait time from days to a just a few hours and developing nearly a dozen clinical trials for COVID therapies, including convalescent plasma therapy. The network also participated in the development of safe and effective vaccines and created a rapid COVID variant test to more effectively treat patients and better track the virus.
Under Mr. Garrett’s visionary leadership, the network has made major strides in medical education, behavioral health care, cancer care and innovation and research.

The network opened the first private medical school in New Jersey in decades. The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine offers an innovative curriculum that includes a three-year path to residency, a community immersion program and interdisciplinary learning. The school graduated its first class in June, 2021.

To streamline breakthroughs in care, the network opened the Center for Discovery and Innovation in May 2019, which focuses on cancer and infectious disease, multiple myeloma and regenerative medicine. The center has secured $170 million in NIH grants, funding from pharma, philanthropy and other sources.

In 2019, the network merged with Carrier Clinic, New Jersey’s largest behavioral health provider, to expand access to treatment, better coordinate care and innovative therapies. The merger resulted in the opening of the first urgent care behavioral health center in New Jersey as well as a new state-of-the art destination addiction treatment center that opened in February, 2021.

Mr. Garrett’s leadership and strategic vision have garnered much professional praise including: ranked 48th in Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare 2019; ranked No. 2 in the NJBIZ Health Care Power 50 List 2021; ranked No. 5 on NJBIZ’s “Power 100” 2020. Most recently, Mr. Garrett was ranked 1st by The CEO Forum as one of the 10 CEOs Transforming Healthcare In America and was included on the Crains NY 2021 Notables in Healthcare listing.