Senior Leadership
Christine Schuster, RN, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer
Christine Schuster has led Emerson Health as president and CEO for 19 years. Before joining Emerson, she served as president and CEO of Quincy Medical Center and Athol Memorial Hospital. She also served as COO of the Tenet Saint Vincent Healthcare System, Extended Care Division. Ms. Schuster worked as a health care consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers early in her career.
Ms. Schuster serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association (MHA), the Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals, the Massachusetts Value Alliance, and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Schuster is a member of the Clinical Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission and Advisory Boards for the Suffolk University MHA Program and Riverside Partners, a private equity firm, and serves on the MHA Finance, Governance, and Executive Committees. She is a Middlesex Bank Corporator and a member of the International Women’s Forum.
In 2024, Ms. Schuster was honored with the Pinnacle Award from the Boston Chamber of Commerce. The previous year, she received the Massachusetts Health Council Champion of Health Award, the Community Leadership Award from the Foundation for Metrowest, and the American College of Healthcare Executives Distinguished Service Award. She was also a four-time recipient of the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association’s Most Valuable Player Award and the American Hospital Association Grassroots Champion Awards. Ms. Schuster earned the Prescription for Excellence Award from the Mass Medical Health Law Report, and the Boston Globe and Women’s Edge recognized her on the list of Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts from 2017 to 2024.
Her impact was underscored by her inclusion in Boston Magazine’s 2023, 2024 and 2025 list of the 150 Most Influential Bostonians and her recognition in Becker’s Healthcare “Women Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know” and “Community Hospital CEOs to Know” lists. Ms. Schuster’s educational background includes an honors MBA from the University of Chicago Booth Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston University.
Eric Stastny, MHA
Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer
Eric Stastny leads all inpatient and outpatient operations at Emerson Health, overseeing the day-to-day functioning of key clinical and support departments, including radiology, laboratory, cardiology, pharmacy, rehabilitation services, environmental services, food and nutrition, facilities management, construction, and real estate. He ensures that hospital operations run smoothly and efficiently, focusing on high-quality patient care, staff coordination, and resource optimization. With extensive experience in hospital administration and physician practice management, Eric plays a central role in aligning operational priorities with the organization’s strategic goals. He is known for fostering cross-departmental collaboration, enhancing service delivery, and driving performance improvement across the health system.
Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Health Care Administration from Ohio University. During his tenure at Emerson, he has led numerous system-wide initiatives to streamline services, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the patient experience. He has overseen several major facility renovation and expansion projects, including the Center for Rehabilitation and Sports Therapies, the Naka Infusion Center, the Mass General Cancer Center, and new Urgent Care Centers. Eric currently leads Emerson’s master facility planning initiative, which supports the organization’s long-term growth and includes the strategic vision behind the Transforming Health Campaign.
Peter DiDio
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Peter DiDio serves as Chief Financial Officer at Emerson Health, bringing more than 25 years of healthcare finance and leadership experience to the role. As CFO, he oversees all aspects of the organization’s financial strategy and performance, ensuring long-term sustainability and stewardship in support of Emerson’s mission.
Prior to joining Emerson, Peter held senior financial leadership roles at some of Idaho’s largest and most respected healthcare organizations. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Controller, and Chief Accounting Officer at Blue Cross of Idaho. He previously spent over 17 years at St. Luke’s Health System—Idaho’s largest healthcare provider—where he was Vice President of Finance and Controller. Peter led the organization through significant growth, spearheading financial transformations, overseeing major acquisitions, and guiding investment strategies totaling more than $2 billion.
Peter began his career at Deloitte & Touche, LLP, where he served clients across multiple industries and rose to the position of Audit Senior Manager. He holds a degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Boise State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Peter was a founding executive member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s Large System Controller’s Council.
Craig L. Best, MD, MPH, FACOG
President of Emerson Practice Associates and Senior Vice President of Emerson Health
Dr. Best oversees the direction and management of all Emerson Practice Associates practices, including strategic and business planning, operations, finance, and physician recruitment. He is an obstetrician/gynecologist with close to thirty years of experience in leadership roles. Dr. Best completed his OB/GYN residency training at the University of California San Francisco, Fresno, and fellowship trainings in clinical reproductive medicine and reproductive immunology research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After fellowship, Dr. Best was chief of gynecology at Carney Hospital in Dorchester and principal owner and medical director of Ivpcare, inc., a highly successful Inc. 500 company. After Ivpcare’s sale, Dr. Best concentrated his career on healthcare administration, first at Reliant Medical Group as the OB/GYN department chair and then as medical director of business development. Before joining Emerson, he was the executive vice president of Tufts Medicine Health System and president of Tufts Medicine Employed Physician Group. Dr. Best currently serves as chairman of the board for March of Dimes, chairman of the clinical advisory board for SimpliFed, and a member of the board of directors for Coverys. He is a fellow in the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Barrett Kitch, MD, MPH
Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Kitch leads Emerson’s strategies for improving patient experience, safety, and quality, including quality and process improvement. As Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs, he oversees key external clinical partnerships and partners with the Emerson Community Physician Hospital Organization on quality and strategic performance in population health. Dr. Kitch is co-chair of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) Physician Leadership Council and a member of the MHA Clinical Issues Advisory Committee (CIAC).
Dr. Kitch came to Emerson from Mass General Brigham (MGB) Salem (Salem, Mass), serving as Vice Chair of Medicine and Chief of Pulmonary, Critical care, and Sleep Medicine. During his time at MGB, he led a number of safety and quality of care initiatives, including research and MGB system-wide improvement work in sepsis, handoff safety, and safety culture. Dr. Kitch co-founded and co-chaired the MGB Critical Care Collaborative. He twice received the MGB/Partners-wide Nesson Award for physician leadership. Previously, he was an Associate Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division and a Senior Research Scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Policy.
Dr. Kitch received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.D. from the UNC School of Medicine. He received his master’s in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his internship and residency at Mass General and his fellowship in the Harvard Combined Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship. Dr. Kitch continues to practice Critical Care medicine.
Mark Mahnfeldt, RN-BC, MBA, MSN NEC-A
Vice President of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Officer
Mr. Mahnfeldt is responsible for the planning, growth, and operations of nursing and patient care services throughout Emerson Health. Before joining Emerson, he served as vice president of acute care nursing operations at South Shore Hospital, helping the hospital earn numerous awards for exemplary acute care and nursing excellence. Before that role, Mr. Mahnfeldt was South Shore Hospital’s director of medical, surgical, critical care, cardiovascular nursing, inpatient surgical, and ambulatory surgical services. He has also held nurse leadership positions with MelroseWakefield Healthcare and North Shore Medical Center. Becker’s Health recognized Mr. Mahnfeldt as a “CEO to Know” in 2024. He Mahnfeldt earned a bachelor’s in nursing from Northeastern University and received his Master of Science in Nursing and a Master of Business Administration from Salem State College. He lives with his family in Lynnfield, Mass.
Renee Fosberg
Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer
Renee Fosberg is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 25 years of healthcare information systems industry expertise. As the Chief Digital Officer at Emerson Health, she plays a pivotal role in driving the organization’s digital transformation. Her responsibilities extend across multiple areas, including Information Systems, Clinical Informatics, Infrastructure, Telecommunications, Clinical Engineering, and Information Security. Renee’s strategic leadership is essential in advancing Emerson Health’s digital strategy, focusing especially on integrating advanced digital technologies throughout the health system. A key highlight of her tenure is the successful transition of Emerson Health’s 70 affiliated physician offices to the Epic Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
Renee earned her Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management and Policy from the University of New Hampshire. Under her leadership, Emerson Health has been recognized repeatedly for its digital innovation, receiving CHIME Healthcare’s Most Wired Hospital designation from 2018 to 2025. Renee’s comprehensive oversight in areas such as inpatient and ambulatory services and her focus on elevating patient care standards across the health system have established her as a significant figure in the field. Her impact and expertise have been widely recognized, including her consistent inclusion in Becker’s Healthcare since 2018 as one of the top 100 CIOs to know and, most recently, as one of Becker’s Women Power Players in Health IT.
Karl Kussin
Vice President of Development and Chief Philanthropy Officer
Mr. Kussin develops, implements, and maintains a comprehensive program that maximizes philanthropic support for all of Emerson’s charitable components and affiliates. In addition, he provides strategic oversight and direction for the Emerson Health Care Foundation, the hospital’s fundraising arm. Guided by a volunteer board, the Emerson Health Care Foundation raises millions of dollars annually for facility enhancements, technology investments, and clinical advancement through special appeals, fundraising campaigns, the Emerson Hospital Auxiliary, and the support of corporators who serve as ambassadors for the hospital in their local communities. Previously, Mr. Kussin served as the director of development at Nashoba Brooks School in Concord and at Suffolk University in Boston. He holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration and marketing management from the University of Vermont.
Christi Barney, RN, MSN
Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety and Chief Health Equity Officer
Ms. Barney brings a wealth of leadership experience to her role as head of the quality and patient safety department. Most recently, she served as the executive director of patient safety, quality, risk management, infection control, CDI, and clinical compliance at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital (BWFH), where she received the BWFH Leadership Award in 2015 as well as the Partners in Excellence Award on six separate occasions. Ms. Barney has extensive experience in implementing high reliability and “Just Culture” frameworks at BWFH and contributing to several committees focused on quality and safety. She was liaison to the Mass General Brigham (MGB) Enterprise Quality, Safety and Compliance Committees, chair of the Compliance Leaders Committee from 2016-2018, and the (MGB) Enterprise representative to the Joint Commission Healthcare Corporate Liaison Committee, among many others. Ms. Barney worked as a clinical leader and psychiatric and mental health nurse for over 20 years before transitioning to quality and patient safety at BWFH in 2011. She earned her bachelor’s in nursing at Purdue University and her master’s in nursing at Yale University.
Dave Ryan, JD
Vice President of Human Resources
Mr. Ryan is an experienced human resources executive and attorney with demonstrated success leading human resources for Massachusetts community hospitals and academic medical centers, including Brigham Health, MelroseWakefield Hospital, and Cape Cod Healthcare. He has a record of successfully partnering with executive leadership to create and execute human capital strategies during industry disruption and financial challenges. Mr. Ryan has a strong foundation in all HR disciplines and has specific expertise in employment law and labor relations. He ensures that Emerson Hospital attracts and retains top healthcare talent to serve Emerson’s patients and community. Mr. Ryan grew up in Massachusetts and earned his bachelor’s degree at Boston College and his J.D. at Suffolk Law School.
Jacqueline Clancy
Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer
Ms. Clancy provides strategic direction and oversight of Emerson’s marketing, internal and external communications, public relations, and website properties. She has over 20 years of experience working in health and human services, with more than 15 years at regional health systems. Her extensive marketing and communications experience includes leadership roles at large academic health systems such as Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock and regional/community health systems such as Southern NH Medical Center and Solution Health. Ms. Clancy has presented on digital marketing topics regionally and nationally. She has held board positions with the American Red Cross and Front Door Agency in Nashua, N.H. Ms. Clancy is a graduate of the Massachusetts Hospital Association Leadership College class of 2020. She is a member of the New England Society for Health Care Communications and the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development.
Richard Berkman
Special Advisor to the CEO, Governance and Special Projects
Mr. Berkman oversees governance and special projects as an advisor to Emerson President and CEO Christine Schuster. In this role, he works closely with Emerson’s Board of Directors, helping them fulfill their responsibilities to the hospital. Mr. Berkman has a high level of experience in hospital administration, most recently as a partner with HealthCARE Management Consulting, where he helped provide operational analyses and cost savings ideas to hospitals and other medical centers. Before that position, he was senior vice president for member services at Yankee Alliance, a regional group purchasing organization for hospitals and nursing homes. Mr. Berkman has also been a senior hospital executive at several Massachusetts and Rhode Island hospitals. Mr. Berkman holds a bachelor’s degree in bacteriology from the University of Maine, a Master of Business Administration from Suffolk University, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Standing from Northeastern University. As a member of the U.S. Army, he rose to the rank of captain in the Medical Service Corps and received the Army Commendation Medal. He is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives, a current treasurer, and the past president of ACHE of Massachusetts. He is also a board member and current Temple Emmanuel of Wakefield treasurer.