Q: What drew you to Penn Medicine Doylestown Health?
Dr. Gronczewski: I’ve been drawn to leadership roles in healthcare for a long time, and that passion really crystallized during my time at Princeton. I deeply respect Penn Medicine—both for its strong workplace culture and for the care my family and I have personally experienced. My twins spent over 100 days each in the NICU at Pennsylvania Hospital and CHOP. The care, compassion, and level of expertise we experienced were extraordinary. My mother underwent cancer care at Penn Medicine Princeton Health for two and a half years, and she received the leading-edge cancer treatment she needed in our home community because of Penn Medicine’s incredible network of care.
What excites me most is the chance to help shape Doylestown Health’s future in a way that honors its deep community roots while bringing the strength of Penn Medicine to support what’s next. As part of Penn Medicine, we can elevate what’s already a remarkably strong organization—one defined by longstanding community trust, a culture of purpose, and extraordinary philanthropic support. My role is to steward that legacy while investing in the systems, facilities, and priorities that will support the next chapter of care.
How would you describe your leadership philosophy?
Dr. Gronczewski: Simply put, healthcare is a relationship business, and you can’t build relationships without trust and credibility. That’s what I’ve been really focused on in my first weeks—listening to people and their concerns, understanding them, and offering myself as a trusted partner.
I believe that partners who feel trusted find alignment easier. Before I start discussing strategic plans and vision, I want to learn how people are conducting their day-to-day work and understand what they need. I want to ensure I’m listening and that I’m responsive to issues both big and small.
Transformation requires change, but we need to do that without eroding the trust or degrading the strong cultural elements that Doylestown Health has created. My role is to work with my team to deploy a strategic process that is focused on operational discipline and clinical excellence while preserving what makes this place special.
Is there a meeting or conversation that stood out to you in your first weeks?
Dr. Gronczewski: I was touring the Woodall Heart and Vascular Center and observed a complex vascular surgery in our hybrid OR. Later that afternoon, I ran into a woman I’d met and chatted with earlier that morning. She told me her husband was having major surgery and she was worried. I assured her he was in exactly the right place because I witnessed firsthand the skill, expertise, and compassion our surgeons and teams have for the patients they serve.
Of all the things I focused on that day—patient throughput, renovation schedules, operational details—what really mattered was that I helped her feel heard and cared for. That’s a privilege of the role I’m in. We can do all the right things operationally and strategically, but if we forget that we’re here to serve people and families who trust us with their loved ones, we’ve missed the point.
I also had the opportunity to meet Rich Reif, who hand-delivered a copy of Through Their Eyes, a story of Doylestown Hospital, with an inscription. It was meaningful to hear about his experience of being a CEO here and to have his support.
What role does philanthropy play in your vision for Doylestown Health?
Dr. Gronczewski: Philanthropy is a catalyst and an accelerant. Donor support doesn’t just fund buildings or equipment; it fuels innovation and accelerates our ability to pursue our mission faster. Here at Doylestown Health, we have donors who are eager to invest in what’s next. Right now, we’re in a critical phase—we have infrastructure improvements underway, such as transitioning to a new electronic medical record system (Epic), but we also need to define and share our next set of strategic priorities. Philanthropy will be essential to moving those priorities forward.
I want our donors to know that your support is not peripheral to our mission—it’s central to it. Every gift contributes to our work. Your support enables us to strengthen care for patients and families right here in this community and to invest in innovations that matter.
What’s one thing you want people to know about you as a person?
Dr. Gronczewski: There are a few things! I play guitar and sing in a band called Full Code—we play classic rock with other physicians from the Penn Medicine community. I’m not the best singer, but I love it. I also collect baseball cards—a passion that started with my grandfather taking me to flea markets on weekends. And I’m a huge Star Wars fan.
What matters most to me is my family. I have four kids, and my wife and I are committed to balancing our dedication to work with being present for them. I think people can sense that I care deeply about this work, but I’m also a real person with interests and a family. That’s important to me. It’s also important to me as a leader to nurture and support my direct reports and our workforce with balancing their own work-life integration.
I’m grateful for the warm welcome I’ve received from staff, physicians, patients, volunteers and members of the community. I’m excited about what we’ll build together.
*Interview, June 22, 2026
Craig Gronczewski, MD, MBA, FACHE, named Chief Executive Officer of Penn Medicine Doylestown Health
The physician executive, and Wharton MBA, has been tapped to lead the suburban Philadelphia system as it advances its next chapter within Penn Medicine.
Craig Gronczewski, MD, MBA, FACHE, has been named chief executive officer of Penn Medicine Doylestown Health effective June 1, 2026, after serving as chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs at Penn Medicine Princeton Health since December 2020.
Gronczewski will provide executive leadership of Doylestown Health’s broad network of care, anchored by Doylestown Hospital—a 245-bed community teaching hospital with more than 600 providers across 50 specialties serving patients across Philadelphia’s northern suburbs. A regional system recognized for high-quality, compassionate care, Doylestown Health provides seamless access to Penn Medicine’s world-renowned clinical services and research.
“Dr. Gronczewski has demonstrated a strong commitment to quality, patient safety, and a collaborative leadership that drives lasting results,” said Kevin Mahoney, CEO of University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). “His deep roots within the Penn Medicine system—and his demonstrated ability to strengthen the connection between clinical teams and organizational strategy—make him exceptionally well-prepared to lead Doylestown Health forward.”
A Proven Track Record at Princeton Health
At Princeton Health, Gronczewski oversaw clinical and academic operations across Princeton Medical Center and Princeton House Behavioral Health. He served as president of the medical staff, as well as a member of the Princeton Health System Board of Trustees.
“What distinguishes Dr. Gronczewski is his ability to build genuine connections at every level of an organization,” said UPHS COO Michele Volpe. “He listens, he earns trust, and he leads by example—qualities that matter deeply to the physicians and employees of Doylestown Health and to the community they serve.”
During his tenure at Princeton, Gronczewski collaborated with physician and administrative leaders to develop and launch a Neurohospitalist Program, expanding specialized neurological care for hospitalized patients and improving outcomes. He played a central role in rebuilding and growing obstetric and gynecologic services at Princeton, including expanding the OB laborist program to ensure around-the-clock physician coverage for laboring patients and strengthen the overall safety and experience of maternity care.
He also partnered with emergency medicine, nursing, and operations teams to redesign the emergency department and create a dedicated Transitional Care Unit—reducing wait times, improving patient flow, and ensuring that patients received the right level of care in the right setting.
Earlier in his career, Gronczewski served as chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Princeton Medical Center, where he led the department’s integration to the Epic electronic medical record system, and was a managing partner of Princeton Emergency Physicians, one of the oldest private emergency medicine groups in New Jersey.
Gronczewski earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University and his medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and later earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with dual concentrations in finance and management. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a former Clinical Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
* Announcement May 4, 2026
