Judith Persichilli, R.N., B.S.N., M.A. (born March 4, 1949) is an American nurse and health care executive and the 22nd Commissioner of the
New Jersey Department of Health
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey's State Board of Health was established in 1877. Its administrative functions were vested in the Department of Health, which was crea ...
for the
State of New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware Ri ...
. Prior to her nomination she was interim president/CEO of
University Hospital
A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following is a l ...
in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
.
Early life and education
Perschilli was born in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. She grew up in
Dunellen, New Jersey
Dunellen () is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,637, reflecting an increase of 410 (+5.4%) from the 7, ...
. The family was Catholic. Perschilli and her siblings attended Saint Peter’s High School, a Catholic high school in New Brunswick.
Persichilli received her nursing diploma from the St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in 1968. She graduated from
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
in 1976 with a bachelor of science in nursing, summa cum laude. She attained a master of arts in administration, summa cum laude, from
Rider College
Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...
in 1980.
Career
Health care
Perschilli began her career as an intensive care nurse.
Persichilli served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Catholic Health East. Judy also served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of CHE Trinity Health until November 18, 2013. She served as Executive Vice President and of Acute Care at Catholic Health East. Persichilli served as the President of St Francis Medical Center in Trenton for eight years. She served as Executive Vice President, Northeast Division of Catholic Health East.
Awards, positions, and titles
Persichilli is one of the founding members of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. She is Director Emeritus of Hopewell Valley Community Bank. She serves as Trustee of
Rider University
Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...
.
Persichilli was inducted into the New Jersey State Nurses Association Hall of Honor in 2006 In September, 2008, she received the Catholic Charities,
Richard J. Hughes
Richard Joseph Hughes (August 10, 1909December 7, 1992) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. A Democrat, he served as the 45th governor of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970, and as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973 to ...
Humanitarian Award, Diocese of Trenton’s highest honor. She was named as one of the 50 most powerful people in New Jersey health care by NJBiz in March 2011. In May, 2011, she received the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Award for Outstanding Medical Executive.
She received an honorary doctor of health degree from
Georgian Court University
Georgian Court University (GCU or Georgian Court) is a private Roman Catholic university in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. Founded in 1908 by the Sisters of Mercy, the university has more than 1,600 undergraduates and nearly 600 graduate students ...
in 2009. In 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters from
Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic un ...
(
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...
).
Murphy administration
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
Phil Murphy
Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...
appointed Persichilli to direct the
University Hospital
A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following is a l ...
in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
New Jersey Department of Health
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey's State Board of Health was established in 1877. Its administrative functions were vested in the Department of Health, which was crea ...
in July 2019.
Perschilli is seeking to expand gun violence treatment programs.
Persichilli is supervising the state's response to
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
and reports the number of positive tests and deaths daily. When asked about her personal risk she said “I’m definitely going to get it. We all are. I’m just waiting.” In an anonymous letter to the leaders of the
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...
, employees of the health department said mishandling of the crisis led to many preventable deaths and called for Persichilli's resignation.
Personal life
She married Anthony Persichilli. He was the mayor of Pennington for 12 years. He died in 2019 after 49 years of marriage.