Dennis W. Pullin

Dennis W. Pullin is president and CEO of Virtua Health, an academic health system in New Jersey offering a full continuum of preventative, primary, ambulatory, acute and tertiary care across more than 400 locations.

A recognized thought leader and advocate for health equity, Mr. Pullin has led significant transformation of the 142-year-old not-for-profit organization, notably through the acquisition of Lourdes Health System in 2019 and the forging of an academic affiliation with Rowan University, a top 100 public research institute, resulting in the Virtua Health College of Medicine and Life Sciences of Rowan University.

In 2023, Modern Healthcare named Mr. Pullin one of the 25 Top Innovators in Healthcare and one of the 100 Most Influential People in the industry nationwide. Prior to that, in 2022, 2020, and 2018, Modern Healthcare recognized him as one of the nation’s Top 25 Diversity Leaders in Healthcare. In 2019, Philadelphia Business Journal (PBJ) honored Mr. Pullin with the Most Admired CEO award. PBJ also named him to the Power 100 list of most influential people in the region for the past six years. He was chosen as one of South Jersey Biz’s 50 Most Influential Leaders for six consecutive years (2018-2023). In 2018, Mr. Pullin received the Distinguished Healthcare Leadership Award from the National Association of Health Services Executives. In 2022, Catholic Charities presented Mr. Pullin with the Saint Basil the Great Award, and Junior Achievement of New Jersey inducted Mr. Pullin into its New Jersey Business Hall of Fame.

Mr. Pullin came to Virtua in 2017 from the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, MD area where he had been president of MedStar Harbor Hospital and senior vice president of MedStar Health. Prior to leading MedStar Harbor, he was senior vice president and chief operating officer at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Pullin’s extensive background includes many executive leadership positions in hospitals, academic medical centers, physician group practices, and private industry. He was vice president of Operations and Business Development at St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System in Houston and vice president of Acquisitions and Development at Symbion Healthcare, Inc.

Mr. Pullin serves on the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees and is a past member of the New Jersey Hospital Association Board of Trustees. He is a past chair of the American Hospital Association’s Governance Council for Metropolitan Hospitals and a past member of the Maryland Hospital Association’s Council on Legislative and Regulatory Policy. He is a current member of the Economic and Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and serves on the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Regional Board of Directors. A Fellow and past Regent of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Mr. Pullin's prior board service with numerous non-profit community and civic organizations includes Healthcare for the Homeless, Houston Regional HIV/AIDS Resource Group, American Heart Association, DePelchin Children’s Center, and the College of Health Professions at Towson University, among others.

In 2021, Mr. Pullin was elected to the Board of Directors of Hillenbrand, Inc., (NYSE: HI) and DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) in 2024.

Mr. Pullin serves as host for the Here for Good podcast, where he engages in meaningful conversations with transformational leaders about how they create a positive impact on the world around them. He is also the author of several impactful op-ed articles on topics ranging from rising violence against health care professionals to the life-saving gift of organ donation.

Mr. Pullin has served as an adjunct professor at Texas Lutheran University and Towson University and has presented and published a wide variety of papers and articles. A past Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, he is a Hall of Fame Inductee of the Edgewood Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas.