Dr. Marsha D. Rappley, CEO of VCU Health System and Senior Vice President of VCU Health Sciences, recently announced her retirement, effective Jan. 2, 2020.

“What drew me to Richmond is the way in which the people of VCU Health embrace the mission of providing for and restoring the health of all people of Virginia and beyond,” Dr. Rappley wrote in her announcement to the VCU and VCU Health System communities. “This is what continues to inspire me and gives me hope that we will solve the problems of inequity and injustice in health and in supporting the future generations devoted to science and caring for others.”

During Dr. Rappley’s tenure, she spearheaded the design and construction of Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU’s new inpatient hospital, which is scheduled to open at the end of 2022.

Dr. Rappley “set the vision for Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU to be a top children’s hospital in the country, a legacy of her leadership at VCU Health,” said Dr. Michael Rao, president of VCU and VCU Health.

With a distinguished career in academic medicine leadership, Dr. Rappley currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Academic Health Centers and the CEO Council of the American Hospital Association. Before moving to Richmond in 2015, Dr. Rappley, a pediatrician, served as dean of Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. Upon retirement, she plans to return to Michigan to be closer to family.