Suresh Gunasekaran. (RI file photo)

A woman who’s been a top administrator at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic will become interim CEO of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Current University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics CEO Suresh Gunasekaran is leaving at the end of February, to become chief of the University of California San Francisco Health. Kimberly Hunter will take over at the Iowa City health system March 1. She was a chief nursing administrator at the Cleveland Clinic and has held a similar position in Iowa City for nearly a year. Hunter has previous experience at Mayo Clinic as well.

Nearly 8000 people are employed at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, putting it among the state’s 15 largest employers. The outgoing University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was featured in a video, along with Governor Kim Reynolds, that was released in November of 2020 that encouraged Iowans to get vaccinated against Covid.