Jennifer Nickoles, M.S., has been named president of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Since July 2022, following the retirement of her predecessor, Richard Bennett, M.D., Nickoles has served as interim president, leading operations while partnering across the organization to advance Johns Hopkins Bayview’s mission. 

Nickoles is the first woman president in the hospital’s 250-year history.

Johns Hopkins Bayview faculty and staff learned of Nickoles’ appointment on April 17 in an email from Kevin Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Through her leadership, we believe Jen will make significant contributions to achieving excellence in Johns Hopkins Bayview’s patient care, teaching, research and service missions on the campus while also developing master plans to modernize the hospital facilities,” Sowers wrote. “Throughout her career, Jen has demonstrated a deep passion for Johns Hopkins Medicine while marshaling her extensive expertise to support our mission.”

Nickoles first came to Johns Hopkins Medicine in 1996 and worked on space planning for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Facilities Management. During her tenure, she contributed to the advancement of the school in the Department of Medicine and the office of the vice dean in various management, financial and director roles with progressive responsibility and scope. During that time, she also received a master of science degree from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and garnered a reputation as an effective and collaborative leader with the ability to implement change and partner across disciplines.

“Johns Hopkins Bayview is a very special place to me, and it is a tremendous honor to be named president,” says Nickoles. “My focus is on working collaboratively to provide exceptional health care for our patients, maintain the preeminence of our academic mission and provide an enriching environment for our employees.”

After graduating from Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Leadership Development Program in 2015, Nickoles was promoted to Johns Hopkins Medicine chief of staff in July 2016. In 2019, she took on the role of interim vice president of operations for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida, developing and implementing a health system integration plan, co-leading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulatory improvement process and overseeing support services.

Nickoles returned to Baltimore at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She served as the chief operating officer of the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (BCCFH), and ultimately transitioned to a governing role as a member of the BCCFH Oversight Committee. 

Nickoles went on to serve as vice president of operations for system integration and affiliations, where she was responsible for further integrating the Johns Hopkins Health System network of hospitals across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Florida, and for leading the Office of Healthcare Transformation and Strategic Planning. In this role, she also oversaw the management and expansion of a large portfolio of affiliations and partnerships with regional hospitals and health systems. In addition, Nickoles has led in the roles of interim vice president and chief operating officer in the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians while concurrently serving as interim executive director of the Clinical Practice Association for Johns Hopkins Medicine.