American College of Chest Physicians names Welch CEO

The Board of Regents of the American College of Chest Physicians named Stephen J. Welch executive vice

president and chief executive officer for the Glenview-based organization.

Welch had been serving as the interim executive vice president and CEO since May 2016. Prior to this appointment, he served in a senior staff role at CHEST for 22 years, most recently as publisher and senior vice president of Publications and Digital Content, which includes managing the organization's flagship scientific journal, CHEST.

"We appreciate the exceptional performance of Steve, his senior team, and the entire CHEST staff during this transition in executive leadership, said CHEST President Gerard A. Silvestri, MD, MS, FCCP. "We are excited about the opportunity to work with Steve in his new role going forward, as we begin outlining CHEST's strategic plan for the next years,"

The appointment comes in advance of the spring meeting of CHEST's Board of Regents, scheduled for next week.