Leadership at West Penn Hospital

West Penn Hospital has a legacy of community care predating the Civil War. Founded in 1848, it is the Pittsburgh region’s oldest publicly chartered hospital. Today, West Penn provides access to obstetrical and neonatal care, emergency care, cancer care, and many other advanced specialties. It is also home to a world-class Autoimmunity Institute, a burn care center, and the Alexis Joy D'Achille Center for Perinatal Mental Health.

West Penn Leadership Team

Brian Johnson, MD
President, West Penn Hospital

Brian Johnson, MD presently serves as the president of West Penn Hospital, and has been in that role since 2020. Previously, he served as chief medical officer at West Penn Hospital, and was Allegheny Health Network’s lead hospital CMO.

In his role as West Penn CMO, he led a number of successful local and enterprise-level initiatives, including a length-of-stay-improvement effort and as well as initiatives to reduce surgical site infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Dr. Johnson received his undergraduate degree in molecular biology and business administration from Washington & Jefferson College, and his medical degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. He completed his residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at West Penn Hospital and subsequently participated in the cardiology fellowship program at Allegheny General Hospital.

Dr. Johnson has been part of the West Penn family since 2003.

As a primary care physician, he maintains his clinical practice and continues to see patients through West Penn Medical Associates.

Beth Prairie, MD
Chief Medical Officer, West Penn Hospital

Beth A. Prairie, MD, MPH, is the chief medical officer of West Penn Hospital.

Dr. Prairie has been affiliated with AHN and West Penn since 2013, when she joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has held several clinical leadership positions since then, including service as the AHN Women’s Institute’s director of medical operations and clinical informatics, and the institute’s medical operations and information technology officer.

Her practice, Midlife Women Associates, specializes in the total health and wellness of women going through their midlife transition. Dr. Prairie’s publication history includes NIH-funded research in menopausal symptoms as a BIRCWH scholar.

Dr. Prairie earned her undergraduate degree (anthropology) at Columbia University, her medical degree at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and her master of public health from Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine. Postgraduate training includes both an obstetrics-gynecology residency and a preventive medicine residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Dr. Prairie’s professional affiliations include fellowship with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as well as the American College of Preventive Medicine, and memberships in the North American Menopause Society and the North American Society of Psychosocial OB/GYN. Dr. Prairie serves as a clinical associate professor with Drexel University College of Medicine, and the American College of Physicians.

Julie Mazur, MHA-MBA, BSN
Chief Nursing Officer, West Penn Hospital

Julie Mazur (MHA-MBA, BSN) is the Chief Nursing Officer of AHN West Penn Hospital. A seasoned nurse leader, Ms. Mazur has broad management experience across various health care units, including med-surg, to labor & delivery, and perioperative/OP Services. Since 2020, Ms. Mazur has been the director of Preoperative and Cardiac Services at West Penn Hospital.

In her current role, Ms. Mazur has proven to be a transformational, transparent leader who promotes fair and just culture.

She was the recipient of the AHN Leadership Award for Perioperative Services in 2022.

Ms. Mazur received her BSN from Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, in 1993 and graduated with her Master’s in Health Care Administration (MBA) from South University in Georgia 2019.

Anthony Duco
Chief Financial Officer, West Penn Hospital

As Chief Financial Officer of West Penn Hospital, Anthony Duco is responsible for leading the hospital’s overall financial well-being and executing the hospital’s strategic financial plans and growth initiatives. His career spans more than 14 years in the field of financial management.

A member of the AHN family since 2014, Mr. Duco has held numerous progressive roles since joining the organization, including manager of Integrated Economic Modeling and director of Budget Forecasting and Planning.

Mr. Duco earned his Master of Business Administration in Finance, Accounting, and Economics degree from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Saint Vincent College.

Board of Directors

  • James Benedict 
  • David A. Blandino, M.D.
  • Tony G. Farah, M.D.
  • Russell Livingston
  • Bruce Meyer, M.D.
  • Josepg Macerelli, Chair
  • Edward R. Marasco
  • Wendy O'Brien
  • Robert Pompeani
  • Kelly Waldman
  • Doris Carson Williams