Marie-Laure Romney, M.D., M.B.A. SVP & COO of NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, discusses balancing work and family, and reveals plans for updating its labor and delivery unit.
Photography by Tom Concordia
DOWNTOWN MAGAZINE: Congratulations on NewYork-Presbyterian on being named one of US News’ top hospitals in the nation! What do you feel are some of the best features of the hospital?
MARIE-LAURE ROMNEY: NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital combines the best parts of a community hospital, with the expertise of being partnered with an Ivy League academic medical institution. We’re able to provide high quality care with a personal touch for our patients, employees and visitors. I’m particularly proud of our low wait times in the emergency department and our ability to provide our pediatric patients who visit our pediatric emergency department with pediatric emergency medicine trained physicians. The hospital also has a seamless integration with NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, such that if a patient needs to be transferred for complex imaging, testing or a procedure, we’re able to do so.
DTM: Please tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? In addition to being the SVP & COO of NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, you are a mom of three. How old are your children, and how do you strike a balance between work and family life?
MLR: I was born and raised in Chicago and attended Cornell for my undergraduate studies, where I met my husband. He is an attorney by training, who now works in finance. We have three children, ages 16, 13, and eight and I was actually pregnant with my youngest when I started at Wharton to earn my executive MBA–I was in Philadelphia every other weekend while working full-time. Wharton was incredibly accommodating, and I had an amazing village around me, including my mom, who moved in with my family to help us.
To help encourage work-life balance amongst my team, I feel strongly about not scheduling meetings outside of business hours and I rarely send email after hours, so that my team does not feel like they must respond. My mindset is to optimize and improve, and that includes maintaining a work life balance for my team, where they’re energized to come to work each day.
DTM: What inspired you to get into emergency medicine?
MLR: I felt like the practice of emergency medicine reflected what being a doctor should be – the ability to address a variety of medical conditions, caring for patients from all walks of life and prioritizing that care based on severity of illness. Emergency medicine is my north star. As I grow as a leader, I continue to look for opportunities to increase access to care for all patients. I firmly believe in the concept of a rising tide lifts all boats.
I have been with NewYork-Presbyterian since 2021, first serving as the Vice President of Operations, before joining Lower Manhattan Hospital in July 2023. Prior to that, I was Vice Chair of Quality for our emergency departments in the Columbia Sphere. While I no longer practice clinically, the skills I learned as an emergency medicine physician remain valuable.
DTM: As the SVP & COO of NY-P LMH, what are your objectives? What would you like to do differently from the previous administration?
MLR: As the SVP & COO of NY-P LMH, I am taking what I learned from previously working at NYP/CUIMC where I supported quality and patient safety and applying it here, as well as my extensive experience working in the ED.
I am really committed to updating our labor and delivery unit, working diligently to determine how we can expedite construction. Over the next 24 months our goal is to be able to open updated facilities to provide all expectant families private rooms and updated technology.
We are committed to partnering with the community to hear about the services most important to families during this time, in addition to traditional labor and delivery needs: lactation consultants, infant CPR classes, specific dietary needs, and more.etc.
DTM: Are there any recent news items you would like to share with DOWNTOWN readers?
MLR: NewYork-Presbyterian was recently awarded a Health Equity Certification. This national recognition was awarded by the Joint Commission, and we worked enterprise-wide to share comprehensive reports and data on efforts to reduce health disparities including patient experience, quality and safety measures, staff training, recruitment, retention, and community partnerships.
Also, our Community Team at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital has been running pop-up health clinics in collaboration with the Bowery Mission; they’re offered every third Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our nurses connect with the community to provide blood pressure screenings, we offer 1:1 health lifestyle counseling, [help with prescriptions for] reading glasses, and more.
Later this fall, NewYork-Presbyterian will run a series of flu vaccine clinics in collaboration with community-based organiza- tions across lower Manhattan.
DTM: What are some of the places you like to go downtown?
MLR: I enjoy taking walking meetings with members of my team and we often go to The Seaport to connect when we can. I love how vibrant it is down there and it allows us to collaborate in a unique way. Recently, I discovered Conwell Coffee Hall, which is a unique coffee shop in what used to be a bank building. I’m also obsessed with the tacos at Los Tacos.
New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital is located at 170 William Street. For more information, visit nyp.org. DTM