St. Joseph Medical Center tapped a Connecticut hospital administrator yesterday to be its new chief executive officer.

James J. Cullen was named to the post by William P. Foley, regional president of Catholic Health Initiatives, a 67-hospital national group of which St. Joseph is a member.

Cullen is currently CEO of the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, Conn. He is also chief operating officer of St. Raphael Healthcare System, that hospital's parent organization.

Hospital of St. Raphael, with 511 beds, is similar in size and services to St. Joseph, which is licensed for 460 beds.

At St. Raphael, Cullen developed an ambulatory surgery center and expanded cardiology services. He came to St. Raphael in 1982 as chief financial officer and has held several other administrative jobs there.

Cullen is scheduled to assume his new post Jan. 15. He replaces John Prout, who left in February to head a three-hospital system in Ohio. When he became CEO in 1994, Prout was the first lay person to head the Towson hospital, which was founded in 1864 by the Sisters of St. Francis.

Pub Date: 10/30/98