AdventHealth Promotes Medical Leader to Head Seven-County Division in Central Florida

June 15, 2021 — AdventHealth has created a new leadership role and promoted Dr. Neil Finkler to serve as chief clinical officer for the entire Central Florida Division which includes Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties. This is the first time AdventHealth has named a chief clinical officer who will be responsible for the seven-county region.

“As we begin to transition to normalcy in a post-COVID-19 world, this leadership change will help us streamline clinical operations for efficiency and best practices,” said Randy Haffner, Ph.D., President and CEO of the AdventHealth Central Florida Division. “Dr. Finkler’s almost 30 years of service at AdventHealth speaks to his commitment to the patients we serve. Nearly three decades ago, he founded our gynecologic oncology program and fellowship program and brought national prominence to this discipline, which continues to this day. Most recently, Dr. Finkler played a critical role in leading our journey to earn a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and A ratings from Leapfrog. I’m excited to see what’s on the horizon under his broader clinical leadership.”

As chief clinical officer, Finkler will lead the entire continuum of clinical care across the seven-county region that includes nearly 6,000 physicians and advance practice providers.

“We are blessed to have physicians leading in their fields, publishing in acclaimed medical journals, leading research studies, sharing their knowledge at prestigious medical conferences, and serving in state and national leadership roles within their disciplines,” said Finkler. “I’m honored to be selected to serve my colleagues in this role, helping our teams continue to provide high quality, innovative care that ultimately makes our communities better and healthier places.”

Finkler is board certified in both obstetrics oncology and gynecologic oncology, has served in multiple leadership and teaching positions at AdventHealth, Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and held the title of principle investigator for all GYN Oncology Group clinical trials, a National Cancer Institute cooperative group.

After completing his medical training at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York (now renamed as Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), Finkler conducted his OB-GYN residency and fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School.

Finkler joined AdventHealth Orlando in 1992 where he founded the gynecologic oncology program and fellowship program. He led the gynecologic oncology program until 2010 when he became the chief medical officer for AdventHealth Medical Group, a coalition of employed physicians and advanced practice providers.

In 2014, Finkler accepted his most recent leadership role as senior vice president and chief medical officer for AdventHealth Orlando – Acute Care Services, which encompasses all hospitals in Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole counties.

Finkler is a Fellow of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG) and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He is also the recipient of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Clinical Trial Participation Award, the Boston University Medical Center’s prestigious C. Thomas Griffiths Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award and he is a highly published author and well-regarded speaker both nationally and internationally.