Greensburg woman appointed to leadership role at Independence Health

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Kovacik Eicher always wanted to work close to her hometown.

A clinical neurologist who joined Excela Health in 2019, Kovacik Eicher was named to a key leadership role last week by Independence Health, which was formed in the merger of Excela and Butler health systems in 2023.

The Blairsville native and Greensburg resident was named the system’s associate chief medical officer.

“When I thought about medicine, it was never ‘Oh, I’m going to be a doctor and go practice somewhere else.’ I was becoming a doctor in order to come here,” she said.

In the new role, she will work in tandem with Butler-based Dr. Michael Fiorina, who replaced retired Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox.

Fiorina and Kovacik Eicher are tasked to manage operation at all five Independence Health hospitals. Fiorina will oversee Butler and Clarion hospitals in the north, while Kovacik Eicher will focus on the Westmoreland hospitals in Greensburg, Latrobe and Mt. Pleasant.

Kovacik Eicher said she has immersed herself in community life, often running into her patients at the grocery store.

It’s an approach that stands out to Fiorina.

“She is in it for the right reasons,” he said.

Forming a connection with patients became important after her dad experienced health concerns while Kovacik Eicher was completing her medical residency.

“That’s what helped me become a better doctor,” she said. “It gave me a whole new perspective on how our patients should be treated, on how families should be treated and how everything comes back to the patient. That’s the only way we can be successful as a system.”

Kovacik Eicher received dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame and dual master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh.

She received her medical degree from Penn State after serving at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in a neurology residency and neuromuscular fellowship.

She also has served Independence Health as director of neurosciences and helped launch the system’s cutting-edge memory clinic, which provides treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Fiorina said the system needs people who can overcome modern health care challenges amid the widespread geography of Independence. He said Kovacik Eicher, who pushed to implement the memory clinic despite Independence Health being a smaller system, had a good track record.

“I think it’s going to be helpful to have people that are creative thinkers to navigate these waters,” Fiorina said.