Valley Medical Center has appointed Karen Irish as its new administrative director for cancer services.

Irish is responsible for overseeing strategic planning, financial, and operational administration; business, human resource, and medical staff development; and quality, marketing, and philanthropic management for Cancer Services.

Irish comes to VMC from Northwest Community Healthcare, a 567-bed hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill., ranked fifth among 112 Illinois hospitals in cancer cases and named one of the nation’s “50 Best Hospitals for Treatment of Cancer and Digestive Disorders” by U.S. News and World Report.

Irish has 12 years of cancer services experience, ranging from service line management, freestanding cancer center administration to management of grants funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. While at Northwest Community Healthcare, Irish served in two capacities: administrative director, cancer services, and, director of planning intelligence (strategic planning).

Irish holds a Masters in Business Administration from California State University in San Bernardino, Calif., and a Bachelor of Science in administration from Loma Linda University, Riverside, Calif.