An interim chief executive officer has been appointed to lead West Gippsland Healthcare Group for the next six months.
Shannon Wight will take on the role, on secondment from her current position as executive director of clinical operations at Eastern Health.
Ms Wight's appointment was announced in a memo to staff from board chair Jo-Anne Moorfoot on Thursday.
The interim appointment follows the departure of ceo Dan Weeks who retired at the end of his contract late last year. He remained with the organisation for a transition period until the start of January.
Since then, WGHG corporate services director Justin Walsh has been acting ceo.
Ms Wight will take over the interim ceo position on January 28 and finish at the end of July.
Ms Moorfoot said Ms Wight had a solid clinical and management background in key leadership roles within the Department of Health,
Alfred Health and Monash Health as well as working rurally in Goulburn and Geelong Hospitals.
She grew up in the Latrobe Valley and has strong ties to the Gippsland area with immediate family living in Traralgon. She also is on the board of Maryvale Private Hospital.
Ms Moorfoot said as part of the secondment agreement, Shannon would maintain links with Eastern Health, engaging in a couple of key events including a clinical planning workshop and strategic planning sessions for the organisation.
"The board, supported by the Department of Health, will recommence the process to seek an ongoing ceo for WGHG in the coming months," Ms Moorfoot said.