Kristen Ward Hirsch, MBA

Executive Director, RCs for Colon and Rectal Surgery, Neurological Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

Ms. Hirsch is an experienced administrator who began her career in graduate medical education (GME) as a program coordinator for general surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Ms. Hirsch went on to join the GME Office at the University of Chicago Medicine where she began as GME Manager and rose to the position of Director for GME Operations, Accreditation, and Innovation. During her time at University of Chicago, she participated in ACGME-led initiatives, including for Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) site visits, as a Pathway Innovator for the Pursuing Excellence in Clinical Learning Environments initiative, and with Sponsoring Institution 2025 (SI2025). Her interests include exploring the intersection of clinical, educational, and business data and working across the business and medical education continuum to explore collaborative solutions with health system leaders. Ms. Hirsch first joined the ACGME in 2019 as the Director for the CLER Site Visit Program.

Ms. Hirsch earned an MBA in health care management from Loyola University Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. She enjoys spending time with her children (Austin and Olivia) and spouse (Adam), as well as gardening with her canine companion, Sammi.