David O’Brien, who has spent the past decade as an administrator for operations and nursing at hospitals in South Florida and other parts of the South, was recently named the Market Chief Executive Officer for Kindred Hospitals of South Florida.

O’Brien brings significant experience as a Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer to his new CEO role. From 2017 to ’21, O’Brien had stints as COO at Broward Health Medical Center and Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, St. Mary’s Medical Center and Palm Beach Children’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, and Hilton Head (South Carolina) Regional Hospital.  In 2017-18, he was Market COO for Tenet Healthcare for a group of six hospitals in South Carolina and Massachusetts.  O’Brien also has served as CNO for Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (2015-17) and Coral Gables Hospital (2014-15).

An RN, O’Brien began his healthcare career in New York, where he spent six years in nursing leadership at New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center and advanced to the role of Director of Nursing.

O’Brien earned the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Health Administration from Phoenix University. He also holds the credential of Nurse Executive Advanced-Board Certified (NEA-BC). He is former chief of the Pearl River (New York) Volunteer Fire Department.