After more than 33 years with Memorial Healthcare System, Karen McCandless will be retiring in August. During her career, she contributed significantly to the success of the system, first as a pediatric nurse at Memorial Regional Hospital, then with Memorial’s pediatric home health agency, its cystic fibrosis center, and physician’s division. When she joined the doctor’s group in the late 1990s, it had five specialty programs; today it has 83 specialties at 96 locations in 14 cities and three counties.

McCandless’ operational and clinic expertise made her a valuable member of the physician group’s leadership team and a driving force behind the building of the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center in Wellington. She also procured grants and established donor relationships that provided aid to families that couldn’t afford their child’s care.

“The formation of multi-disciplinary teams as a standard part of the patient experience is something I also consider part of my legacy. It allows us to provide next-level care to chronic and complex cases that require the collective knowledge of a wide variety of specialists,” said McCandless.