Jean J. Gurga MA, OTR/L

In this role, she will oversee one of the most complex facilities in the VA system with an annual budget in excess of $1B, and more than 7,000 employees and volunteers.

Ms. Gurga has over 26 years of VA health care experience in Quality, Ambulatory Care, and Occupational Therapy. Prior to her appointment as the Interim Medical Center Director at VA Palo Alto, she was appointed as the Medical Center Director at the Kansas City VA Medical Center on February 13, 2022. She served as the Medical Center Director for the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System from August 2020 to February 2022. Prior to arriving at Northern Arizona, she served as the Associate Director at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System overseeing facility operations for Engineering, Fiscal, Health Administration, Human Resources, and Supply Chain. She also served as the executive in charge of Information Technology and Contracting services for the facility.

Ms. Gurga’s previous positions also include the Chief, Office of Quality, Safety & Value (QSV) at VA Palo Alto. In that role, she was responsible for leading the operations and strategic direction for QSV with programmatic responsibilities for Quality & Safety, Infection Prevention & Control, Patient Experience, Process Improvement, and the Office of Education. In addition, Ms. Gurga worked closely with executive leadership in building VA Palo Alto’s continuous improvement infrastructure and the deployment of their Lean management system. For several years, she coached and facilitated improvement projects at the local, network, and national level. Ms. Gurga formerly served as the Assistant Chief of Ambulatory Care Service and was an occupational therapist for 10 years with her last clinical position being Chief of Occupational Therapy at Palo Alto.

Ms. Gurga is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives. She holds a master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University - Boston School of Occupational Therapy, and a bachelor's degree in Business Economics from Mills College. In 2017, Ms. Gurga graduated from VHA’s Health Care Leadership Development Program, and in 2011 she graduated from the Partnership for Public Service's Excellence in Government Fellows Program.