Two Appointed Department Chairs at Berkshire Medical Center

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems announces the appointments of Dr. Marcella Bradway as chair of the Department of Surgery and Dr. Jessica Krochmal as chair of the Department of Pathology at Berkshire Medical Center, extending its history of equity in leadership. 

Dr. Bradway is the first female chair of Surgery and previously served as interim chair of Surgery for half of 2016 and throughout all of 2018, and was vice chair for five years. Dr. Krochmal is the second woman to serve as chair of Pathology, and she previously served as vice chair from 2016 to 2018. 

"Berkshire Medical Center has a remarkable medical staff, and its foundation is a physician leadership team that is highly diverse and exceptionally skilled, with a deep commitment to continually providing the best care for our community," said David Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. "Drs. Bradway and Krochmal are widely admired by their colleagues on the medical staff, nursing, those working in the many areas of the hospital they interact with daily, and the many thousands of patients who rely on their expertise and compassionate care. We are proud to have them leading our Surgery and Pathology departments."

At BMC, 40 percent of medical staff departments are led by female physicians, with Bradway and Krochmal joining Dr. Lisa Loring, chair of Radiology, in leadership positions. The hospital’s medical staff, which includes more than 400 physicians, has a considerable corps of female physicians.

Bradway was born and raised in Pittsfield and is board-certified in general and colon and rectal Surgery. She returned to the Berkshires in 2008 following an impressive career in Connecticut, where she had served as chair of the Department of Surgery at Griffin Hospital and with a highly respected surgical practice serving Fairfield County. She was fellowship-trained in colon and rectal Surgery at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, and is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. She received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and completed her residency training in General Surgery at the University of Connecticut Integrated Surgical Residency program, which included Hartford Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, New Britain General Hospital and John Dempsey Hospital.

Krochmal came to the Berkshires in 2008 and is board-certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and cytopathology. She received her medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and completed dual fellowships, in surgical pathology and cytopathology, from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She completed her residency in pathology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She leads the pathology and laboratory services provided at both Berkshire Medical Center and Fairview Hospital.

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