Valley Medical Center has appointed a new director of cancer services, Karen Irish.

She comes to the hospital from Northwest Community Healthcare, a 567-bed hospital in Arlington Heights, IL. It is ranked fifth among 112 Illinois hospitals in cancer cases and named one of the nation’s “50 Best Hospitals for Treatment of Cancer and Digestive Disorders” by U.S. News and World Report.

“I am absolutely thrilled to join Valley Medical Center,” Irish said in a press release. “I look forward to partnering with patients, family members, and VMC professionals to ensure pre-eminent cancer care is readily and conveniently available to all within our communities.”

She will be responsible for overseeing strategic planning, financial and operational administration, business, human resource, and medical staff development; and quality, marketing, and philanthropic management for cancer services.

Irish has 12 years of cancer services experience, which ranges from service line management, freestanding cancer center administration to management of grants funded by the National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. Irish served in two capacities while at Northwest Community Healthcare: administrative director, cancer services and director of planning intelligence.

She has a master’s in business administration from California State University in San Bernardino and a bachelor of science in administration from Loma Linda University, Riverside, Calif.