John Santopietro Silver Hil Hospital President Medical Director

Silver Hill Hospital to Appoint New President, Ackerman Steps Down After 14 Years

Silver Hill Hospital has appointed Dr. John Santopietro as the new president and medical director effective in early September. He succeeds Dr. Sigurd Ackerman. 

“John has a broad knowledge of the mental healthcare industry on a national level,” said Peter Orthwein, chairman of the Board of Directors for the 86-year-old, New Canaan-based hospital. “He is an innovative leader with a track record of growth and program development, as well as an opinion leader and national spokesperson for mental health.” Santopietro joins Silver Hill Hospital from Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, N.C. where he held the positions of chief clinical officer of behavioral health and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry. Carolinas HealthCare System is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit healthcare delivery systems serving 2.3 million patients a year across 900 care locations, including 39 hospitals in North and South Carolina, and Georgia.