UMass Memorial Health Announces Key Leadership Promotions at HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2026
Contact: Kristy Lee
617‑388‑5555
kristy.lee@umassmemorial.org
Leominster, MA – UMass Memorial Health is pleased to announce the promotions of two accomplished leaders at HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, strengthening the organization’s clinical and operational leadership teams.
Joseph Tennyson, MD, MHCM, FACEP, FAEMS, has been promoted to Chief Medical Officer for HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital and HealthAlliance Home Health and Hospice. Dr. Tennyson brings over a decade of leadership experience across clinical teams at the department, hospital, and system levels within UMass Memorial Health.
Since July 2024, he has served as Interim Chief Medical Officer for HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital and Marlborough Hospital, now a campus of UMass Memorial Medical Center. During his tenure, Dr. Tennyson led initiatives including the implementation of a Remote Patient Monitoring program, responses to CMS Patient Safety Structural Measures, and the integration of the Leominster Emergency Department into UMass Memorial Medical Group. In addition. his guidance during the early COVID-19 response and work to improve emergency department flow have left a lasting impact on patient care.
“My passion for medicine and lifelong learning has deepened my appreciation for the vital role of a community hospital,” says Dr. Tennyson. “I’m proud to serve in this capacity and continue supporting our patients and teams.”
John Kelly, RN, BSN, MBA, has been named Vice President, COO/CNO, at HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital. He assumed this new Senior Leadership Team role on September 28, 2025. Prior to this position, he served as Vice President (VP) and Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nursing Officer (COO/CNO) at Marlborough Hospital.
Kelly’s leadership and clinical expertise will support HealthAlliance-Clinton’s continued progress in improving clinical outcomes and enhancing the patient experience, while advancing a culture of innovation and patient-centered care. He brings extensive experience in nursing, nursing leadership, and hospital and clinical operations, having served in a variety of roles at hospitals and healthcare systems across Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Recently, Kelly has been instrumental in helping to lead the Emergency Department expansion, Determination of Need (DoN) application process for the merger of Marlborough Hospital with UMass Memorial Medical Center, and the DoN process for the development of a proton therapy center at Marlborough.
“I’m excited to be working with the HealthAlliance-Clinton team and to continue advancing initiatives that prioritize safe, patient-centered care,” said Mr. Kelly.
About UMass Memorial Health
UMass Memorial Health is the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts with more than 20,000 caregivers and 2,400 physicians. Our comprehensive system includes UMass Memorial Medical Center, UMass Memorial Health – Harrington, UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, UMass Memorial Health – Milford Regional, UMass Memorial Health – Community Healthlink, and UMass Memorial Medical Group. We are the clinical partner of UMass Chan Medical School. For more information, visit www.ummhealth.org.
About UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital
UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital is a full-service, not-for-profit, regional community hospital committed to serving North Central Massachusetts and beyond with campuses in Clinton, Fitchburg, and Leominster. As part of the UMass Memorial Health system, HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital has more than 550 physicians across nearly 50 health care specialties and offers a full complement of services, including critical care, state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, dialysis, laboratory, palliative care, surgery, and in-patient hospice care. For more information, visit https://www.ummhealth.org/healthalliance-clinton.