Nathan Nipper was named president and CEO of Boone, N.C.-based UNC Health Appalachian.
Mr. Nipper has served as COO of the health system since 2022. He will succeed Chuck Mantooth, who announced in July that he would retire at year's end.
Effective Jan. 1, Mr. Nipper will oversee a system with more than 1,500 employees anchored by Watauga Medical Center in Boone, Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial Hospital in Linville, N.C., and other facilities and clinics, according to a news release.
UNC Health Appalachian is part of Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health.