The medical community, indeed the community at large, received a dose of bad news last week when it was announced that Brian Sinotte, market president of UPHS and CEO of UPHS-Marquette, would depart the position effective June 21.

Sinotte has worked here for the past three years, arriving at a time when the hospital badly needed a steady hand on the tiller, to ward off what appeared to be falling public confidence and to provide guidance and direction on construction of the new facility.

“The decision to leave my role at UPHS was a very difficult one, but the right one for (wife and doctor) Jessica and me right now,” Sinotte said in a UPHS press release. “I am honored to have been part of UPHS and the Upper Peninsula for the last three years. Across this region, UPHS has a wonderful team of dedicated employees, physicians and volunteers with a genuine commitment to advancing the health of their communities. I am proud to have been able to call myself one of them and confident that they will continue to flourish and thrive long after my departure.”

He’s accepted a position in the Chicago area, although it’s unclear where specifically he’ll be working. His wife, Dr. Jessica Haloskie, who is a highly regarded physician practicing in the Marquette area, will also be missed.

Sinotte has served as CEO of UP Health System-Marquette since August 2016 and market president of UP Health System since February 2018. Before that, he was CEO of Maria Parham Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint Healthcare facility in Henderson, North Carolina. Before MPMC, Sinotte served as CEO of Metro-South Medical Center in Blue Island, Illinois. He also has held numerous leadership positions at hospitals in Indiana, Minnesota and Virginia.

His departure is a real loss. We believe Sinotte understood the area and its unique culture, something people who come into the area, don’t always do. We wish the Sinotte family the best.