Rudish Health Places CFO at MedStar Washington, D.C. Hospital Center and MedStar Health Research Institute
February 18, 2025 – Boca Raton, FL-headquartered healthcare advisory and talent leadership firm Rudish Health recently assisted in the recruitment of Amanda Barash as senior vice president and CFO of MedStar Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center and Columbia, MD-based MedStar Health Research Institute.
With nearly two decades of experience in financial leadership within complex healthcare systems, she brings extensive expertise in strategic planning, revenue optimization, operational transformation, and research administration. Before joining MedStar Health, Ms. Barash held several key positions, including director of finance at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health, vice president of medical group finance at Valley Health, and CFO for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara Enterprise Pharmacy. Her diverse experience across these roles has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of financial operations in both academic and clinical healthcare settings.
Ms. Barash holds a master of science in technology and innovation from Purdue University and a bachelor of science in accounting from Indiana Wesleyan University. Her educational background, combined with her professional experience, positions her as a strategic leader in healthcare finance, adept at navigating the complexities of modern healthcare organizations.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the largest and most comprehensive hospital in the Washington, D.C., region, renowned for its specialized care in cardiology, oncology, neurology, and trauma. As part of MedStar Health, it serves as a major academic medical center, providing advanced treatments, research, and training for future healthcare professionals. The MedStar Health Research Institute supports innovative medical research across various specialties, driving advancements in patient care through clinical trials, translational research, and collaboration with leading healthcare organizations.
Rudish Health provides major health systems, health plans, professional services firms, private equity, venture capital, and emerging growth companies with strategic advisory and talent leadership solutions. The firm can also help emergent companies define their growth strategies and cultivate market connections.
Rudish Health was founded in 2014 by Russ Rudish and Jessica Rudish now manages the firm’s team of healthcare experts. Mr. Rudish has more than 30 years of industry experience and has deep and enduring relationships with major healthcare organizations in the United States and abroad. He co-founded Rudish Health in 2014 with a mission to help healthcare clients in every way he could. Today, that includes helping clients with executive search, professional search, interim management, recruiting automation, hospital acquisitions and joint ventures, IT, live medical interpreter services, credentialing, and other consultative services. Rudish Health also assists emerging companies with strategy and growth initiatives.
Ms. Rudish has 15+ years of experience serving healthcare providers, health plans, and other healthcare ecosystem players. At Rudish Health, she oversees all executive search and interim management assignments. She also guides venture clients through strategic planning and business acquisition. Prior to joining Rudish Health Solutions, Ms. Rudish was a senior manager at Deloitte Consulting, where she served healthcare provider and health plan clients, delivering both strategy and operations engagements.
CFO’s Increasing Importance
CFOs are being asked to play an ever-broader role. “The tumultuous environment companies are operating within demand a different skill-set in the CFO chair,” said ON Partners co-president Tim Conti. “CFOs are playing a critical strategic role in companies, not only to pull levers necessary to secure a company’s financial platform, but also to position the company to emerge in a strong competitive positioning in a marketplace where not all will survive. This requires the CFO to lead from the front, be strategic and savvy, to navigate a company through choppy waters. When boards and CEOs do not have confidence that they have this strategic CFO, then they have no choice but to seek out an alternative.”
Related: A Look at How the CFO Role in Private Equity is Evolving
“In times like these, where businesses demand hyper-agility, being a functional specialist isn’t good enough,” said Bryan Buck, partner at ON Partners. “It’s required now that CFOs can see around corners and understand the physical (and digital) trends that are reshaping their world – and then act quickly. They need to think like P&L owners – not like accountants. Regardless of the product or service their company offers, customer expectations have changed. And the CFOs in highest demand right now are the ones who have proven to be nimble and business-focused enough to drive organization’s to where the puck is moving (both organically and inorganically).”
Financial Services is Booming, CFO Role Continues to Evolve
Despite economic uncertainty and the challenges of finding top talent, the financial sector continues to change and grow. Interviewed by Hunt Scanlon Media, search leaders who specialize in the sector offer their insights on the path forward, the CFO’s responsibilities, and more.
This business environment is also putting more pressure on CFOs. “There’s definitely more need for CFOs to operate with transparency around the realities of the market conditions, how those conditions are impacting the business in the short and long term, and what strategic steps are being taken to address the challenges faced,” said Mr. Conti. “Shareholders understand that market conditions are challenging, and they’ll be more patient in these unique times, but only if they have confidence in the CFO’s leadership and strategy.”
“Yes – and it’s industry-agnostic,” Mr. Buck added. “For public companies specifically, those in negatively impacted sectors are trying to survive the rapid slow down, and maintain various levels of ongoing business operations, while planning and positioning for a potential recovery that could happen within the next few quarters…or the next few years,” he said. “Public finance leaders on the other end of that spectrum are seeing tremendous growth and demand, but they’re also cognizant that current share price reflects Wall Street’s expectation of perfection – leaving no room for quarterly missteps.”
Related: Forward from Finance: From CFO to CEO
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
