Stacy Friedman: The Brooklyn Hospital Center’s First GC

Back in college, Stacy Friedman considered becoming a doctor. She didn’t, but given her impact at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, you’d be forgiven for guessing otherwise.

Hired as TBHC’s first full-time general counsel in December 2008, Friedman has shaped the role from the ground up. She credits CEO Gary Terrinoni for building a collaborative executive team and giving her a seat at the table as a close advisor to leadership and the board.

“I gravitate to wherever help is needed,” Friedman says. “This is a unique environment that allows us to have a direct positive impact on daily operations at the hospital. I’m always in the thick of it, and I like it that way.”

The Resident Historian

Staff have dubbed Friedman the hospital’s “historian” for her ability to recall any project or program. Her goal is to be approachable to everyone, whether the topic is organizational culture, safety, bioethics, governance, or just finding a practical solution.

“It’s all about supporting the organization to help it be successful,” she says. “We want the community to know we are here for them.”

A Community Hospital with National Reach

Clinically affiliated with the Mount Sinai Health System, TBHC has served Brooklyn since 1845. With 464 beds, it serves a wide range of ethnic and economic backgrounds. What sets it apart from larger institutions, Friedman says, is its relative lack of bureaucracy; the executive team stays involved in big projects, keeping everyone connected to the mission.

Centers of Excellence

TBHC has earned five Centers of Excellence distinctions: bariatric surgery, cardiology, cancer, orthopedics, and spine. These designations reflect the hospital’s vision to elevate care not just for New York patients, but nationwide.

“As a COE, our capabilities as a community hospital are nationally recognized as offering the highest levels of compassionate care to patients,” Friedman says.

Major Projects and Milestones

• 2017 — Secured a $25 million New York State grant to modernize the Emergency Department. Also earned best practice awards for stroke and heart care from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
• June 2020 — Completed a state-of-the-art physician’s pavilion for surgery and medicine, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• May 2021 — Opened a new dialysis center.
• Q4 2021 — Expanded cancer center slated for completion.

“It is so fulfilling to see that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, these projects came to fruition, and we were able to provide such vital and important services to our patient community,” Friedman says.

From Charleston to Brooklyn

Friedman’s commitment to service traces back to her upbringing in Charleston, South Carolina. Her father Bernard Steinberg and brother Jonathan run a family scrap metal business dating to 1893. Her mother Susan volunteered for the synagogue and Jewish charities. From an early age, Friedman was encouraged to help others — tutoring children, serving as a tour guide at Penn, and advocating for low-income housing rights through the Penn Consumers Board.

She earned her bachelor’s in history and political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993, then her J.D. with a health law concentration from Boston University School of Law in 1996. After law school, she practiced medical malpractice defense, public policy, health care litigation, and corporate and regulatory work at Manhattan firms, making partner at her last stop before joining TBHC.

“The nicest thing is helping clients,” Friedman says. “You feel you’ve changed someone’s life for the better, at a time when they really needed it the most.”

The Dream Job

Friedman knew she wanted to feel more invested in an organization than outside counsel work allowed. In 2008, she landed what she calls her “dream job”—TBHC’s first full-time general counsel, with the freedom to shape the role. She now oversees risk management, contracts, and strategic initiatives spanning operations, finance, and clinical infrastructure.

“Like the Broadway show ‘Hamilton,’ I want to be in the ‘room where it happens,'” Friedman says. “I’m truly involved in all aspects of the hospital, gaining the big picture to put together the best outcomes.”

Beyond the Office

Friedman makes time for civic engagement: her synagogue, the New York State Bar Association’s Health Law Section, committee work with the Greater New York Hospital Association, and PennParc (supporting student performing arts at Penn). She’s also devoted to her husband Jeff and daughters Elizabeth and Lauren.

“In this job you are a guide, whether it’s helping with a deal or a project, and beyond its technical aspects you are sharing a vision,” Friedman says. “We are a destination of choice for safe and compassionate care. I conceptualized the role I wanted to have and I love what we’ve created here.”