St. Albans-born pro to lead LIJ Forest Hills

Lorraine Chambers Lewis has been named executive director of LIJ Forest Hills. Photo courtesy of LIJ

By Rachel Vick

Long Island Jewish Forest Hills named a new executive director Wednesday.

Lorraine Chambers Lewis, who was raised in St. Albans, brings nearly three decades of professional and leadership experience to the hospital.

“LIJ Forest Hills is on a trajectory,” Chambers Lewis said. “They’re going up in the right direction and I want to help keep moving them to the next level in health care to be No. 1 in Queens.”

She most recently served as Northwell Health’s vice president of Employee Health Services after 14 years climbing the ranks of the hospital system. Over the last year, she helped develop and launch a COVID-19 testing and vaccination program for hospital employees.

Chambers Lewis began her career 28 years ago as a physician’s assistant at Queens Hospital Center and has worked in emergency medicine, critical care, internal medicine and occupational health.

She says that her experience growing up as the child of Jamaican immigrants has prepared her for her new role, where she will be working on community education and outreach — from COVID vaccines to health screenings.

“When I stepped outside of my house as a kid and I went to school, I was American and I adapted to American culture,” Chambers Lewis said. “When I went home and I stepped in those doors, it was Little Jamaica.”

“There’s different rules and different things that I knew very clearly were part of Jamaican culture,” she added. “I understand the experience of immigrants having seen so many of my family members go through it.”