OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center leader to retire after 39 years, including 11 as president

Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Paula Carynski has announced her plans to retire early next year after more than 11 years leading OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center.

Carynski, who began serving in 1985 as a cardiac staff nurse, has served as the medical center’s president since 2013. She was its chief nursing officer before that starting in August 1999, and she has held a variety of manager and director roles in various areas. Her last day will be Jan. 31, 2025.

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OSF executives credited her for leading OSF Saint Anthony to its first Magnet designation in 2005. The title awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center is intended to signify excellence in several critical areas of care.

“Paula’s many contributions in the time that she has served the Ministry have been invaluable,” AJ Querciagrossa, CEO of the Western Region of OSF HealthCare, said in a news release. “Paula is an incredible leader who has made a lasting impact in every role she has taken on. She’s not only led by example but with humility, grace and compassion. We congratulate Paula on a remarkable career.”

Carynski said in a statement that she is grateful for the 39 years she spent at OSF Saint Anthony.

“I have genuinely enjoyed my calling to OSF and serving the Sisters and the Mission,” she said. “I will miss the people that I have grown to know, respect and love. I have been blessed with the great fortune and joy of growing personally, spiritually and professionally all within the same company.”

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Carynski also serves with the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce, where she leads the talent committee, and on the mayor’s mental behavioral health advisory committee. She has also been a member of the board of directors for Rosecrance, the Rockford Health Council and American Heart Association.

In 2012, she was named the Rockford Chamber business manager of the year and one of 20 people you should know. In 2015, she was named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 130 women hospital and health system leaders to know.

“I do not take for granted how truly blessed I have been. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the entire OSF Ministry for their support, collaboration and for the impact they have had on my professional growth,” Carynski said in a statement. “I am profoundly grateful for the relationships I have formed and the valuable experience I have gained working alongside such talented individuals.”