Dr. Jason Cohen will serve as Chief Medical Officer at North Valley Hospital following the retirement of Dr. Ron Miller, and Dr. Ryan Gunlikson will take on the title of Chief of Staff, the hospital announced last week.

Cohen has been a hospitalist for North Valley Hospital since 2013. He previously worked as a hospitalist at Marcus Daly Hospital in Hamilton before taking on the role of Quality Lead. He commuted monthly to North Valley Hospital for two years before accepting the full-time position of Chief Medical Officer. Before relocating to Montana in 2011, Cohen was a member of the teaching faculty at the University of New Mexico.

North Valley Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer serves as an intermediary between medical staff and hospital leadership, and advocates for the medical staff and the community.

Cohen says he’s excited about the culture at the hospital in Whitefish.

“I see that people feel valued here and ideas from staff at all levels are heard by leadership,” Cohen said. “I appreciate that North Valley Hospital is able to cultivate that kind of environment.”

Earlier this year, North Valley Hospital and Kalispell Regional Healthcare formally agreed to an affiliation partnership. Cohen says the agreement is an opportunity to provide more options in services.

One of his goals is to streamline collaboration with KRH.

“I look forward to helping create more care options and clearer access for patients,” he said. “It fits right in line with our Planetree philosophy of healthcare.”

Gunlikson is a general surgeon with North Valley Hospital and has been on staff since 1999. He was nominated for the one-year position of Chief of Staff by hospital medical staff. He last served as Chief of Staff in 2008.

The Chief of Staff works as an advocate for the medical staff at the board level. Gunlikson says he’s looking forward to being an advocate for physicians and the community.

“I want to be engaged in the process and show that we care about what we do here at North Valley,” he said. “Even though it might seem like a small level, it’s great to take part in making sure that our service areas have the best possible care and services possible.”

Gunlikson is a native to the Flathead Valley. He attended Montana State University, University of Washington and University of Colorado before returning to the Flathead.

He and his wife have three children.