Novant Health UVA Health System has named a new leader for two of its local hospitals, according to a release.

Steve Smith, the health system’s former vice president of medical affairs, has been promoted to serve as president and chief operating officer for both Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center. The facilities are run by a joint venture between Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Novant Health and the Charlottesville-based University of Virginia Health System, formed in 2016.

Smith succeeds Greg Napps, who was appointed president and COO in September 2017 and remained for less than a year before departing in July. A Novant Health UVA Health System declined to comment further on the reason for Napps’ exit, citing corporate policy regarding personnel.

Napps had been selected for his health care leadership experience, Novant Health UVA Health System CEO Maggie Gill had said in a statement at that time. He had previously served as CEO of the health system’s Culpeper Medical Center.

Smith began serving as interim president and COO when Napps left in July, according to the spokeswoman. He previously served as regional medical director of emergency services, overseeing emergency services and implementing operational efficiencies, among other duties. He was also president of the medical staff at Prince William Medical Center from 2014 through 2017, and has served on the health system’s board of trustees.

“With his wealth of experience and focus on addressing healthcare disparities and quality assurance, I am confident he will lead the organization forward in the years to come,” said Jeff Lindsay, Novant Health’s executive vice president and COO, in a statement.

Smith earned his medical degree from Howard University and undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and completed specialty training at Los Angeles County King Drew Medical Center. He’s part of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

The joint venture was designed to connect Novant Health’s patients with the university system’s subspecialty care and clinical trials. Now, Novant Health UVA Health System, headquartered in Manassas, provides urgent and primary care, as well as subspecialty care and clinical trials. In addition to the two Prince William hospitals, the network also operates Culpeper Medical Center, and about 25 physician offices across Northern Virginia.

Novant Health has more than 26,000 employees, with 1,500 physicians in more than 500 locations, in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The system first came to the region in 2009 when it acquired Prince William Hospital, and in 2014 opened the Haymarket facility. It now operates 14 medical centers in these four states. The university health system has a 612-bed hospital, the University of Virginia School of Medicine and a Level I trauma center.