Sister Jane Frances Brady
Hospital administrator
Born: November 14, 1935, in White Plains, New York
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2019-20: Public Service
When Sister Jane Frances Brady was named president and CEO of what was then St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1972, it was rare to find a woman running a major health facility. She remained in the post for almost three decades, leading the Paterson-based facility through a period of extraordinary growth.
Raised in Westchester County, north of New York City, Sister Jane attended the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey, graduating with honors. She later received an M.B.A. degree from Seton Hall University and a master’s degree in public health from the Columbia University School of Public Health and Administrative Medicine.
Sister Jane worked briefly for AT&T before entering the Sisters of Charity, the order that founded St. Joseph’s. She served as assistant administrator of clinical services until her appointment as chief executive.
St. Joseph’s mission has always been to care for the poor, for immigrants and for children. During Sister Jane’s tenure, the hospital was transformed into St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, with an array of new programs and satellite facilities. Innovations included a Level 2 trauma center; a large renal-dialysis program; a neonatal intensive care unit; a pediatric intensive care unit; and a network of pediatric specialty offices in Bergen and Passaic counties.
As president of the Hospital Alliance of New Jersey, Sister Jane lobbied in Trenton for expanded health-care access for the poor. She also has organized medical relief trips around the world through the New Jersey chapter of Healing the Children, a national organization that provides health care to needy children.
Following her retirement from St. Joseph’s in 1999, Sister Jane spent 10 years as a volunteer and board member at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, New Jersey. She also served as a court-appointed special advocate (C.A.S.A.) in the Morris County Family Court.