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Presbyterian Healthcare recently named two of the healthcare system's current employees to top leadership positions at the new Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville, which is currently scheduled to open in November.

Denise Mihal, previously the executive director for Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital, has taken on the role of administrator for Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville. She will oversee the daily operations of the hospital, as well as much of the strategic planning for the hospital's future. Melissa Robson, a 10-year employee of Presbyterian who has been working on the Huntersville project for several months, has been named the director of patient care services.

"We are excited about opening this new hospital in an area that so passionately declared that they needed better access to healthcare," Mihal said. "We will work to ensure that this hospital lives up to the community's expectations and that it becomes a model of patient care and an incubator for new ideas that can be applied throughout Presbyterian Healthcare."

Mihal brings 18 years of healthcare experience to her new position. She began her career as an intensive care nurse at two New Jersey hospitals before becoming a critical care nurse manager at South Miami Hospital in Florida. Prior to joining Presbyterian in 2000, she was administrative director of nursing at Homestead Hospital in Homestead, Fla.

At Presbyterian, Mihal first served as director of nursing for the medical and surgical units at Presbyterian Hospital and Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital. Then, in 2002, she was named executive director of Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital. During her time there, the orthopaedic hospital was ranked as a Top 100 hospital for orthopaedic care and achieved a 5-star customer service rating from the independent national quality-rating firm HealthGrades.

Mihal received her bachelor's of science degree in nursing from William Paterson College in Wayne, N.J., and a master's in business administration from Rutgers in Newark, N.J.

The new director of patient care services, Robson, most recently served as Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville's manager of surgical services in preparation for the hospital's opening. In her new role as director of patient care services, Robson will direct all nursing functions for the new hospital.

"As director of patient care services, I will be largely responsible for designing and shaping the Huntersville hospital's nursing division," Robson said. "Our focus in nursing and throughout the hospital will be on providing exceptional customer service and excellent quality care in an innovative manner."

Robson also served as manager for patient care services at the former Presbyterian Specialty Hospital and nurse manager for perioperative services, which included operational responsibility for Presbyterian's SameDay Surgery Center, NorthPoint Surgery Center and endoscopy services. Before coming to Presbyterian, Robson served as clinical manager for Carolina Plastic Surgery in Charlotte and associate nurse manager for Kendall Regional Medical Center in Miami, Fla.

She received her associate's degree in nursing from Broward Community College in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and her bachelor of science in nursing from Gardner Webb University. Robson plans to begin the master's of healthcare administration program at Pfeiffer University in the fall.