Faculty
Education
Master of Business Administration, La Sierra University, Riverside
Bachelor of Arts, University of California, Santa Barbara
Expertise
Operations management and hospital administration
Emerging healthcare trends and delivery models
Strategic management and leadership
Process improvement and LEAN
Disaster management
Population health management
Program development and management
Biography
Mr. Peña is currently the Administrator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Los Angeles General Medical Center (LA General). Los Angeles General Medical Center is a 600-bed Level 1 Trauma Center that is owned and operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. The emergency department is one of the largest and top-10 busiest emergency departments in the nation.
In his role as Administrator, he has administrative and operational oversight of –
- Emergency Medicine
- Jail Emergency Services
- Urgent Care Center
- Office of Emergency Management
- Center for Life Support Training
- Disaster Management Program
- Emergency Medicine Residency Program
Mr. Peña previously served as Administrator for the Department of Medicine and Dermatology at LA General. He obtained this role after completing his two-year administrative fellowship with the LA County Department of Health Services (LAC-DHS). Aside from his career with the LA County health system, Mr. Peña has also held other management roles with additional Los Angeles hospitals.
Mr. Peña has been a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives since 2012, and served as President for the local ACHE chapter – ACHE of Southern California in 2019. In 2020, he was a Board Member for the Hospital Association of Southern California and over the years, Mr. Peña has spearheaded the creation of several ACHE Southern California signature programs. Mr. Peña has earned several awards from ACHE and in 2021, he served as 1 of 23 scholars across the nation for the inaugural and prestigious ACHE Thomas C. Dolan Career Accelerator Program.
Mr. Peña began his career as faculty with the University of Southern California in 2019, and currently serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor for the Master of Health Administration programs at the University of Southern California where he teaches courses on operations management, hospital administration, and strategic management. He was recognized as Professor of the Year by the MHA graduating class of 2023.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned his Master of Business Administration degree in Management from La Sierra University in Riverside.
He was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA (Boyle Heights). For fun, he loves going to watch the LA Rams play, runs a competitive fantasy football league and March Madness Bracket Challenges with college and childhood friends, and enjoys cooking for his friends and family.