Seanna-Kaye Denham Wilks, PhD, FPCC Appointed Chief Operations Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney

Seanna-Kaye Denham Wilks, PhD, FPCC Appointed Chief Operations Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney

McKinney ranks #11 in Newsweek's 2026 Best Nursing Homes in New York, and high-performing in long-term care and short-term rehabilitation by U.S. News and World Report in 2026

Jan 23, 2026

Today, NYC Health + Hospitals announced the appointment of Seanna-Kaye Denham Wilks, PhD, FPCC as the new Chief Operations Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney. She joins McKinney with nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership. Prior to joining McKinney, Dr. Denham Wilks served as Chief Experience Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, overseeing the hospital-wide strategy for patient experience, employee engagement, and special projects, demonstrating a proven track record in transforming patient experiences and strengthening organizational excellence in employee engagement, leadership development, and survey science. As COO at McKinney, Dr. Denham Wilks will work with the administrative and clinical leadership to develop and implement the facility's strategic plan. Her portfolio includes environmental services, emergency management, hospital police, laundry and linen, food services, facilities management, and therapeutic recreation. She began her new role on January 5.

"I'm delighted to join the leadership team at the historic NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney, a facility recognized nationally for the excellent care it provides and its commitment to the residents, families, and community it serves," said NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney Chief Operations Officer Seanna-Kaye Denham Wilks, PhD, FPCC. "As COO, I'm excited to contribute my expertise to sustain that excellence, support our workforce, and promote innovation that will allow compassionate, high-quality care to thrive."

"I am thrilled to welcome and congratulate Dr. Denham on her appointment as Chief Operations Officer. She has demonstrated a deep commitment to the mission of our public health system serving the NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County community for nearly 20 years in various leadership capacities," said NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney Chief Executive Officer Daveth Forbes-Thomas, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, LNHA."Her track record in care experience, people-centered leadership, performance improvement, and strategic mindset will be tremendous assets as we focus on advancing a culture where excellent care and kindness go hand in hand. Congratulations again and welcome, Dr. Denham!"

Dr. Denham Wilks holds a B.A. from New York University and a M.A. and PhD from St. John's University in Clinical Psychology. A nationally-recognized healthcare leader, Dr. Denham-Wilks has been listed by Becker's Healthcare as one of 54 Chief Experience Officers to know and is a Power Women of Brooklyn honoree. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, a Planetree Fellow in Person-Centered Care, and a former America's Essential Hospitals Fellow.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Rafael Dominguez, NYC Health + Hospitals/Post-Acute Care, 646-694-4910;

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About NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney
NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney is a 320-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center located in central Brooklyn, providing quality rehabilitation therapy and long-term skilled nursing services. McKinney serves long and short-term residents, offering medically complex services including dementia, pastoral, hospice and palliative care, Parkinson's care, IV therapy, wound and tracheostomy care. Ranked #11 in New York's "Best Nursing Homes 2026" by Newsweek, and received a rating of "High-Performing" in Long-Term Care and Short-Term Rehabilitation by U.S. News & World Report's Best Nursing Homes 2026. The facility earned a Five-Star rating in all four domains the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.