UNC Health Pardee Names Susannah Gopalan as New General Counsel
UNC Health Pardee is pleased to announce the appointment of Susannah Gopalan, J.D., M.I.A., as its new General Counsel. Gopalan brings more than two decades of experience advising healthcare providers, associations, and government entities on regulatory compliance, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and litigation matters.
“We are thrilled to welcome Susannah to our leadership team,” said Jay Kirby, President and CEO of UNC Health Pardee. “Her expertise in healthcare law and policy, combined with her extensive experience in regulatory and compliance matters, will be invaluable as we continue to grow and serve our community.”
Gopalan joins Pardee from Feldesman LLP in Washington, D.C., where she represented primary care and behavioral health facilities, state and national associations, and state governments in regulatory appeals, federal court cases, and the adoption of new Medicare and Medicaid payment systems. Earlier in her career, she served as a Health Care Financing Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, guiding members of Congress on Medicaid and Medicare policy. She has also led a legal support program at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, practiced law at Covington & Burling LLP, and clerked for Judge John M. Rogers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Walter Carpenter, UNC Health Pardee’s General Counsel since 2016, shared, “I am so happy to welcome Susannah. She has spent 20 years practicing primarily in the areas of Medicare, Medicaid, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. She brings a wealth of knowledge that will be extremely beneficial to Pardee now and in the future. I think Pardee is in very good hands.”
Gopalan earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law, a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College. “I am excited to join an organization that is laser-focused on meeting the needs of its community while expanding services,” Gopalan said. “I am impressed by the dedication, optimism, and enthusiasm of the team here, and I appreciate the warm welcome I have already received.”
As General Counsel, Gopalan will provide strategic legal guidance to Pardee, advise on provider agreements and compensation matters, and support the organization’s long-term growth and expansion initiatives.
UNC Health Pardee is a not-for-profit regional healthcare organization based in Henderson County and managed by UNC Health. The county-owned hospital was founded in 1953 in Hendersonville, NC, and is licensed for 222 acute care beds. Pardee has grown from the Henderson County Hospital to become a healthcare system that serves residents across Henderson, Haywood, Transylvania, and Buncombe counties, offering a wide range of medical services, including a comprehensive primary care physician network, a cancer center, three urgent care locations, five orthopedics and sports medicine clinics and a medical staff representing 43 specialties. For more information or to find a physician, visit pardeehospital.org.
