Sentara Healthcare announced Tuesday that Dr. Steve Julian has been named the new president of Sentara Obici Hospital effective immediately.

Julian had served as the interim president since June, when former president Kurt Hofelich assumed the role of president at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Julian previously served as the vice president of medical affairs for Obici, according to a press release announcing the leadership change.

In addition to the 168-bed Obici, Julian also will have oversight of its subsidiaries, Sentara BelleHarbour in North Suffolk and Sentara St. Luke’s in Carrollton. His responsibilities also include out-of-area liaison for Sentara Healthcare medical staffs and vice president in charge of Hampton Roads Sentara Medical Staff Officers’ Council, a medical leadership group including the officers of all seven area hospitals.

“Dr. Julian has effectively guided Sentara Obici Hospital as interim president, and I would like to publicly thank him,” said Michael V. Gentry, Sentara corporate vice president for the Southside. “We are most appreciative of his willingness to step forward and assist the organization. After a national search, Dr. Julian was selected to take the helm as president of the hospital. We look forward to our continued work with Dr. Julian in his new role at Sentara Obici.”

Prior to coming to Sentara, Julian served as president of the medical staff of the Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md., and was a staff thoracic/vascular surgeon with CV Surgical Associates for 17 years. Before that, he was a clinical instructor of surgery at Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Julian received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts in 2009. His surgical training was obtained from 1982 to 1990 at Wake Forest University Medical Center. He graduated from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1982 with his M.D. degree and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Virginia Tech in 1978.

Julian has current American Board of Specialties certifications in thoracic and general surgery, as well as surgical critical care. He is a licensed physician in Virginia and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Julian and his wife Sharan reside in Carrollton and are originally from Lynchburg. Their daughter, Tyler, is a graduate student at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia.