Gateway Regional Medical Center has a new leader.

Hospital executive Ed Cunningham was named the new chief executive officer at the Granite City hospital. He succeeds Damon Brown, who served as the hospital's CEO since 2008.

Cunningham has served as a leader in a number of hospitals over the past three decades. He most recently served as chief executive of the Crossroads Community Hospital in Mount Vernon. In his time at the Mount Vernon hospital, Cunningham led development and construction of a new three-story patient tower and recruited 20 new physicians.

"I look forward to working with the dedicated professionals at Gateway Regional Medical Center who make it such an important asset to the Granite City community," Cunningham said in a statement. "It's because of their work that patients have come to expect high quality care with every visit to this hospital."

Gateway Regional Medical Center has 382 beds and a 100-bed behavioral health unit. The hospital has been serving the Granite City area for more than a century and is the home of The Bone & Joint Center, a leading in joint replacement surgery and recovery. The hospital's staff of more than 150 physicians provides a broad range of services, including emergency services, orthopedics, home health and hospice, occupational health and women and newborn services.