Bethany Bourcier, RN, MSHA, director of surgical services at Dartmouth Health’s New London Hospital (NLH), received the Periop Leader of the Year Award from the Periop Leader Network.
Bourcier received the national award during the Periop Leader Week conference in Georgia. The award recognizes perioperative leaders who improve surgical patient care, strengthen operating room operations, foster innovation, and support the professional development of their teams.
Under Bourcier’s leadership, NLH surgical services has expanded capacity, improved operational efficiency, and maintained strong patient outcomes. The department has also maintained exceptionally low surgical site infection rates, with zero surgical site infections among 2,482 surgical cases in 2025.
Bourcier’s leadership has also contributed to improvements in employee retention and patient experience. Staff turnover in surgical services declined and now sits below 5%. The department also achieved top-decile patient experience performance for three consecutive years.
Bourcier oversees several interconnected areas of perioperative care, including sterile processing, the operating room, the post-anesthesia care unit, surgical scheduling, and pre-admission testing. Colleagues describe her as a collaborative, approachable leader who listens to frontline staff, recognizes their contributions, and works across departments to find solutions.
“Bethany has helped transform NLH’s surgical services while never losing sight of the people behind the work,” said Karen L. Beinhaur, MSN/Ed, MBA, RN, chief nursing officer at NLH. “She brings together teams across the perioperative department, listens to frontline staff and empowers them to help solve problems and improve care. This award is well-deserved recognition of the impact she has on her team, our hospital, and the patients we serve.”
She is also a key player in the construction and planning of the new NLH Surgical Care Center. The project, now in early stages of construction, is expected to be completed in 2028.
See the full list of award winners from Periop Leader Week here.
About New London Hospital
The New London Hospital Association (NLHA) is a proud member of Dartmouth Health. It consists of New London Hospital (NLH), located in New London, NH, and Newport Health Center (NHC), located in Newport, NH. NLH is a critical access hospital, and has been serving 15 communities within the Greater Lake Sunapee region in central New Hampshire for more than 100 years. NLH provides a broad range of services in a patient and family-centered environment, from primary care to specialized clinical services. NHC is a rural health clinic that offers primary care and numerous specialty clinical services. Patients of NLH and NHC have ready access to the full breadth of Dartmouth Health services. NLH and NHC are dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care and improving the health and well-being of the communities they serve. For more information, visit newlondonhospital.org.