Patti Onorato has 35 years of progressive health care operations and management experience. Onorato began her career at UMass Chan Medical School in 2003 as a senior nursing consultant in the University of Massachusetts Correctional Health Program. Shortly after her arrival, she was promoted to associate program director, Nursing and Patient Services. Appointed executive director of UMass Correctional Health and Criminal Justice (part of Commonwealth Medicine) in January 2005, Onorato led the financial turnaround of the program’s Massachusetts state contract while also ensuring access to and quality of clinical care. In addition to setting high standards for this large, complex service delivery program, Onorato expanded health services coordination for inmates at the Federal Medical Center Devens in Massachusetts while maintaining a high level of responsiveness to client needs.
In 2009 Onorato was promoted to deputy chief operating officer and responsible for clinical delivery services. Onorato was promoted in 2014 to associate vice chancellor for operations with expanded responsibilities for Commonwealth Medicine space and facility management, information technology and liaison to human resources. Onorato became the deputy executive vice chancellor of operations in 2019 and currently oversees clinical delivery and informatics solutions, health care operations solutions, marketing and communication, the MassHealth Office of Clinical Affairs, and information technology.
Before joining Commonwealth Medicine, Onorato served as vice president of Women and Children’s Services and associate chief nursing officer at UMass Memorial Medical Center.
Onorato holds a master’s degree in nursing from the Tan Changfen Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) at UMass Chan Medical School with a specialization as an adult care nurse practitioner. At Boston College, she earned bachelor’s degrees in English literature and nursing. Onorato has been an instructor at GSN since 1998.