Dr. Timothy J. Babineau has been named president and chief executive officer of Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest hospital system. Babineau now leads Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, which are part of the system. He will begin in the new role Aug. 15. He replaces George Vecchione who announced last year that he was leaving.

Babineau was appointed after an eight month search. Scott Lauran, chairman of the Lifespan board, described him in a press release as “an intelligent, visionary, and adroit leader.”

Babineau has led Rhode Island Hospital since October 2010 and oversaw the merger with The Miriam in 2010. He previously worked as chief medical officer at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and in various roles in surgery at Boston Medical Center.

He is a former trustee of the University of Massachusetts, where he attended medical school. He has a master’s in business administration from Boston University. Babineau is a professor of surgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Lifespan also includes Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Bradley Hospital, and Newport Hospital.