The UAB Health System’s CEO will represent academic health systems and teaching hospitals nationwide on the AAMC Board of Directors.Dawn Bulgarella, CEO of the UAB Health System, will serve on the 2026-27 Board of Directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges through her election as chair-elect of the Council of Academic Health System Executives, a leadership group within the AAMC.
The AAMC announced its 2026-27 Board of Directors on July 14. As CAHSE chair-elect, Bulgarella will occupy one of two seats on the AAMC Board of Directors reserved for CAHSE leadership, representing academic health systems and teaching hospitals from across the country.
“This appointment is a tremendous honor and reflects the strength of UAB Medicine and our people,” Bulgarella said. “Academic health systems play a critical role in improving health through patient care, research and education. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the country to help address the opportunities and challenges facing academic medicine and the patients and communities we serve.”
As CEO of the UAB Health System, Bulgarella leads one of the nation’s largest and most respected academic health systems, overseeing a 16-hospital network that serves patients throughout Alabama and the Southeast. She has been a prominent voice on issues affecting healthcare delivery and academic medicine at the state and national levels.
“Dawn Bulgarella’s selection for service on the AAMC Board of Directors reflects her exceptional leadership and the national impact of UAB Medicine,” said Ray L. Watts, president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Her service will help ensure that the perspectives of patients, health systems and academic medical centers are represented as the AAMC continues its work to advance health and improve lives.”
The AAMC Board of Directors governs the association and helps guide its mission of improving health through medical education, clinical care, biomedical research and community collaboration. The board includes leaders from medical schools, teaching hospitals, academic health systems and related organizations across the United States and Canada.
Bulgarella has served on the CAHSE Administrative Board since 2023 and was recently named chair-elect by the board’s 15 members, who represent academic health systems nationwide. CAHSE includes more than 400 academic health system and teaching hospital members and serves as the principal forum within the AAMC for senior health system executives.
As CAHSE chair-elect, Bulgarella will serve on the AAMC Board of Directors beginning this November. She will continue her service on the board throughout her terms as CAHSE chair-elect and subsequently as CAHSE chair, representing the interests of academic health systems and teaching hospitals across the country.
The Association of American Medical Colleges represents accredited U.S. medical schools, academic health systems, teaching hospitals, and academic societies dedicated to advancing medical education, research and patient care.