Two alumni of the UAB School of Health Professions were selected to ModernHealthcare “Top 25 COOs in Healthcare 2017”.
- John McWhorter, III, DSc, a graduate of the Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA Class 18) program and the Doctor of Science in Administration-Health Services (2013) program, currently serves as Chief Operations Officer for Baylor Scott & White Health. McWhorter, who teaches healthcare leadership in the doctoral program, is a member of the School of Health Professions’ Dean’s Advisory Board and in 2014, he received the SHP Distinguished Alumni Award.
- Chuck Stokes, FACHE, a graduate of the Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA Class 17) program, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Memorial Hermann Health System. He is also the current Chairman of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Stokes also serves on our Graduate Programs in Healthcare Quality and Safety Advisory Board and is an Ex-Officio member of the School of Health Professions’ Dean’s Advisory Board. In 2009, Stokes was named to the SHP Fab 40 Alumni, which honored 40 of the School’s top alumni in celebration of its 40th anniversary.
The Department of Health Services Administration’s MSHA program is the highest ranking program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, ranked #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Jay de los Reyes, MSHA Class 40Jay E. de los Reyes, alumnus of the UAB School of Health Professions’ Master of Science in Health Administration program, has been named Chief Executive Officer of Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC). He takes over the 144-bed acute care hospital located in Port Huron, Michigan, in June 2017.
“It is an honor and a privilege for me to lead a hospital that has served the community so well for more than 60 years,” said de los Reyes, a member of MSHA Class 40. “I look forward to working with the physicians, nurses, employees, leadership and the executive team at Lake Huron Medical Center to ensure the best care for the patients we serve.”
John Kueven, MSHA Class 41The Quality Texas Foundation has awarded Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital the Texas Award for Performance Excellence (TAPE). John Kueven, alumnus of the UAB School of Health Professions’ Master of Science in Health Administration program, is Chief Operating Officer of the award-winning hospital.
“Memorial Hermann Katy has earned this prestigious award in recognition of our relentless focus on and strong commitment to quality and high performance,” said Kueven, who was recently named to the UAB Excellence in Business Top 25 Class of 2017.
The TAPE award places Memorial Hermann Katy in a position to earn the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award recognizes performance excellence and is the only formal recognition of both public and private organizations delivered by the President of the United States. Memorial Hermann Katy will apply for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in May.
Ashley Dickinson, MSHA Class 43Ashley Dickinson, alumna of the UAB School of Health Professions’ Master of Science in Health Administration program, has been named CEO of LaPorte (Ind.) Hospital. Dickinson (MSHA Class 43) had been COO of Porter Health Care System (Valparaiso, Ind.) for the past three years.
“Ashley is the right fit for LaPorte, given her expertise in recruiting providers, overseeing major capital projects and focusing on quality,” stated Mark Kosior, chairman of the LaPorte Hospital board of trustees. “We look forward to working with her to move our plans forward to enhance how we care for our community.”
Sue Feldman, MSHI director, and Ginny MeadowsGinny Meadows, RN, (MSHI, 2017), was awarded the Alabama HIMSS Scholarship. She is a recent retiree from McKesson as Executive Director for Corporate Strategy and Business Development.
Meadows went back to school late in life and earned her BA in 2014. She hopes the next phase of her career will involve applying what she has learned in the Master of Science in Health Informatics program to improve the user experience of health IT systems for providers and patients.
From a personal perspective, Meadows perseveres. While toward the end of her first year, Ginny’s mom was ill and her sister suffered a severe medical event. Ginny was needed to care and advocate for both of them.
Many people might be tempted to think that they had accomplished a lot in their professional life, and leaving school would be ok; but not her. Meadows applied for a family medical leave of absence and has come back even stronger than before.
Meadows is an active student, performs at the top of her class, and is excited to take her health informatics education into practice. Ginny is what is good about nursing, good about health informatics, and good about people. We are very proud to have her in our program and even more proud to award her this scholarship.
