Leadership at UK HealthCare

UK HealthCare's leadership, physician faculty and dedicated staff are committed to being the leading provider of advanced specialty medical care in the region and beyond.

Office of the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs

  • Robert DiPaola, MD, Co-Executive VP for Health Affairs
  • Eric Monday, PhD, Co-Executive VP for Health Affairs
  • Mark D. Birdwhistell, Senior VP and Chief Administrative Officer for UK HealthCare
  • Craig C. Collins, Senior VP & Chief Financial Officer 
  • Chris DeSimone, MD, Acting Executive Chief Medical Officer
  • Rob L. Edwards, DPH, MBA, VP and Chief Strategy & Growth Officer
  • Timothy M. Gaillard, FACHE, MHA, MSBA, VP for Ambulatory and Medical Group Operations
  • Jay Grider, DO, PhD, MBA, Chief Quality Officer & CEO, Kentucky Medical Services Foundation
  • Connie Jennings, MD, Medical Director, CareBlue
  • Gwen Moreland, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nurse Executive
  • Lynn Murphy, MBA, Associate VP Facilities Planning
  • Michael O'Rourke, Interim Chief Information Officer
  • R. Brett Short, CHC, CHPC, CHRC, Chief Compliance Officer
  • Colleen Swartz, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, Acting Chief Operating Officer
  • Tukea L. Talbert, DNP, RN, CDP, Chief Diversity Officer

Executive Committees

Hardwiring Clinician & Administrative Input into Decisions

Six executive groups serve as a forum for our clinicians and our managers to advise the executive team on the future direction for UK HealthCare in meeting our mission and achieving our vision to be among the top-ranked academic medical centers. Through them, transparency and communication are promoted up, down and across the enterprise.

Executive Management Committee (EMC)

Charge: Oversee key financial, operational, administrative, and academic goals and outcomes of the system and advise the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs on strategic clinical and academic affairs. The purpose of the committee is to promote transparency, communication, and a clear definition for decision making within the enterprise. Reporting alignments defined as needed to promote effective operations.

Members:
  • B. Mark Evers, MD
  • Craig Collins
  • Timothy Gaillard, FACHE, MHA, MSBA
  • Pete Gilbert
  • Jay Grider, DO, PhD
  • Chipper Griffith, MD, MSPH
  • William Inabnet, MD, FACS, MHA
  • C. Darrell Jennings, MD
  • Raleigh Jones, MD
  • Darwin Conwell, MD
  • Susan McDowell, MD
  • Michael O'Rourke
  • Jeff Selby, MD
  • Brett Short, CHC, CHPC, CHRC
  • Colleen Swartz, DNP, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FNAP
  • Tukea Talbert, DNP, RN
  • Melissa Frederick
  • Jennifer Rose, MBA
  • Gwen Moreland, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Ambulatory Operating Committee (AOC)

Charge: Provide combined guidance and oversight of the evolving ambulatory enterprise of UK HealthCare. Primary focus is to work with ambulatory leadership to create the support for improved ambulatory operations and efficiency resulting in enhanced patient access, patient satisfaction and value. A clear focus on enhancing communication to empower clinicians and allow decision making and accountability at the local level.

Reports to: Executive Management Committee

Co-Chairs:
  • Tim Gaillard
  • Mark Filburn
  • Patty Hughes, DNP
Members:
  • John Allen
  • Roxie Allison
  • Chad Aull
  • JJ Campbell
  • Ana Castellanos, MD
  • Natalie Collett
  • Larrin Collins
  • Shawn Crouch
  • Angie Dalton-Tibbetts
  • Brook Denio
  • Sue Durachta
  • Melinda Fox
  • George Fuchs, MD
  • Teresa Gevedon, MD
  • Kristen Green
  • A.A. Hayes
  • Matthew Horn
  • Leigh Hunt
  • Raleigh Jones, MD
  • Scott Keel
  • Angie Lang
  • Daniel Lee, MD
  • Rick McClure, MD
  • Eric Moghadamian, MD
  • Gwen Moreland, DNP
  • Lynn Murphy
  • Mark Natarus
  • Samantha O'Bryan
  • Angela Powell
  • Kelsey Rahenkamp
  • Bryan Rone, MD
  • Callie Rzasa, MD
  • John Sampson
  • Sheila Sanders, MD
  • Kristen Stakelin, MD
  • Tukea Talbert, DNP
  • Frederick Ueland, MD
  • Anne Welch
  • Beth Yost
  • Fred Zachman, MD

Executive Quality Committee (EQC)

Charge: Senior oversight committee responsible for providing guidance and direction on the enterprise quality strategy for UK HealthCare (UKHC) and for coordinating all quality improvement, quality measurement, data reporting, patient safety, patient experience, value-based care and value-based payment efforts including the College of Medicine. The membership is comprised of UK HealthCare senior leadership, physician and nursing leaders, chairs, program directors and quality, safety, value and patient experience experts.

Reports to: Executive Management Committee

Members:
  • Colleen Swartz, DNP
  • Gwen Moreland, DNP
  • Timothy Gaillard
  • Pete Gilbert
  • Lindsay Ragsdale, MD
  • Ashley Montgomery-Yates, MD
  • Chris DeSimone, MD
  • Scottie Day, MD
  • Wendy Hansen, MD
  • Jay Grider, DO, PhD
  • Michael O'Rourke
  • Angela Lang
  • Trudi Matthews
  • Darrell Jennings, MD
  • Jennifer Rose
  • Patti Hughes, DNP
  • Rick McClure, MD
  • Amanda Green

Hospital Operations Committee (HOC)

The Hospital Operations Committee (HOC) is the senior oversight committee responsible for the governance of all hospital operations. The membership will provide guidance and direction for UK HealthCare Lexington market (Chandler, Good Samaritan, Kentucky Children’s and Eastern State Hospitals) operations including the key areas of quality and safety, patient and staff experience, operational efficiencies (such things as productivity, threshold capital, length of stay work, and collaboration with variation reduction activity in the hospital setting and cost management).  There will be an overall structural integration focus with innovation to support our inpatient locations and max utilization.  The HOC will ensure goal alignment with UKHC strategy as well as enterprise goals. 

Committee Membership:
  • Colleen Swartz (Co-Chair)
  • Barry Inabnet (Co-Chair)
  • Michael O'Rourke (IT)
  • Teresa Centers (Finance)
  • Pete Gilbert (Operations)
  • Tukea Talbert (DEI)
  • Lorra Miracle (Supply)
  • Paula White (Finance)
  • Rick McClure (Chair, Interim)
  • Scottie Day (Chair)
  • Roger Humphries (Chair)
  • Amy Gewirtz (Faculty)
  • Philip Almeter (Pharmacy)
  • Brett Short/Noelle True (Compliance)
  • Gwen Moreland (CNE)
  • Jennifer Rose (Core Services)
  • Lynn Murphy (Facilities)
  • Jay Grider (Providers)
  • Fred Zachman (Faculty)
  • Sarah Bentley (Ops)
  • Andrew Cooley (ESH Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Seth Himelhoch (Chair)
  • Ashley Montgomery-Yates (GSH Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Lindsey Jasinski (ESH Entity Leadership)
  • Brandy Mathews (GSH Entity Leadership)
  • Marc Woods (ESH Entity Leadership)
  • Angie Lang (GSH Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Andrew Cooley (ESH Entity Leadership)
  • Kathy Isaacs (KCH Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Kim Blanton (Chandler Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Lindsey Ragsdale (KCH Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Chris DeSimone (Chandler Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Sarah Heck (KCH Entity Triad Leadership)
  • Denise Quandt (Chandler Entity Triad Leadership)
 

IT Governance

Charge: Optimizes the value of Information Technology (IT) across the healthcare ecosystem regarding key strategic initiatives to meet advancing technology needs and managing risks associated with this infrastructure. This council is a recommending body accountable to the strategic leadership governing structure of UK HealthCare, the Executive management Council (EMC), aligning IT strategies to accomplish enterprise strategy, goals and objectives.

Reports to: Executive Management Committee

Executive Sponsors:
  • Dr. Darrell Jennings
  • Michael O'Rourke
Members:
  • Darrell Jennings, MD
  • Romil Chadha, MD
  • Rick McClure, MD
  • Elizabeth Oates, MD (past Chair)
  • Lowell Anthony, MD
  • Stephen Hobbs, MD
  • Joe Bobadilla, MD
  • Bryan Rone, MD
  • Steve Strup, MD
  • Pete Gilbert, Chief Operations Officer
  • Craig Collins, CFO
  • Amy Gerwitz, MD, Exec Chair Lab Operations
  • Phillip Almeter, Pharmacy
  • Mark Filburn, Ambulatory Operations
  • Rosalie O. Mainous, PhD, APRN, FAAANP, FNAP, FAAN
  • Colleen Swartz, DNP, VP Hosp Operations
  • Tim Gaillard, VP Ambulatory
  • Jennifer Rose, AVP Performance Services
  • Brett Short, Chief Compliance Officer
  • Richard Chapman, Chief Privacy Officer
  • Carol Steltenkamp, MD, External CMO
  • Brian Nichols, ITS, UK Campus
  • Jeff Talbert, PhD,  Inst. BioMedical Informatics
  • Roshan Hussain, Chief Data Officer
  • Roger Hensley, ACIO, External Affairs
  • Charlie McHahon, Interim ACIO, CTO
  • Doug Fee, CISO

2025 Strategic Plan
Our Vision for the Future

See the Strategic Plan

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