Healthcare management isn’t just a man’s world anymore.
With solid academic backgrounds and years of hands-on experience in crucial care-giving areas like nursing, many women are finding that they have what it takes to rise to a top leadership position in healthcare.
Check out our list of the the most powerful women in healthcare to get an idea of the great leaders that are already making their mark on the industry.
The 10 Most Powerful Women in Healthcare
10. Patricia Gabow, M.D.
Dr. Gabow, now CEO of Denver Health and Hospital Authority, joined the staff as Chief of the Renal Divison in 1973. Internationally known for her research in polycystic kidney disease, she is also well known for her dedication to providing care for the underserved. She received her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, trained in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Harbor General Hospital in Torrance, CA, and received further training in nephrology at San Francisco General Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
9. Pauline Grant
Ms. Grant is the CEO of Pompano Beach, FL-based North Broward Medical Center, the second-largest hospital in the Broward Health System. She is responsible for leading the 409-bed community hospital and Adult Level II Trauma Center, the Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center, Neurological Institute, Joint Replacement Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Spine Care Center and Wound Care Center. Under her leadership, NBMC was first in the nation to attain Joint Commission Certification for its Alzheimer’s disease program, first in Florida to attain Joint Commission Certification for stroke rehabilitation and the first hospital in Broward County to attain Joint Commission Certification for hip and knee replacement.
8. Debbie Hay, RN, BSN
Ms. Hay was the former president of the Texas Institute for Surgery, a specialty surgery hospital located in Dallas. She has 30 years of nursing experience, and oversaw day-to-day operations at the hospital. Ms. Hay created several initiatives to cut down on waste and to “go green” at the facility, including an extensive recycling program.
7. Catherine A. Jacobson
Former CFO and treasurer at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and current President and CEO of Froedtert Health in Milwaukee, Ms. Jacobson has held several executive level positions in healthcare. She previously served as vice president for program evaluation, assistant to the president and chief compliance officer beginning at Rush in 1996, then served as executive VP for Finance and Strategy at Froedtert Health. Ms. Jacobson has also been national chair for the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
6. Christina M. Ryan
Ms. Ryan is CEO of The Women’s Hospital in Newburgh, IN, a specialty hospital that cares for women of all ages. She was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality. Ms. Ryan has received numeous awards including the Spirit of Women, Next Generation of Women’s Health Leaders Award and the Health and Social Services Individual Leadership Award from Leadership Evansville.
5. Andrea Price
Ms. Price is the new CEO of seven-hospital Mercy Health Partners in Cincinnati, a system she joined less than a year ago as COO. The northwest Ohio healthcare delivery system currently employs 7,300 workers and reports net revenues of nearly $900 million. Ms. Price has held other executive roles at Sparrow Health System in Lansing, MI, Hurley Medical Center in Flint, MI., and Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
4. Diane Corrigan
Ms. Corrigan is CFO of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is consistently ranked as one of the country’s best by U.S. News & World Report and is part of Penn Medicine, along with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In 2010, Ms. Corrigan was honored with the MAP Award from the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
3. Ellen Zane
Ms. Zane recently retired as president and CEO of Tufts Medical Center in Medford, MA, as well as the Floating Hospital for Children in Boston, MA. She was the first woman to run the hospital in its 210-year history. Ms. Zane also serves as a director of Parexel International, a director of Fiduciary Trust Company and a director of Century Capital Management. As CEO of TMC, she oversaw 5,000 physicians, nurses, researchers and other healthcare workers, as well as 450 patient beds. She orchestrated a major turnaround for Trusts-New England Medical Center in 2005, leading the hospital from a loss of around $250 million in total to a robust annual profit.
2. Bonnie Phipps
Ms. Phipps is the president and CEO of St. Agnes Healthcare in Baltimore, as well as the Baltimore/DC Ministry Market Leader for Ascension Health. She provides strategic and operational leadership for St. Agnes Healthcare while promoting alignment among health ministries in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., market. Prior to joining St. Agnes, Ms. Phipps served as president and CEO of Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta and president and CEO of PROMINA Health System. A certified public accountant and certified managed care professional, Ms. Phipps was inducted into the Georgia State University Business Hall of Fame in 2005.
1. Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D.
Dr. Nabel, a cardiologist, became president of Brigham and Women’s and Faulkner Hospitals in Boston in Jan. 2010. The 750-bed hospital is one of two non-university recipients of research funding from the National Institutes of Health for the past 10 years. She was previously director of the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and is a nationally recognized scholar, having authored 250 publications.
The executives named in the article were selected from among a nominee list of more than 100. The list was narrowed down through several months of research, and final selections were made by the HealthExecNews.com editorial team. Selection criteria included hospital and community impact and dedication, track record of success in healthcare leadership, and awards and recognitions.
