Chief Operating Officer - UAB Health System

The Opportunity

In this time of growth and innovation for UAB Health System, with the recent acquisition of UAB St. Vincent’s network consisting of five hospitals and an extensive ambulatory footprint across central Alabama and the launch of our EMR journey to upgrade to Epic across all our operations, it a great time to explore this exciting executive leadership opportunity. UAB Health System is led by Dawn Bulgarella, Chief Executive Officer, in partnership and collaboration with Anupam Agarwal, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medicine and Dean of the Heersink School of Medicine. UAB Health System is positioned by a strong foundation set forth by other great leaders and is taking the clinical and academic enterprises to the next level and beyond.

 UAB Health System’s passion is providing exceptional care for their patients. Anchored by the eighth largest hospital in the country, and with its recent acquisition of the UAB St. Vincent’s network, UAB Health System cares for patients from every county in the state. With its nationally ranked academic medical center, they provide clinical services not available anywhere else in Alabama. Its mission is improving the health of the citizens of Alabama. By collaborating with the other hospitals in the state to bring the right resource to every patient and to maximize the specialty care services within the UAB Health System, it ensures that these services are available when someone needs them. To achieve this requires a high degree of operational strategy and agility. Thus, a major focus of the UAB Health System is maximizing ambulatory and inpatient operations, improving financial performance, patient satisfaction, and market growth across the system. This results in better patient access, length of stay, quality and safety, and patient throughput. To lead these efforts, UAB Health System is conducting a national search for a Chief Operating Officer (COO) during this exciting time of growth and innovation.

Reporting to the CEO of UAB Health System, the COO will be responsible for the execution, coordination, integration, and optimization of UAB Medicine’s delivery system. UAB Medicine, the academic medical center enterprise located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the cornerstone of UAB Health System supported by its recently acquired network of community hospitals and ambulatory operations. UAB Medicine includes UAB Hospital (the 8th largest hospital in the US), its ambulatory services including The Kirklin Clinic, UAB St. Vincent’s network, and the O’Neal Comprehensive UABHS | Chief Operating Officer Page 3 of 17 Cancer Center at UAB. The COO is responsible for the overall direction, leadership, and management of UAB Medicine, and will be accountable for translating institutional priorities into operational tactics to achieve the goals and objectives of UAB Medicine. Additionally, the COO serves as a member of the UAB Health System executive leadership team, participating in the overall strategic direction and management of the system, and providing valuable operational guidance to the UAB Health System’s member hospitals.

The COO will work closely with clinical, research, and business operations leadership to ensure the UAB Health System provides outstanding outcomes, experience, and value for patients, with a primary focus on UAB Medicine. The COO will ensure the optimization of clinical and business operations, simultaneously, driving a patient-centered service culture that positions UAB Health System as a nationally recognized leader for superior quality and patient safety.

UAB Health System is a rapidly growing $8B organization with more than 33,000 employees. Its headquarters along with its academic medical center are based in Birmingham, Alabama. UAB Health System is anchored by UAB Hospital, its 1,200-bed tertiary hospital and academic health science center. In 2024, the academic medical center earned national recognition as one of the country's best hospitals with seven U.S. News & World Report-ranked programs including two in the top 20; Rheumatology (#10) and Obstetrics & Gynecology (#18). The hospital also earned the distinction as the "Best Hospital" in the state of Alabama. Further in 2024, UAB Hospital had more than 137,440 ED visits, 54,505 hospital admissions, and almost 4,500 baby deliveries. UAB Hospital remains the state’s only American College of Surgeons (ACS)-designated level 1 trauma center, the first American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Level 1 Accredited Emergency Department in the United States and has received Magnet-designation for six consecutive times by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program®.

The ideal candidate will possess a demonstrated history of successive accomplishments in the overall improvement of operational, quality, strategic and financial performance of a large, integrated healthcare delivery system, preferably an academic medical center or large community system. They will be an operationally talented and innovative leader who has a proven ability of collaborating and working synergistically with diverse constituencies to affect the cultural and operational changes necessary to ensure a high-quality, patient centered, value-based healthcare delivery system.

Education and Credentials

Master’s degree in business, Finance, Clinical Science or a related field; graduate degree in health administration, public health, business administration or a related discipline preferred.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills

 Ten or more years of related, progressive leadership experience within a large, complex healthcare setting. 

 Direct experience in a major Academic Medical Center resulting in a full understanding of and appreciation for the importance of medical teaching programs, medical school relationships, and medical research is preferred. 

 Direct experience leading a complex and matrix-oriented network of community hospitals and ambulatory operations.

  Experience with furthering system alignment and the successful integration of people, processes, and systems/technology. Recent experience with the successful implementation of a system-wide electronic medical record preferred. 

 Demonstrates ability to manage a business or institution with a solid understanding of financial planning and budgetary cost controls. 

 Possesses thorough understanding of current regulations and trends in the healthcare field regarding reimbursement, cost containment, optimal utilization of resources, etc. 

 Success handling labor and personnel relations matters; proven ability to create and maintain a positive employee experience. 

 Prior experience in planning and directing facility renovation and/or expansion, is desirable.

  Successful leadership of information technology services in a large, complex healthcare environment; experience in conversion of electronic medical record system desired. 

 Demonstrates ability to work effectively with both full-time academic and voluntary private practicing physicians.

  Record of achievement in organization building and management development; proven ability to attract high quality staff; comfortable with the concepts of management-by objectives and performance measurement. 

 Record of effective working relationships with boards and board committees and with medical and professional staffs. 

 Treats all people with respect, demonstrates faith in people, appreciates differences and builds open, trusting relationships. 

 Comfortable in role of advisor, mentor, coach and facilitator. Also, willing and able to confront and resolve differences. Willing to “roll up sleeves and pitch in” when needed. 

 Demonstrates seasoned judgment; ability to balance competing priorities; achieves goals in a dynamically changing environment; demonstrates flexibility; can live with and work through ambiguity. 

 Functions as a change agent: adaptable; establishes trust; encourages innovation and risk taking; champions breakthrough ideas. UABHS  Chief Operating Officer  

 A team player; promotes collaboration; champions ideas and contributions of others; demonstrates mature confidence; accepts criticism.

  Highly skilled communicator; effective listener; articulate presenter and interpreter. 

 Approachable.