Three Hospital CEOs to Watch in 2019

2019 is shaping up to be an incredible year in healthcare. From IT and AI innovations, to advancements in 3D printing technology, this year is also proving to be beneficial for patients dealing with everything from pain management and acute stroke intervention to immunotherapy for cancer treatment and RNA-based therapies

Behind all of these achievements are people supporting the research and its’ implementation. We often appreciate all of the medical providers that strive towards successful patient outcomes by advancing research and technology. However, we sometimes forget about the hospital CEOs that support healthcare innovations. There are several hospital CEOs that should be closely watched in 2019.

Rural Hospital Leadership Stands Out

​While hospital leadership is important everywhere in the country, it is perhaps more notable in rural networks, where resources are more limited and the challenges are often greater. Becker’s Healthcare put out a list of 60 rural hospital CEOs that should be given a second look in 2019. Sandra L. Anderson, Amy Pollard, and Maria Ryan are three CEO’s on list this, making outstanding contributions to healthcare and patient advancement. 

These women represent the leading edge of healthcare executive effectiveness, and are often working against social and institutional momentum. “In a sense, women can be barriers to their own advancement,” Maria Ryan herself said, when discussing the challenges of being a woman in leadership.. “Women must be aggressive in putting themselves out there to be seen and to be heard.  If your present company does not see your value, find one that does. Be willing to be agile and take risks.” 

Sandra L. Anderson, Hospital President of Howard Young Medical Center, Ascension Eagle River Hospital, Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, and Ascension St. Mary's Hospital

​Sandra Anderson currently oversees five healthcare organizations in Wisconsin—four of which are rural hospitals. 

In her almost four year tenure as President of these five organizations, Anderson has focused on improving performance and quality initiatives while working on retaining physician and hospital staff. She helped found the Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine and is responsible for placing Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital into the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals for best practices in quality by the National Rural Health Association for 2017. 

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Amy Pollard, RN. President and CEO of Noyes Health

​Amy Pollard started her work in nursing education and management and took on the President and CEO position at Noyes Health during a time when the hospital was financially struggling.

During her tenure, Pollard reinvented the hospital and overcame its financial downturn by partnering with the University of Rochester in upstate N.Y. She increased employee morale and in 2016 helped open the Ann and Carl Myers Cancer Center—a regional division of the Wilmot Cancer Institute—that provides radiation oncology services to patients in rural upstate N.Y. counties.

Maria Ryan, PhD, APRN, CEO of Cottage Hospital

​Maria Ryan, Ph.D., APRN earned her Ph.D. in healthcare administration from Warren Pacific University and holds a M.S. in nursing as well as being board certified as a family nurse practitioner with a focus in emergency medicine. 

An advocate for cancer prevention and early detection, Cottage Hospital, under Ryan’s leadership was one of eight hospitals in the country to successfully attest to Meaningful Use Stage 2 in the first qualifying period. Ryan has been honored by the Norris Cotton Cancer Center and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for her dedication to cancer detection and prevention.

Notable Hospital CEOs to Watch

​Taking into account the healthcare trends of 2019, these three women hospital CEOs are paving paths in rural institutions to help struggling or remote patient populations receive quality care and support. Keep these women on your radar. Their motivation in helping their organizations and their surrounding communities appears limitless.

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About the Author

Carevoyance contributor Sarah Pike, M.B.A., is a freelance marketing copywriter based in San Diego. She enjoys writing about business, fashion, food, healthcare, leadership, motivation and technology.