UI Health Care appoints 1st chief physician executive to oversee growing clinical operations
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Krista Hatley
HCA Florida Lake City Hospital appoints chief nursing officer Krista Hatley. Hatley will oversee all nursing units the 141-bed full-service medical and surgical acute care hospital and its affiliated freestanding emergency room, HCA Florida Suwannee Emergency, located in Live Oak.Hatley has been with HCA Healthcare for seven years and has 19 years’ experience in various nursing fields. She earned a bachelor’s of science in nursing from East Tennessee State University and is currently continuing her education by pursuing a master’s degree in nursing leadership from Galen College of Nursing, with an expected completion date of August 2025. She has been pivotal in leading as ACNO the execution of patient care experience, supporting new nurses through implementation of new programs, and taking on the role of the executive clinical lead for the new Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program.
April 28, 2025
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April 21, 2025 – HCA Florida Lake City Hospital today announced the appointment of Krista Hatley as chief nursing officer (CNO), effective April 21. In her new role, Hatley will oversee all nursing units the 141-bed full-service medical and surgical acute care hospital and its affiliated freestanding emergency room, HCA Florida Suwannee Emergency, located in Live Oak.“Krista’s expertise and background knowledge will be critical in shaping the strategic direction of our nursing operations, ensuring our community continues to receive the highest standard of care,” said Jill Adams, chief executive officer of HCA Florida Lake City Hospital. “She embodies the qualities of an exceptional healthcare leader. Her leadership and collaboration with clinical and support teams will be instrumental in advancing HCA Healthcare’s mission to care for our patients and colleagues like family.”Hatley most recently served as the assistant chief nursing officer (ACNO) at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital. Key initiatives that Hatley has been pivotal in leading as ACNO are the execution of patient care experience, supporting new nurses through implementation of new programs, and taking on the role of the executive clinical lead for the hospital’s new Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program.“I am honored to join the incredible team at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital and step into this role at such an exciting time in our hospital’s growth,” said Krista Hatley, chief nursing officer of HCA Florida Lake City Hospital. “With the addition of the new two-story patient tower—bringing 28 additional beds to our intensive care and surgical recovery units and expanding our capacity to 141 beds—we are better positioned than ever to elevate care. My top priority will be ensuring an exceptional patient experience, and I’m committed to supporting our nurses and staff as we continue to deliver compassionate care to our community.”In August 2017, Hatley started at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital as the director of the neonatal intensive care unit and was promoted director of women’s and children’s after only four months. After a year in the director role, she was promoted to vice president of women’s and children’s and remained in that role until she accepted the ACNO opportunity in 2022.Hatley has been with HCA Healthcare for seven years and has 19 years’ experience in various nursing fields. She earned a bachelor’s of science in nursing from East Tennessee State University and is currently continuing her education by pursuing a master’s degree in nursing leadership from Galen College of Nursing, with an expected completion date of August 2025.
UC Davis Health Magazine
Michael Condrin, M.B.A., has been appointed System Chief Operating Officer (System COO) and Chief Administrator for UC Davis Medical Center. Debbie Aizenberg has been named Ambulatory Chief Medical Officer. Joseph Galante, who served as interim, will oversee Hospital Clinical Care Services. Aubyn Stahmer, Ph.D., is appointed director of the UC Davis MIND Institute. David Tom Cooke has been permanently appointed physician-in-chief forUC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center after serving as interim. Jennifer Doll was recently chosen by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of “77 academic medical center CFOs to know” for 2024. She will provide executive oversight for the financial operation of UC Davis Health, including the School of Medicine, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Medical Center, and the Medical Group. She previously served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU Health Care), an 800-bed academic health system.
Michael Condrin, M.B.A., has been appointed System Chief Operating Officer (System COO) and Chief Administrator for UC Davis Medical Center. As the inaugural System COO, Condrin will drive the vision and strategy for the nearly $4 billion clinical enterprise, encompassing the medical center, the cancer center, and expanding network of multispecialty clinics, surgery centers, imaging centers, and outpatient clinical affiliations. Condrin previously served as the Interim Chief Administrator for UC Davis Medical Center, Chief Operating Officer for the Hospital Division and Chief Operating Officer for Ambulatory Care. Under his leadership, UC Davis Health launched the Patient Contact Center, expanded telehealth capabilities, and opened the Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute and the Edwards Family Athletic Center for sports medicine clinic. He was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review in February as one of “60 academic medical center COOs to know.”
Jennifer Doll named Chief Financial Officer
Jennifer Doll, M.P.A., C.P.A., a highly accomplished executive with more than 31 years of experience in public accountancy and financial leadership, has been named Chief Financial Officer at UC Davis Health. She will provide executive oversight for the financial operation of UC Davis Health, including the School of Medicine, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Medical Center, and the Medical Group. Doll previously served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU Health Care), an 800-bed academic health system where she collaborated with leadership on strategic partnerships with two affiliated health care entities. She also served University of Missouri Healthcare as its Interim CFO/Executive Director Finance. Doll was recently chosen by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of “77 academic medical center CFOs to know” for 2024.
Permanent Hospital Chief Medical Officer
UC Davis Health named Joseph Galante, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S., as its Hospital Chief Medical Officer. Galante, who served as interim, will oversee Hospital Clinical Care Services (HCCS) and provide medical oversight of all hospital and campus processes in collaboration with the school of medicine, patient care services, and operational leadership. He will continue as a keystone in collaborative leadership of ORs, ICUs, the ED, and the 48X outpatient surgery center. Galante was among Becker’s “chief medical officers to know” in 2023, 2024 and 2025; he joined Department of Surgery faculty in 2008.
Ambulatory Chief Medical Officer named
Debbie Aizenberg, M.D., has been named Ambulatory Chief Medical Officer for UC Davis Health, where she will lead Ambulatory Clinical Care Services (ACCS) and oversee ambulatory quality, safety, efficiency, and accessibility. She will also continue as Executive Director of UC Davis Medical Group. Aizenberg previously served as Associate Chief Medical Officer for Ambulatory Care, and is a clinical professor of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. She has received institutional awards for excellence, and has been recognized as a top doctor in regional and national media.
Cancer Center names Physician-in-Chief
David Tom Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S., has been permanently appointed physician-in-chief for UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center after serving as interim. Cooke is a UC Davis Health professor and founding chief of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery, and will continue as the cancer center’s associate director of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEAL).
Stahmer named new director of UC Davis MIND Institute
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Aubyn Stahmer, Ph.D., has been appointed director of the UC Davis MIND Institute. Stahmer is a clinical psychologist, a nationally recognized expert in autism intervention, director of the MIND Institute’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and has been a faculty member of the MIND Institute since 2015.
Stahmer’s extensive federally funded research program emphasizes increasing access to autism services for historically marginalized communities. She has published more than 150 research articles and served as the editor of the international journal Autism for 11 years. She specializes in implementation science, which focuses on moving research innovations to community programs.
Stahmer is also the director of the LEND (Leadership Excellence in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) program, which provides leadership training to clinicians, families, self-advocates, community leaders and others involved with developmental disabilities.
She takes over the MIND directorship from Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Marjorie Solomon, who has been serving as interim director since Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Leonard Abbeduto stepped down in late 2023. As part of the new appointment, Stahmer will also hold the Tsakopoulos-Vismara Endowed Chair in the UC Davis School of Medicine.
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center celebrates leadership changes
The UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) announced two leadership changes that bolster the center’s next phase of research and public education impact. Charles DeCarli, M.D., long-standing leader of the ADRC, welcomed Rachel Whitmer, Ph.D., to serve as co-director with him.
Whitmer served as the associate director of the ADRC beginning in 2019, and in that role expanded the breadth of ADRC research. Whitmer’s expertise complements the ADRC’s aims, including DeCarli’s research focus on the impact of vascular, neurodegenerative, and genetic influences on cognition among diverse populations.
DeCarli joined the center in 2000 as associate director and assumed the directorship in 2004, guiding the center to its current stature as a national leader in Alzheimer’s and dementia research and community education.
A second addition to the center’s leadership is Thomas Wingo, M.D., Ph.D., named faculty and associate director. As a cognitive neurologist and geneticist, Wingo studies shared mechanisms across major psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, including how people change cognitively over time. Eventually, Wingo will take over behavioral neurology direction of the ADRC.
Over the next two years, DeCarli, Whitmer and Wingo will collaborate with other ADRC leaders and staff to ensure the continued success of the center as it moves into a new phase of scientific discovery, medical innovation and community care.
Weitzel appointed Chair of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Nathaen Weitzel, M.D., has been appointed professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine. He previously served as a professor, vice chair of clinical operations and quality, and associate chief medical officer of perioperative services at University of Colorado Health. Weitzel has earned numerous teaching awards and has an extensive publishing background, serving as editor-in-chief of Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia for more than a decade. Recently he managed clinical operations across more than 90 locations, oversaw the launch of a new hospital tower, and recruited more than 30 anesthesia providers in three years.
Leadership transition for Center for Precision Medicine and Data Science
Colleen Clancy, Ph.D., associate dean of faculty development and professor of Physiology and Membrane Biology and Pharmacology, has been appointed director of the Center for Precision Medicine and Data Science. Fred Meyers, M.D., M.A.C.P., distinguished professor emeritus of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, previously served as the center’s director, and recently served as co-director with Clancy to ensure a smooth transition. Meyers will continue as the center’s director of educational programs, and as associate director of Cancer Research, Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the School of Medicine’s Academic Research Careers for Medical Doctors (ARC-MD) Program.
University of Iowa names head of new North Liberty hospital without search
University of Iowa Health Care has appointed longtime administrator Amy O’Deen to the position. The university did not conduct a public job search for a chief administrative officer to lead its new $525.6 million hospital in North Liberty. O’Deen has been at UIHC since 1983 in various roles, including stints as interim executive director of the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital and as interim chief operating officer. She has a current salary of $323,610, according to public records. The new hospital is not scheduled to open until spring 2025, the university said in an update this week about O’ Deen’s appointment to the role. The University of Iowa did not complete a waiver to preempt a search in its promotion of O’ deen to chief administrative Officer for the new North Liberty campus, which officials confirmed is a permanent appointment. It did not provide her an offer letter, but rather expanded her “senior associate director” job description in 2019 to include “multi-phased planning, development, operational management, strategic planning”
The university first promoted O’Deen to function “as the chief operating executive of the UIHC North Liberty campus planning and development” on June 1, 2019, through a “reclassification process,” UI officials told The Gazette.
That was six months before the university submitted an application for a state certificate of need to build the three-story hospital and two years before it was granted that certificate and broke ground.
In summer 2019, when her job duties were expanded to include North Liberty planning and oversight, O’Deen’s salary increased 37 percent from $207,810 in March to $285,000 in September.
O’Deen — who’s been at UIHC since 1983 in various roles, including stints as interim executive director of the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital and as interim chief operating officer — has a current salary of $323,610, according to public records.
“Given Amy’s longtime tenure with UI Health Care, she has frequently assumed various responsibilities as needs arose within hospital administration,” a UI official told The Gazette about her promotion. “Her duties have been expanded and include participation and oversight of the planning for the North Liberty campus, which is not scheduled to open until spring 2025.”
Amy O’Deen (Photo from University of Iowa)
UIHC in May began referring to O’Deen as chief administrative officer for the North Liberty campus. Brad Haws, chief executive officer of UIHC’s clinical operations, in an update this week announced O’Deen “will serve as chief administrative officer for the new campus.”
“Given Amy’s more than 40 years of experience at UI Health Care, and her heavy involvement during all phases of the North Liberty project, she will provide a steady hand in leading the opening of our newest campus,” Haws said in his update.
The university did not conduct a search for the position or complete a waiver to preempt a search in its promotion of O’Deen to chief administrative officer for the new North Liberty campus — which officials confirmed is a permanent appointment.
It did not provide her an offer letter, but rather expanded her “senior associate director” job description in 2019 to include — among other things — the “multi-phased planning, development, operational management, strategic planning and financial leadership of the UIHC North Liberty campus.”
“The senior associate hospital director functions as the chief operating executive of the UIHC North Liberty campus planning and development,” according to the updated job description provided to The Gazette in response to a records request. “This individual provides administrative oversight and direction to the planning, organization, and leadership of the UIHC satellite operations in North Liberty, including inpatient, ambulatory care, diagnostic, rehabilitative, emergency and perioperative services.”
University of Iowa President Barbara J. Wilson speaks Oct. 14, 2021, during a groundbreaking ceremony for UI’s new North Liberty hospital at Forevergreen Road and Highway 965. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
‘Require a search’
The university’s hiring and appointments policy states that “creation of professional and scientific staff positions is accomplished by submitting the appropriate requisition through the designated university hiring system for review and approval.”
“Faculty and professional and scientific positions that are 50 percent or more time and extend for one year or more require a search, which must comply with the affirmative action procedures at the university,” according to the policy, which outlines guidelines for leadership positions.
“The position announcement must include a required job qualification, indicating that candidates and/or applicants be able to demonstrate job-related experience with fostering a welcoming and respectful work environment and/or otherwise demonstrate their ability to foster a welcoming and respectful work/academic environment for people from all types of backgrounds.”
Given the policies’ aim to comply with equal employment opportunity and affirmative action laws and regulations, UI hiring guidance states, “Deviations from these standard search procedures are therefore strongly discouraged.”
“With appropriate justification, a waiver of the search process may be granted for a faculty or (staff) position,” according to the UI guidance. “Exceptions to these procedures will be made only upon recommendation from the employing unit and its senior human resources leader or associate dean.”
Examples of instances warranting a waiver from standard search procedures include elimination of an existing employee’s position; a new disability making an employee’s current position no longer feasible; spousal hires; or the creation of a position that would only exist if a specific candidate were interested in the job.
An often-cited reason to waive a search is an applicant’s “unique qualifications and expertise are such that no other applicant would be expected to surpass this individual’s qualifications for the position.”
“Typically, the applicant would need to be nationally or internationally renowned in his/her field to meet this criterion,” according to the UI guidance, adding, “To request a waiver of the affirmative action search process, the hiring department must complete the ‘request for waiver’ form and submit the requested documentation.”
‘Providing administrative oversight’
Given the university didn’t advertise the position leading its new 469,000-square-foot hospital in North Liberty, it didn’t fill out a search waiver for O’Deen’s appointment.
According to her expanded job description in 2019, she’ll report to Haws and serve as a key member of the senior management team, “responsible for supporting the goals and objectives of the entire UI Health Care enterprise.”
Since the North Liberty campus will feature orthopedics and emergency care, among other things, O’Deen will “have a strong working partnership with the chairs of Orthopedics, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, and Radiology as well as the executive medical director for Perioperative Services and (UI Physicians) executive director.”
Beyond planning and developing the North Liberty project, O’Deen’s duties, as outlined in the 2019 job description, include:
Increasing visibility of the UIHC North Liberty campus locally, regionally and nationally;
Monitoring and overseeing budgets for the North Liberty campus development;
And providing administrative oversight and direction to key clinical service lines, including operational and capital budget planning; space and program development; addressing staffing needs and workforce engagement; ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards; and monitoring and improving patient satisfaction, quality and safety.
In addition to O’Deen, UI Health Care has named Emily Ward its associate chief nursing officer for the North Liberty campus. She’s been serving as associate chief nursing officer of UIHC since 2016.
“While she’s already a co-leader of clinical planning for North Liberty campus, beginning Nov. 1, her focus will fully shift to the new campus, and her current position will be backfilled,” Haws said.
The university posted its “associate chief nursing officer-UIHC North Liberty Medical Center” position in April.
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
Axena Health, Inc. Appoints Randy Pritchard as New Chief Executive Officer
Randy Pritchard brings nearly 25 years of experience in medical device and health technology to Axena Health. He most recently served as CEO of Pillar Biosciences, a sequencing diagnostics company supporting cancer patients. He will focus on expanding access to the company’s flagship product, the Leva Pelvic Health System. The Leva System offers a non-invasive, medication-free solution for treating urinary incontinence (UI) and chronic fecal incontinent (FI) (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), underreported conditions affecting 78 million and 12 million women in the U.S., respectively, in the last three years. The company’s technology enables women to train and strengthen their pelvic floor muscles at home in just five minutes a day, to treat UI and FI in a matter of minutes. (Axena Health is dedicated to improving the lives of women with pelvic floor disorders) (http://www.axenahealth.com/news/press-releases/news-release/2013/01/26/08/27/axena-health-announces-the-appointment-of-Randy-Pritchard-as-chief-
Pritchard joins Axena Health with a proven track record in strategic leadership and business expansion. He most recently served as CEO of Pillar Biosciences, a sequencing diagnostics company supporting cancer patients, where he led daily operations, secured funding, and drove top and bottom-line performance. Pritchard’s prior leadership at Roche Diagnostics, where he held key roles as Senior Vice President of Marketing, further highlights his ability to launch disruptive new technologies and implement strategies that boost customer satisfaction and increase sales.
As CEO of Axena Health, Pritchard will oversee the company’s operations and growth strategy, focusing on expanding access to the company’s flagship product, the Leva® Pelvic Health System. The Leva System offers a non-invasive, medication-free solution for treating UI and FI, addressing critical gaps in the women’s health space. Under Pritchard’s leadership, Axena Health will continue building partnerships, raising capital to support growth, and executing on its vision to provide evidence-based, at-home, first-line treatments for female pelvic floor disorders.
Shacey Petrovic, Board Member at Axena Health, added: “Randy has a strong history of leading innovative companies and delivering meaningful healthcare solutions. His proven ability to execute growth strategies and build a mission-driven culture aligns perfectly with Axena Health’s vision of changing the standard of care for female pelvic floor disorders.”
“We are excited to have Randy Pritchard leading Axena Health into its next phase of growth,” said Bret Christensen, Chairman of the Board at Axena Health. “Randy’s commercial acumen, operational expertise, and passion for improving patient outcomes make him the ideal leader to take Axena Health forward as we broaden access to its transformative pelvic health treatments for women.”
In his new role, Pritchard will focus on refining the company’s strategic direction, improving insurance coverage for the Leva System, and driving operations across all functional areas, including sales and marketing and market access. He will also lead efforts to expand strategic partnerships within the women’s health space, while continuing to position the Leva System as the only prescription, at-home, first-line treatment for female UI and FI.
“I am thrilled to join Axena Health at this pivotal time,” said Randy Pritchard. “The company’s mission to transform women’s health with innovative, non-invasive treatments deeply resonates with me. I look forward to working with the company’s talented team to scale the business, continue product innovation, and improve access to effective solutions for pelvic floor disorders.”
About the Leva® Pelvic Health System
The Leva® Pelvic Health System offers an innovative, non-invasive, medication-free way for women to train and strengthen their pelvic floor muscles—at home in just five minutes a day—to treat urinary incontinence (UI) and chronic fecal incontinence (FI). Combining a small FDA-cleared vaginal motion sensor with integrated software, the Leva System offers precise visualization of pelvic movement in real-time, enables progress tracking and allows active physician involvement, all of which support women’s success. Recognizing that level-one evidence shows pelvic floor muscle training is most effective when performed under the supervision of a skilled healthcare provider, the Leva System is available by prescription only, allowing physicians the opportunity to treat UI and chronic FI on a broad scale and with continued involvement in patient success. The Leva System has multiple clinical trials and published data from globally recognized medical centers supporting its efficacy in treating UI, including two studies in Obstetrics and Gynecology (The Green Journal), the official publication of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
About Axena Health
Axena Health, Inc. is dedicated to improving the lives of women with pelvic floor disorders. Axena Health’s flagship product, the Leva® Pelvic Health System, offers a novel, effective, first-line treatment for urinary incontinence (UI) and chronic fecal incontinence (FI), underreported conditions affecting over 78 million and 12 million women in the U.S. alone. Axena Health’s technology enables non-invasive, drug-free treatment via precise visualization of movement in real time during pelvic floor muscle training, while monitoring usage and progress. For more information, please visit www.axenahealth.com or www.levatherapy.com and follow Axena Health on LinkedIn.
Important Indication and Other Information for the Leva® Pelvic Health System
The Leva® Pelvic Health System is intended for (1) strengthening of pelvic floor muscles, (2) rehabilitation and training of weak pelvic floor muscles for the treatment of stress, mixed, and mild to moderate urgency urinary incontinence (including overactive bladder) in women and (3) rehabilitation and training of weak pelvic floor muscles for the first-line treatment of chronic fecal incontinence (>3-month uncontrolled passage of feces) in women. Treatment with the Leva System is by prescription and is not for everyone. Please talk to your prescriber to see if Leva System is right for you. Your prescriber should discuss all potential benefits and risks with you. Do not use Leva System while pregnant, or if you think you may be pregnant, unless authorized by your doctor. For a complete summary of the risks and instructions for the Leva System, see its Instructions for Use available at www.levatherapy.com.
University of Iowa Health Care marks year of significant leadership, facilities change
University of Iowa Health Care is changing its name and expanding its footprint. At least seven of the growing enterprise’s top administrators have either joined the executive team or been invited to since Aug. 1, 2023. The head of all UI Health Care succeeded Brooks Jackson, who resigned about six years after stepping into that dual leadership role in November 2017. The new 469,000-square-foot hospital in North Liberty — scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2025 — will serve as the new home for the UI Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. It will feature an emergency room, 24-hour drive-through pharmacy, lab and cafeteria, among other things, University of Iowa Orthopedic Chair Larry Marsh said in a July update on the burgeoning facility. The university is building a $525.6 million campus in NorthLiberty and designing a new inpatient tower expected to top $1 billion. It is also building a new $28 million Downtown Campus, emerging from a bankruptcy auction bid.
The head of all UI Health Care — Vice President for Medical Affairs Denise Jamieson, who also serves as dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine — last August succeeded Brooks Jackson, who resigned about six years after stepping into that dual leadership role in November 2017.
UI College of Medicine Dean Denise Jamieson talks with a Sister of Mercy after a ceremony to honor the legacy of Mercy Iowa City at Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City on Jan. 24. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)
In resigning, Jackson joined the UI faculty as a pathology professor, making for the first year an annual salary of $525,000. While that’s about half the nearly $1.1 million he made as vice president, it’s much higher than the pay of other professors in his department and across the College of Medicine, which in the 2023-24 budget year reported an average professor salary of $200,910.
Brad Haws, associate vice president of UI Health Care
Reporting to Jamieson is Associate Vice President of UI Health Care Brad Haws — also serving as chief executive officer of the clinical enterprise formerly known as UI Hospitals and Clinics — who on Nov. 29 replaced Suresh Gunasekaran nearly two years after he left in early 2022 three years into the job.
Jody Reyes, chief operating officer of the clinical enterprise, started June 28 — replacing Emily Blomberg, brought in from Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis two years ago in 2022.
Jim Leste
Jim Leste, new chief administrative officer over the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, will start July 29 — filling a position that’s been covered on an interim basis since Pamela Johnson-Carlson left in January 2023, three years after starting in 2020. Her appointment four years ago followed nearly three years of interim leadership, after former Children’s Hospital head Scott Turner’s departure in 2017.
Mark Burkard (University of Iowa Health Care)
Mark Burkard on Oct. 1 will begin his tenure directing the UI Holden Comprehensive Center, replacing George Weiner after 26 years in the role.
And Jennifer Miller in late June was named chief administrative officer of UIHC’s new Downtown Campus beginning July 8 after Deborah Berini for five months served as chief integration officer and interim chief administrative officer over what became the Downtown Campus.
Frederick Frank, new associate chief medical officer of UIHC’s Downtown Campus, was chief medical officer of Mercy Iowa City — before that 150-year-old community hospital sold to UIHC at the start of the year through a bankruptcy auction. Kim Volk, who in April was named associate chief nursing officer for UIHC’s Downtown Campus, had been with Mercy Iowa City for decades before the transition.
UIHC’s new downtown site — emerging from its $28 million bankruptcy auction bid — typifies massive facility-related changes across UIHC. Among its hundreds of millions of upgrades in the works — including to its Children’s Hospital, emergency room, and existing inpatient tower — the university is building a $525.6 million campus in North Liberty and designing an 842,000-square-foot new inpatient tower expected to top $1 billion.
Orthopedics hospital
The new 469,000-square-foot hospital in North Liberty — scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2025 — will serve as the new home for the UI Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, providing a “full range of musculoskeletal care in one location.”
Rendering of the University the Iowa Health Care medical campus in North Liberty will open in the second quarter of 2025. It will serve as the new home for the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. (University of Iowa)
“This new campus will be a real game-changer for orthopedics patients, with convenient parking and access to services and treatments on site, plus collaboration and connection with the university campus for any services or care needs not available at the North Liberty location,” Orthopedics Department Chair Larry Marsh said in a July update on the burgeoning facility.
In addition to offering orthopedics — a prospect community hospitals, including the former Mercy Iowa City, strongly opposed when UIHC first applied for state approval to build years ago — the new North Liberty site will feature an emergency room, 24-hour drive-through pharmacy, lab and pathology services, diagnostic imaging, and cafeteria, among other things.
The dining room serving area of the University the Iowa Health Care medical campus in North Liberty. The facility will open in the second quarter of 2025. (University of Iowa)
Although UIHC — in amending its first-denied state application — removed all mention of orthopedic plans for the site in a revised application that garnered approval from the State Health Facilities Council in 2021, officials this month reported the site will feature sports medicine, physical therapy, and rehabilitation services with indoor and outdoor therapy and rehab spaces.
It will offer orthopedic surgery across a full range of musculoskeletal subspecialties including spine, trauma, joints, hand, elbow, shoulder, foot, ankle, pediatrics, bone health, and oncology — plus non-surgical procedures like spine injections.
In reapplying to the state council that denied its first application based on concerns UIHC’s new North Liberty campus was veering into primary-care territory and would take patients from community hospitals and providers, the university stressed its focus on complex care.
Jamieson this month noted the North Liberty site will allow UIHC to focus on tertiary and quaternary care by freeing up space on the main campus, where orthopedics currently resides.
“Complex care involves specialized care teams across multiple medical specialties. It’s a level of coordination and expertise — and the right equipment, technology, and space — not available at every hospital,” Jamieson said in the update. “Opening of the North Liberty campus will mean greater access and convenience for patients. It will also allow us to increase our capacity on the university campus to accept patients with complex and critical care needs being transferred from hospitals across Iowa.”
New hires’ compensation
Although UIHC didn’t publicly announce a search for or appointment of a new leader atop its impending North Liberty campus, UIHC on May 30 — in an update on site construction — referred to longtime administrator Amy O’Deen as chief administrative officer for the North Liberty campus.
O’Deen has served in many roles over her 40-plus years in the UIHC administration — including recent stints as interim chief operating officer and interim executive director of the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Although an administrative offer letter for O’Deen tied to the North Liberty position wasn’t immediately available, the university did provide The Gazette with contracts and offer letters for many of its recent executive hires — spelling out salary, incentive, benefits, and transition terms.
Jamieson’s annual salary — including $400,000 in administrative stipends — was set at $1.3 million, a 23 percent increase over Jackson’s $1.056 when he left the post in August 2023. She also was offered the chance to participate annually in a three-year-old “Health Care Leadership Incentive Program” UI President Barbara Wilson approved in October 2021 that could pay her up to 35 percent of her base compensation — depending on her work toward institutional goals and financial performance.
With that incentive of up to $455,000, Jamieson could make nearly $1.8 million in the budget year that ended June 30.
Haws, making an annual salary of $1.1 million, also was offered 35 percent incentive pay — potentially bringing his full compensation for the 2025 budget year to $1.5 million. Per the program, Chief Operating Officer Reyes can make an incentive up to 20 percent of her $585,000 base pay — bringing her compensation for 2025 to $702,000.
The same 20 percent incentive was offered to both Downtown Campus Chief Administrative Officer Miller, who’s making a base pay of $285,000, and Children’s Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Jim Leste, making $435,000.
Those administrators and North Liberty campus administrative head Amy O’Deen — making $323,610 — earned less in the 2024 budget year than former Vice President Jackson in his new role as a pathology professor.
For his first year as a tenured professor in the UI College of Medicine, focused entirely on research, Jackson earned $525,000 — with a majority 80 percent covered by the UI Health Care operation and 20 percent covered by the medical college.
Starting July 1, Jackson’s salary will revert to the 75th percentile of a full pathology professor, as determined by the most recent Association of American Medical Colleges benchmark. It will be covered by the medical college going forward. Should Jamieson leave her vice presidential post but remain on the UI faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UI College of Medicine, her salary will be set at the 90th percentile of the benchmark, according to her offer letter.
In a letter accepting Jackson’s “resignation from both of your leadership roles” last summer, UI President Wilson and Provost Kevin Kregel thanked him for his service during the period of transition.
“You have been an important part of the university’s leadership team and can be very proud of your many accomplishments.”
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com