LEXINGTON, Ky. (November 6, 2024) — University of Kentucky Co-Executive Vice Presidents for Health Affairs (EVPHA) Eric N. Monday and Robert S. DiPaola issued the following message to the UK healthcare community on Wednesday: sent.
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We are very pleased to announce that Chris DeSimone and Tim Slocum have been appointed Executive Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, respectively.
Dr. DeSimone will begin his work as Executive CMO immediately, replacing the acting role he has held since last year. Mr. Slocum joins from Tennessee with his family and is scheduled to begin work at UK Healthcare in January.
Both bring a wealth of experience to these important leadership roles, a track record of working with teams to achieve strategic goals, and a desire to tackle big challenges.
We received very positive feedback from many of the people who interacted with both of us during the interview process.
Chris DeSimone named Executive Chief Medical Officer
Dr. DeSimone is a native Kentuckian who attended the school for his college career and earned a degree in Art History from Boston University before returning home.
Many of you will be familiar with his more than 25-year association with the University of Kentucky, starting as a medical student, resident, and fellow, and moving through numerous clinical and leadership positions at UK Healthcare.
He has achieved success every step of the way, guided by an unwavering commitment to patient-centered care and a north star of how to move this state forward by making it healthier.
As a physician and professor of gynecologic oncology, Dr. DeSimone deeply understands our role in treating and healing our patients, as well as being there for those we serve. He always celebrated and comforted his patients and their loved ones through the best of times and the worst of times.
He has brought the same compassionate care and enlightened leadership to numerous roles across UK Healthcare, including robotic surgery and perioperative services.
Over the past year, as Acting Executive CMO, he has worked closely with our senior leadership team and many other teams within the company to support our company regarding transfers while fostering stronger collaboration with new and existing community partners. We have continued to improve and expand our capabilities.
He focuses on how we can scale our commitment to patient-centered care and continually improve quality and outcomes. Issues like these are central to our mission to advance the health of Kentucky. Dr. DeSimone has provided significant leadership on all of these issues. We are pleased to recognize his outstanding performance and leadership through this appointment.
Tim Slocum named senior vice president and chief operations officer
Tim Slocum currently serves as senior vice president of Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare (MLH) and president of Methodist University Hospital, Methodist's flagship facility. MLH has a long-standing partnership with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
During his tenure at Methodist University Hospital, Mr. Slocum significantly increased admissions, maintained strong scores for quality and safety outcomes from rating agencies such as the Leapfrog Group, and created new innovations in important specialties such as kidney transplantation. He has led efforts to achieve new volume records.
Additionally, she has a proven track record of working with complex enterprise-wide teams, including nursing, human resources, and marketing, to drive improvements in employee engagement and satisfaction, as well as employee recruitment and retention.
These areas are also strategic points of focus for UK Healthcare as we expand our capabilities both in terms of infrastructure and talent recruitment and retention to advance healthcare in Kentucky.
Prior to working at Methodist, Mr. Slocum held leadership positions at Atrium Health Navicent System in Georgia. He holds degrees from both Mercer University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
I would like to express my gratitude to many people
I would like to thank Drs. Darwin Conwell and Tukea Talbert, who co-chaired the Executive Chief Medical Officer Search Advisory Committee, and Mark Birdwhistel, who co-chaired the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Search Advisory Committee. and Gina Dugas.
The co-chairs and committee members have done an excellent job over several months recruiting, interviewing, and evaluating excellent candidates. I would also like to thank Colleen Swartz, who served as acting chief operating officer last year.
We are delighted that great leaders are attracted to the opportunities and challenges of UK healthcare. As always, we remain firmly focused on our mission to advance Kentucky by improving its health. As we continue our collective effort and singular commitment to improving the health of the states we serve, we ask that you join us in welcoming Dr. DeSimone and Mr. Slocum to these roles. I understand.
Thank you for your efforts in making that mission a reality.
Joint Executive Officer for Health Affairs
Robert S. DiPaola Eric N. Monday
