Dive Brief:
- Toni R. Ardabell will take over as CEO for Bon Secours Richmond Health System effective Jan. 1, the health system announced Wednesday.
- Ardabell also will continue as CEO of St. Mary's Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center and will report to Peter J. Bernard, Bon Secours Virginia Health System CEO.
- In her new role, Ardabell, 59, will be responsible for all Bon Secours operations in central Virginia, except for the Bon Secours Medical Group and Bon Secours HealthSource, which will remain under Bernard's oversight.
Dive Insight:
Bon Secours has tapped a forward-thinking, reputable executive to serve in its top spot. As collaborative care is the wave of the future, it's important that healthcare executives bring as much experience as possible in working with other networks to leadership roles.
While gender isn't the main focus of Ardabell's promotion, it's encouraging to see strong, female leaders rise to the C-suite.
A recent online report published by Rock Health, a firm that funds healthcare startups, recently made headlines for publicizing the fact that women account for just 18% of hospital CEOs—although they represent 73% of medical and health services managers and 47% of medical school graduates. The report, which culled data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Thomson Reuters and its own internal research, suggests that a number of challenges have stymied women from landing CEO roles.
