Leadership updates

Williams appointed Chief Nursing Executive

Christine Williams, M.S., R.N., C.N.S., has been named UC Davis Medical Center’s Chief Nursing Executive. Williams will be responsible for the professional nursing practice, including advanced practice providers, across all locations operated by UC Davis Health, and will provide strategic direction, executive leadership, and general management for all Patient Care Services departments and programs. Williams has been part of UC Davis Health for more than 30 years, serving multiple clinical and leadership nursing roles in areas such as the intensive care unit, life flight, emergency department, and trauma program. Recent roles include Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Nursing Informatics Officer, and, for the last year, Interim Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer.

Hazard appointed chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Florette K. Gray Hazard, M.D., has been appointed chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Hazard comes to UC Davis from Stanford University, where she was a professor of pathology and pediatrics, medical director and chief of the anatomic and clinical pathology service at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, and pediatric pathology fellowship director at Stanford University School of Medicine. She also served as pathology vice chair for professional development and diversity. Hazard’s research expertise is in the study of rare pediatric tumors, developmental disorders and causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Lydia Howell retired in 2023 after a 37-year faculty career at UC Davis, the last 13 as pathology chair.

Cancer center appoints interim physician-in-chief

David Tom Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S., has been appointed interim physician-in-chief for UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and UC Davis Health, where his direct reports will include the medical directors of the inpatient oncology units and outpatient clinics, as well as the cancer center’s disease groups, physicians and clinician leaders. Cooke is currently a professor and founding chief of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery and vice chair for faculty development and wellness for the UC Davis Department of Surgery. He is serving as president of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association, as a director with the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and ACGME, and received the 2022 Ethnic Physician Leadership Award from Physicians for a Healthy California.

New leader of UC Davis Health’s Affiliate Network

UC Davis Health has welcomed Susan Walsh, M.B.A., as the executive director of our Affiliate Network. Previously known as Regional Affiliations, the Affiliate Network seeks to build partnerships with external organizations and health providers to support and extend the regional system of care. It currently oversees more than 38 external partnerships, such as the UC Davis Cancer Care Network and a pediatric hospitalist program at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Hospital. Prior to joining UC Davis Health, Walsh was director of corporate strategy at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, where she partnered with key physician leaders across eleven hospitals and three physician groups.

Kim new medical director of the UC Davis Cancer Care Network

UC Davis oncologist Edward Kim, M.D., Ph.D., has been named the new medical director of the UC Davis Cancer Care Network (CCN). Kim is currently the medical director of the Office of Clinical Research at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, a position he will continue to hold, and has been directly involved in expanding the center’s clinical trials into counties served by CCN affiliates. The CCN is designed to improve cancer care in community hospitals so patients can access care advances near home; community oncologists work directly with UC Davis oncologists to ensure the latest diagnostic and treatment options are available to their patients.

CAARE Center announces new leadership team

A new leadership team was announced this winter at the UC Davis CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a nationally recognized model program for evaluating and treating child maltreatment and training mental health providers in empirically based treatments. Michele Ornelas Knight, Psy.D., has been appointed director after serving as co-director, while Dawn Blacker, Ph.D., has been appointed director of clinical operations and training and Susan Timmer, Ph.D., has been named research director. All have worked at the center for more than 20 years.

Baxter chief innovation and economic development officer for UC Davis

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May has selected George Baxter, Ph.D., to serve in the new role of Chief Innovation and Economic Development Officer. Baxter currently serves as CEO of Edinburgh Innovations Ltd., or EI, the innovation management company of the University of Edinburgh. Under his leadership, EI rose to be among the top four in several innovation rankings in the United Kingdom and was named the Global University Venturing Tech Transfer Office of the Year in 2021. Baxter also serves as an advisor to or board member of several Scottish, British and European organizations that foster university and business partnerships, as well as the TenU, a university group that includes Stanford, Columbia and MIT.

Condrin listed among top chief operating officers

Michael Condrin, M.B.A., interim chief administrator for UC Davis Medical Center and chief operating officer for UC Davis Health’s Hospital Division, was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review in February as one of “60 academic medical center COOs to know.” Condrin’s responsibilities include all inpatient care for UC Davis Health, including UC Davis Medical Center and UC Davis Children’s Hospital, level I trauma and emergency services, and surgery and post-operative care. He is also responsible for the health system’s operational, logistical, patient-support services, nursing and medical staff clinical operations, facility operations, and supply chain management. Condrin most recently served as chief operating officer for ambulatory care, where he oversaw all outpatient care.

Galante listed among top chief medical officers

Joseph M. Galante, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S., interim chief medical officer at UC Davis Medical Center, has been recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as among the “180 chief medical officers to know in the United States for 2024.” Galante leads and directs the professional portion of UC Davis Health’s 646-bed acute care teaching hospital’s clinical delivery system and serves as a liaison between the hospital, school of medicine and the self-governed medical staff. He is also the medical center’s senior officer for patient safety and quality, and leads clinical affairs for 10 departments across the medical center.

Kenber among top chief human resources officers

Tammy Kenber, M.S., chief human resources officer for UC Davis and UC Davis Health, has been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as among the “84+ CHROs to know in 2024.” Kenber assumed the role of CHRO in December 2022, and under Kenber’s leadership, UC Davis Human Resources has helped advance several transformative initiatives, such as: The Hiring Experience, a comprehensive two-year recruitment and retention initiative; the You Belong Here outreach campaign, supporting recruitment efforts, affirmative action goals, and obligations as an equal opportunity employer; and a comprehensive reorganization and strategic planning effort.

Hatfield listed among top chief pharmacy officers

Chad Hatfield, Pharm.D., M.H.A., B.C.P.S., chief pharmacy officer for UC Davis Health, was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review in February as one of “75 hospital and health system chief pharmacy officers to know.” Hatfield has served as chief pharmacy officer at UC Davis and assistant dean at the UCSF School of Pharmacy since 2018. He is board certified in pharmacotherapy and leads UC Davis services with ~500 staff supporting 13 pharmacies, acute and ambulatory clinical services, and dozens of residents. He also serves as residency director for the PGY1/PGY2 Pharmacy Administration and Leadership program.

Nursing dean re-elected to national nursing board

Stephen Cavanagh, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., dean for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, has been selected to serve a second term on the board of directors for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). He was first elected to the board in 2022. AACN is the voice for academic nursing representing more than 865 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide, and also sets quality standards for nursing education. Cavanagh has contributed to AACN as a member of the finance and nominating committees.

Shaikh appointed to national, global leadership positions

Ulfat Shaikh, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., professor of pediatrics and medical director of health care quality at UC Davis School of Medicine, has been appointed project leader for the American Academy of Pediatrics national primary care quality improvement collaborative. The project, funded by a grant from the Elevance Health Foundation, will focus on how primary care clinics can prevent and treat substance use and improve mental health in adolescents. Shaikh has also been appointed to the board of directors for the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), a global organization committed to promoting and improving the quality and safety of health care worldwide. ISQua’s work includes education, consultancy and advisory services, and quality and safety initiatives.

Maximus director of Aortic Center

Vascular surgeon Steven Maximus, M.D., F.A.C.S., has been named the new director of the Aortic Center at UC Davis Health. The multidisciplinary program within the Vascular Surgery and Cardiac Surgery divisions provides a full range of care for complex aortic diseases, such as aneurysms, dissections and genetic disorders. Maximus has performed the most Transcarotid Arterial Revascularizations in the region as of March 2024, placed the most thoracic branch endoprosthesis devices in the U.S., and is one of a handful of U.S. vascular surgeons to have an FDA Physician Sponsored Investigational Device Exemption to investigate physician modified endografts for complex thoracoabdominal aneurysms.