LEXINGTON, Ky. — Chris DeSimone and Tim Slocum have accepted the UK HealthCare positions of Executive Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, respectively.
Dr. DeSimone will begin his work as executive CMO immediately, transitioning from the acting role he has been in since last year. Slocum will start his duties with UK HealthCare in January when he and his family arrive from Tennessee.
Both bring to these critical leadership positions extensive experience, a record of working with teams to accomplish strategic objectives and a willingness to take on big challenge, said University of Kentucky Co-Executive Vice Presidents for Health Affairs (EVPHA) Eric N. Monday and Robert S. DiPaola s.
Chris DeSimone appointed Executive Chief Medical Officer
Dr. DeSimone is a native Kentuckian, who went away to school for his undergraduate career, earning a degree in art history from Boston University, before returning home. He has a 25-year association with UK, starting as a medical student, resident and fellow and then progressing through a number of clinical and leadership positions at UK HealthCare. He is a physician and professor in gynecologic oncology.
He has been successful every step of the way, DiPaola and Monday said, informed by an unwavering commitment to patient-centered care and guided by the north star of advancing the state by making it healthier.
Over the last year as acting executive CMO, he worked closely with the senior leadership team and others throughout UK HealthCare to continue to improve and expand capacity with respect to transfers, while fostering stronger collaborations with new and existing community partners.
Tim Slocum appointed Sr. VP & Chief Operations Officer
Tim Slocum currently serves as a senior vice president of Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare (MLH) and also as president of Methodist’s flagship facility, Methodist University Hospital. MLH has had a longstanding affiliation with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
While at Methodist University Hospital, Slocum helped lead efforts to significantly grow inpatient admissions, maintain outstanding scores from ratings agencies such as the Leapfrog Group for quality and safety outcomes, and achieve new volume records in critical specialty areas such as kidney transplantation.
DiPaola and Monday said he has a proven record in working with teams from across a complex enterprise – nursing, human resources, marketing and others – to drive improvements in employee engagement and satisfaction as well as employee recruitment and retention.
Those areas are strategic points of emphasis for UK HealthCare as it grows capacity – both in terms of infrastructure and the recruitment and retention of talent – to advance the health of Kentucky.
Prior to his time with the Methodist, Slocum served in leadership positions in the Atrium Health Navicent system in Georgia. He has degrees from both Mercer University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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