(Left) Dawn Bulgarella, Photography: Nik Layman
(Right) Brenda CarlisleDawn Bulgarella, chief executive officer of the UAB Health System and CEO of the UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance, and Brenda Carlisle, chief executive officer of UAB Hospital, have been recognized on Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of 177 Women Hospital Presidents and CEOs To Know, 2023.
Among other female executives and leaders in health care, Bulgarella and Carlisle are noted for their roles in expanding access to care, promoting inclusivity and diversity, spearheading new initiatives, and helping to close the gender gap in health care leadership.
“We are fortunate to have two such outstanding leaders as Dawn and Brenda at the helm of UAB Health System and UAB Hospital,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts, M.D. “This national recognition is well deserved and reflects their dedication to delivering accessible, world-class patient care here on our campus and throughout Alabama.”
Bulgarella was unanimously named CEO of UAB Health System and CEO of UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance in 2023 after serving in an interim capacity of the role since 2022. A certified public accountant by trade, she brings more than three decades of experience within the UAB system to her CEO role, including formerly serving as president and CFO of the UAB Health System. In this role, Bulgarella is responsible for combined annual budgets in excess of $5 billion. She aims to further expand health care accessibility across the state through affiliate relationships.
“I am honored by this recognition and credit the support of Dr. Ray Watts and Chancellor Finis St. John in giving me the opportunity to lead the UAB Health System,” Bulgarella said. “It is the faculty, staff and students who make up the dedicated workforce in our hospitals and clinics who are the true heroes. Collectively, we recognize that, if we always put the patient first, we will be able to make a difference in health care in the State of Alabama.”
As CEO of UAB Hospital, Carlisle oversees the operations of the eighth-largest hospital in the country. During her tenure, she has maximized operating room utilization from 63 percent to 80 percent, expanded the robotic surgery program, and maintained a $2.93 billion revenue budget and a $160 million Perioperative/Heart and Vascular Center capital portfolio.
“This is truly an important and pivotal time to lead UAB Hospital, and I am truly appreciative of this opportunity,” Carlisle said. “I look forward to using my clinical and leadership experience to assure the highest standards of care, outcomes and innovation, and to create a belonging workplace that will continue to move UAB Hospital forward.”