Congratulations to THA’s April Newsmakers

THA’s Newsmakers highlights leaders from THA member hospitals and health systems making headlines in Texas health care. Please join in congratulating our April Newsmakers:

Dai Chung, MD
Children’s Health and UT Southwestern

Dr. Dai Chung, president and chief medical officer of Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Joint Pediatric Enterprise, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s national list of “Chief Medical Officers to Know” for the second consecutive year. Dr. Chung is an academic pediatric surgeon with more than 25 years of clinical and leadership experience. In his role, Dr. Chung is responsible for strengthening clinical operations and bolstering partnerships across the joint pediatric enterprise and throughout the North Texas community. He works with clinical and executive leaders at Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center to develop and execute strategies across all pediatric operations to improve the overall quality, cost and efficiency of care for the growing North Texas pediatric population.

Jacalyn DeHarte, BSN
Methodist Hospital Atascosa

Methodist Hospital Atascosa in San Antonio has named Jacalyn DeHarte, BSN, its COO and chief nursing officer. DeHarte stepped into the dual role March 11. In her previous role as associate CNO at Englewood, Colo.-based Swedish Medical Center, she led the implementation of a team-based nursing care model on medical-surgical units and oversaw the expansion of key service lines, including surgical cardiology.

Jay deVenny
Medical City Dallas

Jay deVenny has been named chief executive officer of Medical City Dallas, a 909-bed hospital with nearly 100 specialties, more than 1,500 physicians and 3,300 employees. In his new role, he will lead Medical City Heart Hospital and Medical City Spine Hospital, departments of Medical City Dallas. deVenny has served as CEO of Medical City Children’s Hospital and Medical City Women’s Hospital Dallas since January 2021. Under his leadership, Medical City Children’s Hospital has grown services, including congenital heart, pediatric oncology and pediatric orthopedics. In addition, Medical City Dallas was recently voted “Best Hospital to Have a Baby” in Dallas County for the fourth year in a row by thousands of North Texans in the annual DFWChild Magazine competition, reflecting on the continued excellence of Medical City Women’s Hospital Dallas.

Michael Ducote
North Texas Medical Center

Michael Ducote has been named chief financial officer at North Texas Medical Center in Gainesville, Tex. after serving as interim CFO since last fall. Ducote is an experienced strategic finance executive with more than two decades in health care, most recently as the principal with MD Advisors, LLC, a strategic management and consulting firm for health care businesses.

Jay Hardaway
Hendrick Health

Hendrick Health has named Abilene-native Jay Hardaway as its new director of legislative affairs and public policy. Hardaway is not new to Hendrick, as he has served as a member and vice chair of Hendrick Medical Center Foundation Board. He brings extensive local, state and national legislative experience to his new role. He held senior staff positions in the United States House of Representatives as a district director (19th Congressional District) and the Texas House of Representatives as senior policy advisor (House District 71). Hardaway also served as a member of the Abilene City Council (2014-2017).

Doug Holzbog
Palestine Regional Medical Center, Ennis Regional Medical Center and Parkview Regional Hospital

Doug Holzbog has been named market CEO for three Texas hospitals: Palestine Regional Medical Center, Ennis Regional Medical Center and Parkview Regional Hospital. Palestine Regional Medical Center, Ennis (Tex.) Regional Medical Center and Mexia-based Parkview Regional Hospital are part of Louisville, Ky.-based ScionHealth. Holzbog will oversee operations at the facilities after serving as COO of Muscle Shoals-based North Alabama Shoals Hospital. In that role, Holzbog led his hospital’s significant success in challenges faced by most community hospitals ‒ patient volumes, service line growth, recruiting providers and building physician relationships.

Sean Lemon
Texas Health

Texas Health has promoted Sean Lemon from COO for Texas Health Huguley to senior vice president of ambulatory services and network development for the Texas Health Southwest Region. In this new role, Lemon will be responsible for leading the development and execution of strategies that support the network of care surrounding our hospitals in the AdventHealth Texas region. These facilities include Texas Health Huguley Hospital, Texas Health Hospital Mansfield, AdventHealth Central Texas in Killeen and AdventHealth Rollins Brook in Lampasas.

Amy Russell, MSN
St. David’s North Austin Medical Center

Austin, Tex.-based St. David’s HealthCare has appointed Amy Russell, MSN, chief nursing officer of St. David’s North Austin Medical Center. Russell most recently served as CNO of HCA Florida Largo and Largo West Hospitals. Prior to this role, she acted as CNO of Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. Her new role marks a return to St. David’s Healthcare as Russell first joined the system in 2013 as associate CNO of St. David’s Medical Center before eventually stepping into the interim CNO role. She’s also previously served as CNO at Heart Hospital of Austin. During her tenure at HHA, Amy was instrumental in elevating patient experience scores to the top 3% nationwide.

Michael Stewart
Methodist Charlton Medical Center

Methodist Health System has selected Michael Stewart as president of Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas. Stewart began his health care career in 2004 with Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, and eventually moved to Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems. He served at the helm of Corsicana, Tex.-based Navarro Regional Hospital before assuming his most recent position as CEO of Saline Health System, with locations in Bryant and Benton, Ark.

Do you have a colleague making news in Texas health care? Send us a nomination for THA Newsmakers!

Dai Chung, MD
Children’s Health and UT Southwestern