Renown Health's COO, Acute Services, Empowers the Next Generation of Women Healthcare Leaders

Dawn D. Ahner, DSc, FACHE, selected to serve on The University of Alabama at Birmingham's Women in Health Leadership Executive Council.

Research shows women make up almost 80 percent of the healthcare workforce, yet fewer than 20 percent hold key leadership roles. Determined to even out those percentages is Renown Health’s chief operating officer, acute services, Dawn D. Ahner, DSc, FACHE.

Renown Health proudly announced today that Ahner was selected among a competitive pool of outstanding women to join The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s inaugural Women in Healthcare Leadership (WIHL) Executive Council. She will serve on the mentor committee where she will support and empower mid-career as well as up-and-coming female leaders in healthcare leadership.

Ahner will serve three years on the WIHL Executive Council, beginning January 1, 2021.

“Renown Health is a better place because of Dawn’s incredible leadership,” said Sy Johnson, MBA, chief of staff at Renown. “For nearly 30 years, she has led by example to serve our patients, employees and community, helping pave the way for other female leaders to thrive in leadership positions at Renown. Now, she’s paving the way for future leaders to thrive in healthcare leadership positions across the nation, and we could not be more proud of her.”

"At Renown, we are committed to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion and cultural competence where all are appreciated, fully engaged and motivated to make a genuine, positive difference in the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve," said Michelle Sanchez-Bickley, MS, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Renown’s chief human resources officer. "We are proud that nearly 70 percent of Renown's leadership roles are filled with women who are making a difference in our community. Dawn is leading the way for all of us."

“As I begin my term as a member on the WIHL Executive Council, I am hopeful for a future filled with more female leaders in healthcare,” said Ahner. “I am fortunate to be where I am today, and my goal is to help women learn from my journey and experiences and see that anything is possible with hard work and determination.”

Ahner started at Renown in 1993 as a financial analyst. She worked her way through the ranks, serving a total of eight positions including director of finance, chief financial officer, chief administrative officer, and finally, her current role as chief operating officer, acute services.

She has been honored for her many accomplishments, including spearheading the launch of Renown’s Transformation Health Care, a model of continuous improvement based on lean methodology; and in 2018 she was named to the Becker’s Hospital Review’s annual list of 143 women hospital and health system leaders to know.

Ahner earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from California State University, Sacramento; her master of business administration from the University of Nevada, Reno; and her doctor of science in administration-health services from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital rankings, Renown South Meadows Medical Center was listed #1 in the State of Nevada. Renown Regional Medical Center was named #2 Best Hospital in Nevada. A hospital's score is based on multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, safety and volumes. Hospitals earning a high performing rating were significantly better than the national average.

About Renown Health

Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally owned and governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown’s institute model addresses social determinants of health and includes: Child Health, Behavioral Health & Addiction, Healthy Aging and Health Innovation. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular Health, Neurosciences and Robotic Surgery. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®. For more information visit, www.renown.org.

Renown Health Expands Their Not-for-Profit Mission, Partners with 51 Community Agencies to Address Area's Most Critical Healthcare Needs

As Reno’s only locally owned, not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare network, Renown Health and its health insurance organization, Hometown Health, reinvest every dollar earned back into the community; in expertise, technology, treatments, training, and research to improve health and prevent illness.

Saving Lives Through Awareness: Renown Health Recognizes National Fentanyl Awareness Day

Medication-assisted treatment program at Renown’s Stacie Mathewson Institute offers support for this in recovery from addiction The Stacie Mathewson Behavioral Health & Addiction Institute at Renown Health stands with northern Nevada communities on Fentanyl Awareness Day, recognized nationwide on April 29 annually. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Unlike medical fentanyl, illegally made fentanyl is often made in unsanitary conditions, not carefully dosed or blended and laced in other street drugs, including pills, powders and crystals. Renown encourages all community members visit FentanylAwarenessDay.org for resources tailored for many different groups, including families, schools, companies and more. “Opioid addiction is an epidemic nationwide, and Nevada is no exception – and with dangerous synthetic opioids like fentanyl becoming easier to access, it’s our responsibility as healthcare professionals to take action,” said Takesha Cooper, MD, Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for Renown Health and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med). “It’s important for our community to know what they can do to help themselves, or someone they love, who may be struggling with fentanyl addiction. The Stacie Mathewson Behavioral Health & Addiction Institute is here to help those affected by fentanyl.”

Reno is Home to Chief Marketing Officer to Know: Suzanne Hendery of Renown Health, Named to Becker's National List

Becker’s Hospital Review’s annual list of Chief Marketing Officers to Know has been published, recognizing professional healthcare leaders across the country who specialize in branding, marketing and communications. Suzanne Hendery, MA, APR, CPXP of Renown Health, Reno’s only not-for-profit, academic health care organization, is one of the 78 professional hospital and healthcare communicators nationally to be listed, and the only one from Nevada. “The driven, innovative thinkers featured on this list are responsible for implementing impactful marketing strategies for their hospitals and health systems. Utilizing brand building, data analysis, business-to-business and business-to-consumer outreach, partnerships, social media and beyond, these executives lead with creativity and precision. This list celebrates chief marketing officers for their outside-the-box thinking and award-winning creative strategies,” writes Anna Falvey of Becker’s Healthcare. “We are proud to showcase these accomplished professionals, whose work plays a vital role in the success and growth of their organizations. Anna Falvey writes, “Suzanne Hendery. Chief Marketing and Customer Officer at Renown Health (Reno, Nev.). Ms. Hendery works with Renown Health’s CEO, executive team and key stakeholders to create engaging communications and exceptional experiences for customers. She oversees marketing and communications, the customer service call center, customer experience and community health for the largest integrated health system in Nevada, with hospitals and outpatient centers serving 1 million people. Their brand campaign, “Fight the Good Fight,” new website and online physician ratings led Renown to become a premier brand position in the market and a statewide leader. A recent employee referral and recruitment campaign yielded 1,000 new clinicians in just one year. Ms. Hendery has implemented a new initiative focusing on online scheduling for adult primary care and pediatric visits, with the goal of reaching 80% of all patients via online scheduling. This initiative allows patients to learn about different physicians, as well as schedule and receive appointment reminders in both English and Spanish.” Hendery has over 25 years of experience as a health care executive specializing in listening to and engaging key stakeholders to create engaging communications and exceptional experiences that delight customers and transform organizations. She is a nationally recognized leader in successfully implementing customer-centered, enterprise-wide digital transformation and branding efforts to build preference, loyalty and drive revenue and growth. Hendery earned her M.A. in Marketing Communications from the University of Connecticut, is a lecturer at Harvard University, a member of the American Marketing Association Health Care Executive Board, Accredited as APR by the Public Relations Society of America, serves as a national board member for the American Hospital Association’s Board of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development. Hendery was selected as the 2020 "Marketing Person of the Year” by the Healthcare and IT Marketing Community (HITMC), and appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board of Strategic Health Care Marketing in 2021. Hendery and her teams have won numerous international and national awards for their outstanding contributions and best practices in healthcare marketing, branding, patient experience and community engagement programs. Suzanne Hendery is a member of the executive leadership team at Renown Health. She is a frequent contributor and speaker for the American Marketing Association, HIMSS, The Forum for Healthcare Strategists, the Healthcare Executive Forum, American Hospital Association, Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD), Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit, Becker’s, Modern Healthcare. Note: Leaders cannot pay for inclusion on this list.

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