Ninfa Saunders, DHA, MBA, MSN, has served as president and CEO of Central Georgia Health System and The Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon since October 2012.
Prior to joining Central Georgia Health System, Dr. Saunders served as president and COO of Virtua Health Care in Marlton, N.J. She has nearly 40 years of clinical and administrative experience and started her career as an intensive care nurse.
Dr. Saunders says her clinical experience, as well as helping her parents through difficult illnesses, has given her a different perspective as a hospital administrator. "Seeing my parents go through a very difficult time until their death, it really gives me perspective, not only from the eyes of the patient, but the eyes of the family. The confluence of that with what I know as a clinician really puts patient advocacy at the center of what I do," she told WMAZ in September 2012.
Outside of her duties at Central Georgia Health System and MCCG, Dr. Saunders keeps busy. She serves on the boards of several organizations, including the American Hospital Association Institute of Diversity and the American Heart Association. She is also a distinguished faculty at Emory University in Atlanta.
Throughout her career, Dr. Saunders has been recognized for her contribution to the healthcare community. In 2012, she received the Outstanding Citizenship and Good Neighbor Award from the American Red Cross. In 2011, she was named a Woman of Distinction by the New Jersey Go Read for Women of the American Heart Association, among many other honors.
Dr. Saunders earned a doctorate in healthcare administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and a MBA from Emory University in Atlanta. She also is a black belt in Six Sigma.
If you have additional information or updates for this profile, or would like to recommend a leader to be profiled in the future, please contact Lindsey Dunn, editor in chief, Becker's Hospital Review at ldunn@beckershealthcare.com.
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