For the first time, three women are leading LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Va., part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, a hospital spokesperson confirmed to Becker's.
The 146-bed hospital is led by COO Devin Tobin, Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Carson, MSN, RN, and CEO Lauren Dudley.
Ms. Tobin, who previously served as vice president of operations for LewisGale Medical Center, was named COO of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in July 2021.
"It is so exciting," Ms. Tobin told NBC affiliate WSLS on July 22. "It's also really fun to see our CEO reflect a lot of our workforce. So being in healthcare, a large percentage of our workforce are women. So now it's really great to see our CEO reflect the team that she's leading."
LewisGale Hospital Montgomery appointed Carson as its chief nursing officer in May. She previously served as assistant CNO of Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Richmond, Va.
"[It's] always been my dream to not only help patients but to help nurses have a voice and to be recognized for the great care that they provide," she told the news station. "Now being in the C-suite, I am able to provide that."
Ms. Dudley, who previously served as COO of HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, Fla., was named CEO of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in June.
"The leadership that we are developing here at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, we all see the vision and our role in ensuring that we’re serving our community with comprehensive care every day," Ms. Dudley told WSLS.
The leadership at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery represents a shift toward gender parity in the hospital C-suite. Recent research from McKinsey & Co. found women make up more than two-thirds of entry-level employees in healthcare and that the industry still outperforms other sectors in female representation.
However, the report acknowledges challenges that remain, including that representation of women in healthcare decreases across employment levels, from the entry level (67 percent) to the C-suite (29 percent).