UAB Synopsis, Vol. 27, No. 32, September 1, 2008
New UAB Health System (UABHS) Chief Executive Officer I. William Ferniany, PhD, returns to UAB effective September 1. His goal is to partner with UAB leadership to make the organization one of the top 10 academic medical centers in the nation.
Dr. Ferniany, 57, a UAB administrator from 1988 to 1992 before moving on to key health care leadership positions in Pennsylvania and Mississippi, says, “We plan to leverage the university’s unique advantage in Alabama as an academic medical center — the interrelationship among research, education, and clinical care. If we align and focus these three areas we will reach our goal.”
He says he will spend an initial period at UAB “listening to as many people as possible to develop a ‘road map,’ then developing alignment of everyone in the Health System to make that road map a reality.”
UAB President and UABHS Board Chair Carol Z. Garrison, PhD, announced his appointment August 1. “Will Ferniany brings both a new vision for our system and an appreciation for its history and growth,” she says. “His experiences at Penn and Mississippi have prepared him well to lead a strong UAB Health System into the future.”
Dr. Garrison thanked Senior Vice President and School of Medicine Dean Robert R. Rich, MD, and his search committee for their work.
“We also owe a deep debt of gratitude for the exceptional leadership provided by Dr. Ray Watts as interim CEO,” she says. “UAB is so fortunate to have someone with Ray’s abilities willing to step in and shoulder this responsibility and do an outstanding job.”
Dr. Watts returns to his roles as president of the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation and chair of the Department of Neurology.
“With Ray Watts, Bob Rich, and Will Ferniany, we have a stellar leadership team in place,” Dr. Garrison says.
During his earlier years at UAB, Dr. Ferniany oversaw psychiatric services in the Department of Psychiatry and at the hospital before becoming associate hospital administrator for strategic planning and market development.
He comes to UAB from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was associate vice chancellor and chief executive officer, responsible for the overall operation of the system’s adult and pediatric clinics, three hospitals (with a total of 777 beds), and a 430-member faculty practice plan, as well as the Jackson Medical Mall, which serves the underinsured in Hinds County.
Previously, he spent 14 years at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, rising to the post of senior vice president and chief administrative officer from the position of senior executive for physician practices, which included more than 1188 physicians in the faculty practice plan and more than 250 in system-owned community practices. He also served as associate executive vice president for marketing and strategic support and was responsible for all marketing, strategic planning, and product line management.
Dr. Ferniany was on the faculty of the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania’s business school, and also taught classes at the University of Mississippi and UAB’s graduate program in health administration.
The Mobile native earned his bachelor’s degree in manpower and industrial relations from the University of Alabama and his master’s degree in hospital and health administration and doctorate in administration-health services from UAB.
Prior to his work at UAB, Dr. Ferniany worked for Healthcare Services of America, Southwest Alabama Health Systems Agency, and Bryce State Psychiatric Hospital.
“I am delighted to be coming back home to UAB,” he says. “UAB’s strength has always been a far-reaching vision coupled with a can-do attitude and a willingness to collaborate. That has not changed, and with discipline and teamwork we will take UAB’s already stellar reputation to even greater heights.”