Wendy Horton, MBA, PharmD, FACHE, is a nationally recognized healthcare leader with extensive experience in top academic medical centers. She serves as the Senior Vice President and President of Adult Services at UCSF Health, one of the nation’s top 10 hospitals. Throughout her career, she has led strategic growth, operational improvement, and patient-centered initiatives while maintaining a strong commitment to community care.
A dedicated advocate for healthcare innovation and quality, she focuses on improving care processes and using technology to keep both patients and care teams at the center of healthcare delivery.
Her distinctive combination of clinical pharmacy knowledge and executive leadership at highly ranked medical institutions has resulted in exceptional safety and quality outcomes. This blend of clinical and operational expertise has made her one of the most respected leaders in the healthcare field.
Professional Career
UVA Health
Before joining UCSF Health, she served as CEO of UVA Health University Medical Center and System COO of UVA Health, a $4.5 billion health system with over 17,000 team members and 1,200 faculty in Charlottesville, Virginia. During her five-year tenure, she played a key role in statewide expansion by developing partnerships and acquisitions, including UVA Community Health, Riverside Health System, the Virginia Congenital Cardiac Consortium, and the Sentara Martha Jefferson stroke partnership. She also advanced pediatric behavioral health initiatives and strengthened the system’s integration across clinical, financial, and operational areas to support a seamless patient experience.
Under her leadership, UVA Health doubled in size, expanding access and reach across Virginia. She launched workforce development programs, including an "earn-while-you-learn" initiative, and promoted community care coordination to improve health outcomes and address the social determinants of health.
She also fostered a culture of safety by ensuring proper staffing, transparency, and psychological safety. She enhanced engagement through various communication forums, including Be Heard Breakfasts, Ask Me Anything sessions, town halls, and weekly blogs. She established the Center for Advanced Practice, serving over 700 Advanced Practice Providers, which improved patient access and professional development. Her efforts reduced the organization’s reliance on travel nurses by more than 75%.
The Ohio State University
For three years, Wendy served as Chief Administrative Officer at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, a nationally ranked institution within a $4 billion academic health system that includes seven hospitals and 20 research institutes. She oversaw the onboarding of 13 department chairs and 16 division leaders, strengthened faculty engagement, and increased diversity within the organization. Her process improvements reduced physician recruitment time from 76 days to fewer than 14 days, an 81% reduction.
She developed and implemented a $340 million physician compensation plan for 1,200 physicians across 18 departments and helped modernize administrative operations within her first 90 days. She also led the design and construction of two campus buildings and increased research funding to $269.4 million (a 28.4% rise). She supported the successful $65.9 million HEALing Communities Grant, the largest in the university’s history.
University of Wisconsin
Wendy spent 12 years at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she served her final three years as Vice President of Operations. In that role, she leveraged her clinical and operational expertise to oversee the completion and commissioning of a new hospital. She oversaw professional, hospitality, business development, and support services across the organization, ensuring smooth operational performance and alignment.
Accomplishments
Her accomplishments throughout her career have distinguished her as a leader in the healthcare field. In 2023, she was named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top Women Leaders in Healthcare. Under her leadership, UVA Health consistently ranked as the #1 hospital in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek. These achievements were maintained through challenging times, including the pandemic.
UVA Health was recognized by Forbes in 2025 as one of America’s Best Employers for Women and received the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader award from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The organization also earned repeated “A” safety ratings and received the highest national trauma care award.
During her tenure, UVA earned the Magnet Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest national honor for nursing excellence, achieved by only 9% of U.S. hospitals.
Wendy was also featured in “How 2 Pharmacy Leaders Became Hospital CEOs”, highlighting her path from pharmacy to executive leadership. She has been recognized nationally for her innovative workforce programs, pharmacy leadership, and commitment to advancing the profession through the “Earn While You Learn” model.
Board Positions and Memberships
She currently serves on the Board of Governors of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Vizient AMC CEO Executive Advisory Council, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Foundation.
Education
Wendy holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Utah, and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from Oregon State University. She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), and a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist. She maintains pharmacist licensure in Wisconsin and Utah.
Wendy Horton continues to shape the future of healthcare through strategic leadership, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to patients, teams, and communities.
