Jamal Hakim, MD, Named Chief Operating Officer

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MEDIA CONTACT

Kena Lewis, APR
Orlando Health
Director, Public Affairs & Media Relations
407.403.1661
[email protected]

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 01, 2015) — David Strong, president and chief executive officer, Orlando Health, has named Jamal Hakim, MD, chief operating officer (COO) and Bernadette M. Spong, CPA, chief financial officer (CFO) of the organization. Dr. Hakim assumes his position immediately. Ms. Spong will assume her position later this summer.

“I have the utmost faith in Jamal’s and Bernadette’s abilities and commitments to serve the organization and the entire community,” said Strong. “I am extremely pleased that they have agreed to accept these roles.”

Hakim has served Orlando Health in various capacities since 1991, most recently as interim president and CEO from 2013 to 2015. In 2011, he was appointed the organization’s first chief of quality and clinical transformation overseeing the development and implementation of a system-wide quality plan that has since resulted in numerous quality awards and recognitions for Orlando Health hospitals and services.

In this newly created COO position, he will oversee the daily operation management of multiple areas within the organization. Hakim is board certified in anesthesia, is an active member of the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, and is a practicing anesthesiologist at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry, graduating from Duke University, completed medical school at Indiana University and completed his anesthesia residency at the University of Florida.

“Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of working closely with David and seeing his vision for Orlando Health,” said Hakim. "He has an outstanding history of success. I am excited about this new opportunity with the organization and my role in continuing to make it the best healthcare organization in Central Florida, if not the entire state, in our quest to distinguish ourselves in clinical excellence.”

Spong currently serves as senior vice president of finance/chief financial officer of network hospitals for the $3.4 billion University of North Carolina (UNC) Health Care system based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She holds the same position for the 665-bed Rex Healthcare System, one of UNC Health Care’s member systems.

Spong is responsible for financial operations for the system’s eight hospitals, a medical school, research centers, approximately 2,200 physicians and multiple joint venture organizations throughout North Carolina. She is a licensed CPA who holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and an MBA from Elon University. She has received numerous honors and awards including the Becker’s Hospital Review 2014 130 Women Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know.

“I look forward to joining Orlando Health and working with David again in a world-class healthcare organization,” said Spong. “Having previously lived and worked in Orlando, I am delighted to be a part of this community again.”

Spong held a position at Winter Park Memorial Hospital from 1986 to 1988.

About Orlando Health
Orlando Health is a $2.1 billion not-for-profit health care organization and a community-based network of physician practices, hospitals, and outpatient care centers throughout Central Florida. The organization is home to the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics and is a statutory teaching hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. Nearly 3,000 physicians have privileges at Orlando Health, which is also one of the area’s largest employers with more than 15,000 employees who serve nearly 2 million Central Florida residents and more than 4,500 international patients annually. Additionally, Orlando Health provides more than $270 million in support of community health needs. More information can be found at About Us.