Leah Blackwell, MSN, RN, has been named president of nursing and patient services and chief nursing officer at UF Health Shands in Gainesville, Fla.
Ms. Blackwell has spent more than 18 years in nursing and healthcare leadership roles.
She joins the health system from Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, where she served as vice president and CNO.
She will step into the role Sept. 8, succeeding Irene Alexaitis, DNP, RN who is retiring after more than 35 years at UF Health Shands, according to a July 31 news release sent to Becker’s. Dr. Alexaitis joined the hospital in 1989 as a nurse manager, later becoming the director of nursing and then vice president of nursing and patient services.
UF Health Shands, a 399-bed facility, is the primary teaching hospital for UF College of Medicine. In November 2024, the hospital launched an acute hospital care at home program for patients with conditions such as cellulitis, COVID-19 and heart failure.
