Brent Smith has been named COO of Oklahoma City-based OU Health, the University of Oklahoma’s academic health system, according to a Sept. 8 news release shared with Becker’s.
Mr. Smith will join the system in November. He currently serves as CEO of Lawton, Okla.-based Memorial Health System of Southwest Oklahoma.
In his new role, Mr. Smith will lead operational performance across the system’s hospitals and clinics. He will work in tandem with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and the chief physician executive.
Mr. Smith will focus on quality and patient safety, access and the transfer and referral pathways that connect the system with Oklahoma hospitals. He will also hold operational accountability for OU Health’s Pediatric Behavioral Health Center in Oklahoma City that is opening in December, the Pediatric Heart Center opening next year in Oklahoma City and the Tulsa-based Stephenson Cancer Center that is opening in 2028.
Prior to his time with Memorial Health System, Mr. Smith held financial leadership roles with systems in Florida and Pennsylvania.
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