Ms. Popkova, chief strategy officer and senior vice president of ambulatory services at UCI Health, leads strategy, network growth, business development, marketing and digital consumer strategy while overseeing the ambulatory division’s operations. Under her leadership, the UCI Health ambulatory network grew by 11% year-over-year in fiscal year 2024 and has doubled in size over the past five years. She played a key role in UCI Health’s $975 million acquisition of the Tenet Pacific Coast Network, expanding the system from 459 to 1,317 beds and significantly increasing access to academic medicine. Additionally, she spearheaded the launch of the UCI Health’s digital front door in 2023, improving same-day digital care navigation and patient appointment access. Ms. Popkova is also leading the development of a $1.3 billion medical campus, set to open in 2025 as the nation’s first all-electric-powered medical facility, adding 144 acute care beds. Previously, she led major expansion projects, value-based care strategies and high-profile partnerships via executive roles at Chicago-based Rush University System for Health, Phoenix-based Banner Health, Aurora-based University of Colorado Health and Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine.
