Mr. Shafer oversees hospital operations, physician alignment, quality and safety performance, financial sustainability and workforce engagement UAB St. Vincent’s Birmingham, working closely with boards, medical staff leadership and community partners. He took on the role in September 2025. Previously, as leader of Johnson City (Tenn.) Medical Center, a 585-bed flagship teaching hospital, he was responsible for more than 3,000 team members and 1,000 medical staff. Mr. Shafer led the consolidation of trauma services that produced two “zero deficiency” triennial surveys and a 24% decline in patient mortality, earning the hospital a CareChex designation as the number one level 1 trauma center in Tennessee and a ranking in the top 10% nationally for patient safety. He also implemented a systemwide performance management framework that drove year-over-year improvement in more than 80% of publicly reported quality and safety metrics. Under his financial stewardship, hospital earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margins grew from 7% to 15%, inpatient market share increased by 12% through expanded high-acuity tertiary services, and emergency department boarding times dropped by nearly 50%. Mr. Shafer’s workforce initiatives reduced overall staff turnover by 35%, cut registered nurse turnover by 50% and improved employee engagement scores by 20%.
