Ms. Flynn Gaffney oversees operations for Banner Health’s academic arm in southern Arizona with 8,000 team members at level 1 and level 3 trauma centers, a level 2 pediatric trauma center, a children’s medical center, a comprehensive cancer center, an Alzheimer’s institute, and outpatient sites. The organization saw 1,046,615 patient encounters in 2025. Under her leadership, Banner–University Medical Center Tucson’s emergency department achieved level 3 geriatric emergency department accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians in 2026. The 649- and 245-bed hospitals are training sites for nearly 500 University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson medical students, as well as 750 residents and fellows. The partnership between Banner Health and University of Arizona reached a major milestone of 10 years of delivering exceptional care to patients, educating future health professionals, and advancing medicine through pioneering research. Ms. Flynn Gaffney’s focus on excellence and organizational culture has brought about numerous accolades, and team feedback about health and wellness at work achieved a double-digit increase this past year. Banner–University Medicine Tucson is the official trusted healthcare provider of Arizona Athletics, and is expanding patient access, investing in infrastructure, and partnering with the University of Arizona and the community to strengthen healthcare delivery across southern Arizona. Ms. Flynn Gaffney is the 2026 chair of the Chamber of Southern Arizona and was named a 2026 “Woman Visionary” by Tucson Lifestyle. She is one of a handful of healthcare executives to receive American College of Healthcare Executives’ “Senior Level Healthcare Award” in two states.
