Wendy Brandon, FACHE (Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives distinction of board certification in healthcare management), has been named by HCA Healthcare and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine as the new CEO of the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center. The facility is scheduled to open by the end of 2020. The teaching hospital represents the future of medicine in Central Florida while delivering outstanding training for physicians. Brandon will begin her new role on Jan. 1, 2019.

Brandon comes from a background of intensive training and education in the medical field. Her mother was a PBX operator (Post Box Exchange phone system) at the local hospital, so she spent a lot of time visiting the facility and witnessed firsthand people who were passionate and dedicated to caring for others. Brandon earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin and her MBA from The Jack C. Massey School of Business at Belmont University. With more than two decades of experience in healthcare leadership, Brandon has served for 10 years as CEO of HCA’s Central Florida Regional Hospital, a 221-bed facility in Sanford. Brandon has 24 years of experience as a hospital leader and has worked with many experts in their fields to expand access to services needed in the local community – from expanding cardiac and surgical services to developing a Level II Trauma Center and an acute medical inpatient rehabilitation center, and broadening access to the ER.

“I look forward to bringing all the resources of HCA Healthcare and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine combined with the best physicians and staff together for the common mission of the care and improvement of human life,” said Brandon. She hopes to help the UCF Lake Nona Medical center to “recruit and retain the best clinicians and staff to help ensure our hospital provides the community high quality, comprehensive care.” She wants to help the University of Central Florida College of Medicine to build a healthcare resource that not only serves the needs of the residents of Lake Nona, but will also work to educate healthcare professionals whose expertise and research will impact the lives of potentially millions of people across the globe long into the future. “The physicians, nurses, therapists and other clinicians who train at UCF Lake Nona Medical Center will have the benefit of learning from the clinical expertise and compassion of some of the best and brightest in healthcare today,” said Brandon.

“Wendy is a seasoned, dynamic leader who has played a pivotal role in our partnership with UCF at Lake Nona, and we are excited to have her lead our newest hospital in the Central Florida region,” said Michael P. Joyce, FACHE, president of HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division. “Under her leadership, we will advance healthcare in Lake Nona Medical City, improve quality of life for the community, and provide education that ignites careers in medicine at UCF Lake Nona Medical Center.”