Salisbury, MD — TidalHealth is proud to announce the promotion of Wen Cao, Ph.D., MBA(c), MS, LSSBB, FACHE, to Associate Vice President of Performance Improvement and Enterprise Transformation, effective April 20. This promotion reflects the health system’s commitment to improvement performance, organizational excellence and the need for continued transformation to better support the region during a time of significant change in healthcare.
Dr. Cao joined TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in 2015 as a performance improvement consultant and has consistently demonstrated strong leadership, innovation and dedication to the organization’s mission. In 2019, he was promoted to director of Performance Improvement, where he and his team have played an important role in advancing education, improving processes and driving meaningful outcomes across the health system.
Under Dr. Cao’s leadership, the Performance Improvement team has supported a number of impactful initiatives across TidalHealth, including efforts to reduce length of stay, improve operating room utilization and strengthen financial stewardship and labor management. His team has also helped lead organizational education and deployment of the TidalHealth Operating System and Core Team, contributing to improvement efforts and notable achievements in the Annual Chairman’s Awards in recent years.
“Wen’s promotion reflects the critical importance of Performance Improvement and the transformation necessary in delivering exceptional care, supporting our team and in shaping the future of our health system,” said Steve Leonard, Ph.D., MBA, FACHE. “As we evolve as a system, in the face of challenging times, our continued focus and investment in Performance Improvement will allow for our continued success.”
Dr. Cao earned his doctorate and master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from Binghamton University, State University of New York. He is currently a candidate for a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. He previously served as an adjunct professor at Salisbury University and continues to teach as an adjunct professor at Binghamton University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. In the community, he serves on the board of the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore.
