At age 38, Gabrielle Finley-Hazle has become the leader at St. Mary’s Medical Center, making her the youngest female CEO in the Tenet South Florida group.
Gabrielle Finley-Hazle proves that you can have it all.
The 38-year-old was appointed CEO of St. Mary’s Medical Center and Palm Beach Children’s Hospital in January 2016, making her the youngest female CEO in the Tenet South Florida group.
“When you believe you were born to do what you’re doing, it’s not a job. It’s not something that’s exhausting. It’s inspiring,” says the wife and mother of two young children. Finley-Hazle’s ties to West Palm Beach and St. Mary’s run deep. Her father attended Roosevelt High School, and her grandmother worked at St. Mary’s in the dietary department in the early 1980s.
“As I walk the hallways I can’t help but think how my grandmother would feel if she could see her granddaughter running the facility where she worked delivering meals,” the CEO says.
From a young age, Finley-Hazle was interested in health care. She remembers admiring the ambulance drivers, paramedics and firefighters for their heroic work. In high school she became an athletic trainer, furthering her interest in the field.
She went on to earn two degrees from Cornell University: a master’s in health care administration and a bachelor’s in human biology, health and society. An impressive career followed, including serving as the CEO of Florida Medical Center before taking over her current position as CEO at St. Mary’s. The search committee said Finley-Hazle has a strong track record of improving the quality of patient care and positioning physicians to reach their fullest potential, as well as a knack for creating award-winning programs.
Founded in 1938, St. Mary’s has grown to a 464-bed acute care hospital, children’s hospital, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Level I Trauma Center. The campus also includes the Paley Institute, which treats orthopedic conditions and deformities and attracts international patients, researchers and doctors. St. Mary’s Medical Center also provides an award-winning Cystic Fibrosis Clinic and a Comprehensive Stroke Center recognized by the American Heart and Stroke Association.
The new CEO plans to release her comprehensive goals for the hospital this summer. In the meantime, she’ll continue the current renovation of the pediatric ER and the trauma center, while recruiting additional physicians.
“The community is changing around us. We can’t be who we were five, 10, 20 years ago,” Finley-Hazle says. “We will continue to reinvent ourselves.”
And when things get tough, she lives by the words of Gandhi: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
“I don’t know any other way. It’s simple really. I pray every day. I have a husband who is extremely supportive and I’m surrounded by an incredible team,” she says. “It’s a privilege to be able to do what I was born to do.”
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