Kris Doody, RN to Receive AHA Board of Trustees Award

The American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced that Kris Doody, RN, CEO of Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Maine will be awarded its 2017 Board of Trustees Award. The award is presented to individuals or groups who have made substantial and noteworthy contributions to the work of the AHA. Doody will receive the award at a ceremony at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting on Monday, May 8 in Washington, D.C.

A registered nurse, Doody has served as CEO of Cary Medical Center since 1999. Prior to being named CEO, she served as the hospital’s chief operating officer and manager of surgical services. During her tenure at Cary Medical Center, Doody has made patient-centered services a priority. Under her leadership, Cary Medical Center received an AHA Award of Honor for its clinic-based collaborative approach with the Department of Veterans Affairs, bringing health care to veterans in the rural area Cary serves.

“Kris has brought to the AHA and its members an in-depth knowledge of the challenges many of our smaller and more rural members face,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “Her contributions to the field have been immense. Not only is she a tremendous advocate for rural hospitals with an unwavering commitment to innovation and ensuring access, but Kris was instrumental in developing the first rural, community-based outpatient clinic for veterans.”

She has been a member of the AHA executive committee (2016) and Board (2014-2016) and served on the rural subcommittee of the Task Force on Ensuring Access in Vulnerable Communities. While on the AHA Board, she has participated in selecting the AHA NOVA Award and Dick Davidson Quality Milestone Award. Before joining the Board in 2014, she was an involved and valued Regional Policy Board 1 member from 2005-2010.

She has also served as the chair of the Maine Hospital Association Board of Directors and chair of the Maine Community College System Board of Trustees. Doody earned her RN from the University of Maine along with a Master's Degree in Business from Husson College.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.