The North Carolina Eastern Alliance Corporation, dba NCEast Alliance (NCEA or Alliance), board of directors elected Michael R. ‘Mike’ Waldrum, MD to take the place of Mr. Todd Hickey, representing Vidant Health Systems. Vidant Health is a charter regional champion member investor in the NCEast Alliance.
The North Carolina Eastern Alliance Corporation, dba NCEast Alliance (NCEA or Alliance), board of directors elected Michael R. ‘Mike’ Waldrum, MD to take the place of Mr. Todd Hickey, representing Vidant Health Systems. Vidant Health is a charter regional champion member investor in the NCEast Alliance.
“We welcome Dr. Waldrum to our board,” said J. Paul Buchanan (Swansboro, Onslow County), chairman of the NCEA board of directors. “The healthcare sector is an important component of our regional economy and someone with his experience will be very helpful as we work to improve the economy of our region,” stated Buchanan.
Dr. Waldrum was named CEO of Vidant Health in 2015. Prior to coming to Greenville to lead Vidant Health, he served as president and CEO of the University of Arizona Health Network and the CEO of the University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham (UAB) and vice president of the UAB Health System. He also served as chief operating officer and chief information officer of the UAB Health System. While in Arizona, Dr. Waldrum served on the Tucson regional economic development organizations board of directors.
“I am honored to serve on the NCEast Alliance Board and to help promote the economic health of eastern NC which builds on Vidant’s tradition of partnerships to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.“ says Dr. Make Waldrum.
Waldrum graduated from Sewanee: The University of The South in Tennessee with a BA in English and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, received a Master’s Degree in epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health and earned his MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a board-certified specialist in critical care medicine and pulmonology and trained in internal medicine
“I am thrilled to have Dr. Walden serve on our board; his combination of credentials as a physician/hospital administrator with a background in promoting technology transfer, STEM education, and regional economies will add a new dimension to our leadership team,” stated John D. Chaffee, president & CEO of the Alliance. “Vidant’s regional footprint mirrors the geographic reach of the Alliance, so there is a commonality of interest in promoting the growth of eastern North Carolina,” said Chaffee.
Vidant has also been a key partner in promoting STEM education throughout the region and is represented on the Eastern NC Employers and Superintendents Council (ENCESC) by John A. Marques, Vidant Chief Human Resources Officer. ENCESC is the advisory board of STEM East, a component of the NCEast Alliance dedicated to promoting new approaches to incorporating science, technology, engineering and math education through Strategies That Engage Minds.
About Vidant Health
Vidant Health is a regional health system serving 29 counties in eastern North Carolina. Vidant Health is made up of eight hospitals, physician practices, home health, hospice, wellness centers and other health care services. As a major resource for health services and education, Vidant Health strives to support local medical communities and to work with providers throughout the region to deliver quality care. Its goal is to enhance services that are available locally and to eliminate barriers involving time, distance and lack of awareness that sometimes prevent patients from receiving the care they need.
About NCEast Alliance
The NCEast Alliance is a regional, public/private, not-for-profit, economic development corporation serving 28 counties with approximately 1.3 million residents in several small metropolitan and micropolitan areas across eastern North Carolina. The region extends from the fringe of the Research Triangle to the Atlantic Coast and from Jacksonville/Onslow County to the Virginia state line. The Alliance provides community capacity building, advocacy, marketing/lead generation, and assists companies with site location and expansion evaluations. For more information on the NCEast Alliance, visit us at www.nceast.org or for more information on STEM East, go to www.stemeast.org or visit our workforce development site at www.ncworkready.org.