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Doug Lawson, PhD

Senior Vice President of Operations and President, South Region

Doug Lawson

Doug Lawson leads an expansive team as Senior Vice President of Operations at CommonSpirit Health and President of the South Region. He works with more than 40,000 employees, caregivers, medical staff and volunteers in a network of 35 acute care hospitals, more than 8,000 providers, and over 500 ambulatory access points serving Arkansas, North Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Southeast Tennessee and Texas.

In his 25-year health care administration career, Doug held numerous leadership roles, including president of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Grapevine, Baylor University Medical Center, and Baylor Scott & White Health North Texas Central Region.  He held senior executive positions at Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Missouri, and Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia.

Doug began his health care career leading the cancer program at Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic in Temple, Texas. Doug also served five years as CommonSpirit Senior Vice President of Operations and CEO of St. Luke’s Health System.

Doug holds a Master of Health Care Administration from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, and a PhD in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas. Trinity honored Lawson with the 2024 Duce Award for his outstanding leadership and contributions to the health services administration field. Lawson is president of the American Heart Association for the Greater Houston Division. He also is a board member of the Texas Hospital Association, which honored him in 2022 with the Earl M. Collier Award for Distinguished Health Care Administration.