Chief Operating Officer,
WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
Photo by Michael Switzer.
By Kenzie Dye
WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals’ Chief Operating Officer Leslie Lawson completed her undergraduate degree in business administration, with a focus on finance, at Kansas State University. In her early career, Lawson pursued positions in finance but chose to step into the health care field in 2000, working in payor contract negotiations and compliance for West Virginia University (WVU) Medicine. She later pursued an MBA with a focus in health care from Waynesburg University.
In 2015, Lawson transitioned to a formal operational role at WVU Medicine.
She explains that this transition occurred as a result of her seeking out leaders in the organization to identify ways to connect her financial experience with the need to understand the strategic and operational needs and goals of the organization.
“It also happened at a time when WVU Medicine went through executive leadership changes,” Lawson says. “Those new leaders, including Albert Wright and Amy Bush, were truly key in mentoring and supporting me in operational roles that better aligned with my skills and experience.”
Following her role as a manager of contracting at WVU Medicine, Lawson transitioned to director of the stroke program, where she led the organization from primary to comprehensive stroke certification. She was then promoted to administrator for the WVU Medicine Heart and Vascular Institute and later became the assistant vice president.
In June 2022, Thomas Memorial and Saint Francis Hospital became affiliates of WVU Medicine, becoming full members of the health care system on January 1, 2023. Lawson became the vice president of operations at WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals before being promoted to her current role as chief operating officer.
In this role, Lawson oversees the efficiency and effectiveness of the daily operations of the hospital and facilitates the coordination between all departments to meet the company’s needs. She participates in the development of strategic plans that help Thomas Hospitals meet its goals and ensure high levels of patient care and satisfaction.
“Something I truly enjoy in this role is managing the complexity of the operations on a daily basis,” she says. “When an institution is growing and adding new services, it requires a different level of engagement and coordination by all our hospital departments. It’s also critically important to put time into supporting and educating your staff. Mentoring staff who want to continue to grow professionally is something I make time to do.”
Alongside mentoring staff, Lawson engages in community service through United Way. She volunteered for the finance committee while living in Harrison County in the 2000s and says she loved learning all the ways United Way helped local organizations provide services to the communities they serve.
Since 2022, she has served on the board of directors for United Way of Central West Virginia and has been actively involved in fundraising efforts. She helped coordinate the first-ever workplace fundraising campaign at Thomas Hospitals, benefiting the United Way of Central West Virginia in 2024.
Lawson’s dedication has been recognized through multiple awards and positions, including First Community Bank Rookie of the Year, WVU Hospitals – Emerging Leaders Institute, WVU Hospitals Presidential Leadership Award, Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Vizient Cardiovascular Network Advisory Committee, West Virginia Hospital Association Finance Board, West Virginia Hospital Association Leadership Academy, United Way Board of Directors and WVU Hospitals Patient Experience Executive Oversight Committee.
“I am very proud to be from West Virginia and to help improve the quality of health care in this state,” Lawson says.
When WVU Medicine started expanding its footprint, a lightbulb went off for Lawson as Reynolds Memorial put up WVU Medicine signs
“I grew up in the Wheeling area and my family and friends continue to live and receive their health care there,” she says. “Knowing my mom and sister weren’t having to travel to Morgantown but could see some of the same providers for their specialty care really made a difference in the quality of care they were able to receive.”
Lawson had and continues to have a vested interest in seeing the scope and quality of services expand.
“I’m so proud to be in a leadership role that allows me to be part of a similar expansion in South Charleston. Our vision at Thomas Hospitals is to be the southern hub for WVU Medicine.”
Thomas Hospitals Addresses Challenges and Community Needs with Throughput Initiative
WVU Medicine—the state’s largest health system and largest private employer—is comprised of 25 hospitals statewide. Thomas Memorial and Saint Francis Hospital became affiliates of WVU Medicine in 2022 and became full members on January 1, 2023.
Thomas Hospitals has grown significantly in recent years, addressing space renovations, staffing challenges—both local and national—and shifting from a community hospital mindset to a tertiary care facility for WVU Medicine in this region.
In the last 18 months, Thomas Hospitals has more than doubled its average daily census and continues to assess the growing needs of the community. Thomas Hospitals has focused on throughput, improving the efficiency and quality of care patients receive from admission to discharge and investing significant resources into expanding its emergency department, reopening inpatient units and adding new service lines to the facility. More than 40 beds have been put back into service in the past 18 months.
“We’ve made great progress reducing length of stay at a time when our volume and acuity continues to increase,” Thomas Hospitals Chief Operating Officer Leslie Lawson says. “These efficiencies result in us being able to care for more patients throughout Southern West Virginia.”
