Dr. LouAnn Woodward, who serves as the vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is planning to retire next year.
Woodward wrote in a Thursday email to faculty, staff, and students that she had informed the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees of her plans to step down at the end of the current academic year on June 30, 2027.
Woodward, 62, has worked at UMMC for more than 40 years. She graduated from UMMC in 1991 and completed her residency there in 1995. She stayed on board as a professor and associate residency program director and has served in various positions since, including medical director, residency program director, assistant dean, dean, and associate vice chancellor for health affairs.
In March 2015, she became the first woman selected as vice chancellor for health affairs, the highest-ranking leadership position at UMMC.
“There will be forthcoming opportunities to express my enormous appreciation but I will start now by simply saying that serving as vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine for UMMC since 2015 has been an honor and privilege beyond my wildest imagination,” Woodward wrote.
Also in the email, Woodward said that University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce recommended to the board that Dr. Alan Jones succeed Woodward as head of the state’s only academic medical center and health system. The board approved the recommendation.
Jones has served as associate chancellor for health affairs since June 2024 and previously served as vice chancellor for clinical affairs.
“Dr. Woodward has been a driving force for advancing health care in our state and improving the lives of Mississippians for today and generations to come,” Boyce said. “Throughout her distinguished career, her visionary and unwavering leadership has expanded medical education, strengthened partnerships across the state, championed children’s health care, and advanced cancer care.
“Dr. Woodward’s enduring legacy is reflected in the significant progress and institutional achievements at UMMC, as well as in the countless lives she has touched, the communities she has strengthened, and the healthier Mississippi she has helped build. I congratulate her on a well-deserved retirement.
“I’m deeply grateful to Dr. Alan Jones’ willingness to serve in this important leadership role and build upon UMMC’s tremendous achievements and momentum. His extensive experience across the clinical, academic, research, operational, and leadership functions of UMMC positions him to advance the medical center’s vital mission and guide it into its next chapter of growth, innovation, and service to our state.”
Woodward added in her email that she supports Jones’ appointment and that, “UMMC’s future is bright, and it will be in excellent hands with Dr. Jones at the helm.”
Woodward’s successes at UMMC include an expansion of Children’s of Mississippi hospital and the incoming construction of a new cancer center in Jackson. Ground is expected to be broken next week on the $250 million Cancer Center and Research Institute building, which is aimed at helping Mississippi secure its first National Cancer Institute designation. Woodward also guided UMMC through the COVID-19 pandemic and its response to a cyberattack earlier this year, which officials say the medical center handled without paying a ransom.
In addition to being Mississippi’s only academic medical center, UMMC operates seven hospitals, 35 clinics, and more than 200 telehealth sites statewide.