The MyMichigan Health Board of Directors has named senior vice president and chief medical officer Lydia A. Watson, MD, CPE, as president and CEO of MyMichigan Health with an effective date of December 1.
Dr. Watson will succeed Greg Rogers, the organization’s longtime health care administrator.
“Lydia is a respected and trusted leader in the industry and here at home. She has been instrumental in guiding our system through the pandemic, is a steadfast advocate for quality care and patient, employee and physician satisfaction, and has succeeded in creating and maintaining cultures of excellence,” said Rogers, who will serve in an advisory role to Dr. Watson for the month of Dec. “With her insight and clinical background experience, she will play a key role in the continued growth and development of MyMichigan Health.”
Dave Midkiff, MyMichigan Health board member and chairman of the selection committee, said, “The process our team used to evaluate the qualifications of Dr. Watson was objective and thorough. We believe that the unanimous support of our Board for Dr. Watson as our next president and CEO should reinforce the belief with our employees, our patients and our communities that she is uniquely qualified to lead MyMichigan Health into the future.”
While serving with MyMichigan Health, Dr. Watson has included roles as chief of quality and patient safety for MyMichigan Health, as well as chief of staff, vice president of medical affairs and board member of MyMichigan Medical Center Midland. She is on the Board of Directors of MHA Physicians in Health Care serving as chair in 2021-2022. Prior to joining the administrative staff for MyMichigan in 2013, Dr. Watson cared for thousands of women as an obstetrician-gynecologist at Midland Medical Center. Prior to that, she was an active staff member at Saginaw General Hospital from 1988 to 1996.
Board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Watson received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Wayne State University School of Medicine. Throughout her schooling, she also served six years at the Army National Guard’s 207th EVAC Hospital, from which she was honorably discharged as a captain in 1992. Today, she maintains her position as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology. and Reproductive Biology at Michigan State University.
Dr. Watson is active in her community and currently serves on the Strosacker Family Foundation Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance/THRIVE Safety Taskforce, the Midland 100 Women’s Club, and serves as the medical director for the SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) Program. She has also volunteered her leadership at the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women event and the Midland Public Schools Sex Advisory Council. In addition, she is the author of several textbook chapters and co-author of a book. She has also received numerous accolades, including the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce’s Athena Award and, most recently, the 2020 YWCA Woman of the Year in Healthcare. Dr. Watson is married with two grown children.
“While MyMichigan Health has experienced many changes over the past six months following the sudden passing of Diane Postler-Slattery and her husband, Don, what has not changed is the dedication and care provided to patients,” said Jenee Velasquez, president of the board. MyMichiganHealth. “The leadership and direction provided by Greg, Dr. Watson and the entire management team has been nothing short of exceptional. The engagement of Dr. Watson for the health of our communities, combined with her long leadership and respect for all those with whom she works, will continue to strengthen this beloved health care system for generations to come.”
