Saint Thomas Health announces Vice President of Strategy

Saint Thomas Health is proud to announce Ruth Portacci has joined the leadership team as Vice President of Strategy, effective immediately. Saint Thomas Health is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system.

As Vice President of Strategy, Portacci will provide support to the Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, she will be responsible for overseeing the system’s growth portfolio including supporting the successful enactment of Saint Thomas Health’s service line and continuity of care initiatives, as well as helping to position the organization for future growth opportunities.

“Ruth brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience to this role, with combined experience in strategy and marketing,” said Amber Sims, Chief Strategy Officer of Saint Thomas Health. “We are thrilled to have her expertise on our leadership team, and I look forward to her contributions of talent and skill furthering the success of Saint Thomas Health.”

Prior to joining Saint Thomas Health, Portacci served as principal of Healthcare Strategy Partners, a healthcare consulting firm based in Nashville specializing in helping hospitals, physicians and healthcare partners grow their business and address challenges. Prior to that role, she was a senior director of strategy and marketing at Community Health Systems with responsibility for strategic planning and growth initiatives for 30 hospitals in the south.

Portacci has served on the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) board for the past nine years. She was SHSMD board president in 2017. Portacci is an active volunteer in several Middle Tennessee non-profit organizations including Second Harvest Food Bank and Agape Animal Rescue.