Nemours Children’s Hospital’s president leaving by January
The president of Nemours Children’s Hospital, Dana Bledsoe, is leaving after less than five years on the job, the hospital confirmed on Thursday evening.
Officials didn’t say why she was leaving and who will replace her. Her last day is Jan. 1.
“I feel fortunate, grateful and appreciative to have served our families and to have led this hospital,” Bledsoe said in a statement. “I have been humbled by the dedication of our Associates who are some of the most skilled and talented that I have worked with in my career. Together, we have advanced children’s health care locally and beyond, and that has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I look forward to the next exciting chapter in my career.”
Bledsoe took the helm at Nemours in August 2015 after Roger Oxendale, who had seen the construction of the Lake Nona hospital, retired in May 2015. She had been helping the hospital with strategic planning.
Under her leadership, the hospital established a pediatric cardiac center to perform heart surgeries. It also got approved by the state to create a lung transplant program, although the program has not been established yet.
Prior to Nemours, Bledsoe was president of the Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Pensacola. She has also been vice president of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in California.
Bledsoe has master’s degrees in Nursing Administration and Business Administration.
In 2018, she earned her doctorate of executive health administration, according to the hospital’s website.