More Than a Merger: Leadership, Culture & the Future of Healthcare Transformation

Part of the ACHE of Alabama Congress at Home Virtual Learning Series

ACHE of Alabama’s Congress at Home Virtual Learning Series brings high-value conversations from ACHE Congress 2026 directly to healthcare leaders in Alabama and across the Southeast. Designed to extend the reach of timely, relevant Congress content, the series features select sessions and speakers in an accessible online format, making it easier for busy professionals to engage with important ideas without the cost and travel required for the national conference.

Healthcare transformation is no longer a distant national trend — it is happening across Alabama in real time. As organizations such as UAB Health System and Orlando Health reshape the state’s healthcare landscape through acquisitions, partnerships, affiliations, and new models of care, this ACHE of Alabama Congress at Home session will explore what leaders must get right beyond the transaction: culture, talent, trust, and execution.

Moderator

Alok Sawhney, Psy.D.

Principal, Leadership Advisory
WittKieffer

Alok Sawhney is an award-winning psychologist and experienced business professional who helps leaders achieve results, inspire others, demonstrate empathy, and act altruistically. As a Principal for WittKieffer’s Leadership Advisory solutions, Alok collaborates daily with colleagues and consults with clients to improve the quality of life through impactful leadership. With over a decade of consulting experience, he specializes in CEO leadership assessments, executive coaching, and high-performance team development. He has worked with diverse clients, including those in healthcare, academia, life sciences, and private equity-backed companies. Alok is a licensed psychologist and is certified in various leadership assessment and development methodologies. In his personal time, he enjoys spending time with his family, visiting U.S. presidential museums, and perfecting his barista skills.

Panelists

Janet Hadar

System Chief Operating Officer
UAB Medicine

Janet Hadar serves as the System Chief Operating Officer of UAB Medicine. She joined UAB in January 2026. Janet previously served as President and CEO of UNC Hospital & Clinics. With over 25 years of experience in healthcare, she led the growth, quality, and operational performance of UNC Health’s flagship academic medical center in Chapel Hill, the NC Children’s Hospital, the Basnight Cancer Hospital, the Youth Behavioral Health Hospital, Hillsborough Hospital, Chatham Hospital, and a multi-county ambulatory platform.

Under her leadership, the organization earned top honors. UNC Hospitals is a three-in-a-row, CMS 5-Star designated organization. The entity recently earned an “A” grade from Leapfrog and maintains Magnet status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence. UNC Hospitals continues to be named among the recipients of Healthgrades’ Outstanding Patient Experience Award.

Janet has been invited to speak at many national meetings. She is board certified in healthcare management as a fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives. She is past Chair of the Vizient National CEO Academic Council, executive member of the NC Healthcare Association, and serves on several other non-profit Boards. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Villanova University, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in business administration from Case Western Reserve University. She and her husband have 2 sons.

Thibaut van Marcke

Senior Vice President of Orlando Health and President of the Alabama Region
Orlando Health

Thibaut van Marcke serves as senior vice president of Orlando Health and president of the Alabama Region, leading the efforts of Orlando Health’s recent acquisition of Brookwood Baptist Health. Thibaut previously served as senior vice president of the Orlando Health Southeast region and president of Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, where he oversaw strategic plans and financial initiatives, while fostering an award-winning positive workforce culture.

Before joining Orlando Health in 2016, Thibaut spent 14 years working for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) where he served in progressive leadership roles, including as vice president and chief operating officer for HCA – North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, a 432-bed tertiary hospital, and HCA’s flagship hospital in Florida.

Thibaut serves on the Alabama Hospital Association Board of Trustees and the Birmingham Business Alliance Board of Directors Executive Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and a Master of Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Sam Nimah

Chief Executive Officer
TriVent Healthcare

Sam Nimah is the Chief Executive Officer of TriVent Healthcare, where he leads the company’s work helping hospitals develop specialized in-hospital programs for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. TriVent’s model brings together respiratory therapy, rehabilitation, care management, and operational coordination to support ventilator liberation, functional recovery, and safe progression to the next level of care.

Prior to TriVent, Sam held executive roles with Fortune 100 companies in the automotive retail and beverage distribution industries. His experience spans business growth, operations, acquisition integration, strategic partnerships, and building scalable systems across complex, multi-site organizations.

Sam brings a practical, execution-focused perspective to healthcare partnerships, with a focus on helping hospitals create more reliable care models for high-resource, medically complex patients while supporting patient progression, hospital capacity, and operational performance.

Event Details

Format: Virtual Learning Event
Series: ACHE of Alabama Congress at Home Virtual Learning Series
Registration: Register through ACHE