Johnese Spisso assumed the position of President of UCLA Health, CEO of UCLA Hospital System and Associate Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences in 2016. She is a nationally recognized academic healthcare leader with over 40 years of experience. As CEO, she leads UCLA’s Health System consisting of the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, UCLA West Valley Hospital and over 300 UCLA Health primary and specialty care clinics throughout Southern California, the UCLA Health Homeless Healthcare Collaborative and the UCLA Faculty Practice Group. She is responsible for all aspects of the health system and the regional outreach strategy in the local, state, national and international programs. She has received numerous awards and recognition throughout her career. Most recently, she was named the 2024 “CEO of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal for the second consecutive year. She was included on Modern Healthcare’s 2023 list of “50 Most Influential Clinical Executives”. She was also awarded the “Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership Award” by the Partners in Care Foundation. She was named as one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Most Influential Women Leaders LA Business Journal’s 500 Most Influential Leaders in Los Angeles. Additional accolades include Modern Healthcare’s Top 50 Clinical Leaders of 2020 in the U.S., and she received the Los Angeles Business Journal Women of Influence Award for Health Care.