During Thursday’s quarterly meeting of the University Health System Board’s Quality Subcommittee, members highlighted recent accomplishments of the Health System, including multiple accolades, such as the renewal of the University Medical Center’s Level I Adult Trauma Center status and the appointment of a new chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.
The Quality Subcommittee is tasked with overseeing the clinical quality and performance improvement of U.Va. Health. The committee monitors patient safety, care quality and the patient’s overall experience at U.Va. Health. It is composed of various Health System leaders, such as Mitchell H. Rosner, CEO of U.Va. Health, and Michelle Strider, chief nursing officer of U.Va. Community Health.
The committee began its open session meeting by highlighting the appointment of Aaron Dumont, former chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Tulane University School of Medicine, as the new chair of the Department of Neurosurgery for the Health System. Dumont was appointed by the School of Medicine as the new chair Feb. 10 and will be succeeding Dr. Jeff Elias, interim chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.
Dumont will be returning to U.Va. Health from the Tulane University School of Medicine, where he has served as the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery since 2013. Dumont previously worked for U.Va.’s School of Medicine from 2007 to 2010 as an assistant professor of neurosurgery and radiology.
Dr. David Okonkwo, a Board of Visitors member and chair of the Health System Board Quality Subcommittee and professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, said that he is glad that Dumont is returning to the University and taking over the role.
“[Dr. Dumont] is a luminary in the world of neurosurgery, and his U.Va. neurosurgery tentacles reach every corner of the globe, and [he] has a touch point with all of [those connections],” Okonkwo said. “It is a great accomplishment to get Dr. Dumont back to Charlottesville.”
Following the Health System Board’s discussion of new leadership, JoAnna Monroe, director for accreditation and regulatory standards for U.Va. Health, shared some accolades and regulatory achievements that the Health System as a whole had received this year.
Among these regulatory milestones was the redesignation of the University Medical Center as a Level I adult trauma center. This designation will last for three years and is one of the most comprehensive trauma care designations awarded by the Virginia Department of Health.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, a Level I trauma center is a hospital that can provide the highest level of trauma care and is required to have 24/7 access to on-site trauma care teams and a very wide scope of specialties. These hospitals must have a trauma surgeon present in the ED following high-acuity calls within 15 minutes and must have 24 hour in-house trauma surgery coverage.
The Health System also recently finished its expansion of its Medical Park at Zion Crossroads. The expansion included a nearly 12,000 square foot renovation on the second floor of the complex to add 30 additional exam rooms and a laboratory suite for on-site blood testing. According to Monroe, the expansion will allow the Health System to increase access to care in central Virginia and accommodate an additional 50,000 patients annually.
This year, the University Medical Center was also named on Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of the “100 greatest hospitals in America.” Monroe shared that hospitals on this list are selected due to their devotion to patient safety, innovation, research and exceptional clinical performance. U.Va.’s Comprehensive Cancer Center was similarly named on Becker’s 2025 list of the “100 hospitals and health systems with great oncology programs.” Monroe shared that this distinction is representative of the Health Systems’ striving towards more comprehensive cancer care and groundbreaking research.
“This is a national distinction for advancing cancer care through groundbreaking research, innovative treatments and transformative clinical trials,” Monroe said. “This distinction is unique, as we are among the first 25 centers in America to offer radiation therapy that is guided by [Magnetic Resonance Imaging] treatments.”
Outside of the University Medical Center, both the U.Va. Health Prince William and Haymarket Medical Centers earned “A” grades in the fall 2025 safety grades issued by the Leapfrog Group. This grade represents a strong commitment to improving patient safety, reducing the length of patient stay and decreasing mortality rates. U.Va. Health’s Culpeper and Prince William Medical Centers were also both recognized by the U.S. News and World Report as “best regional hospitals for maternity care.”
The Subcommittee entered closed session following remarks by Monroe. After the closed session, the Committee made no motions to vote on any items — which they are required to do in open session.
The Committee will reconvene next quarter. Meetings can be attended in person and via Zoom. Zoom links, meeting minutes, dates, times and locations can all be found on the Committee's website.
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