MOBILE, Alabama (Oct. 22, 2025) — Natalie Fox, DNP, has been named chief executive officer for USA Health, the 7,300-employee academic health system for the University of South Alabama. She served as interim CEO for four months following the announcement of the retirement of former USA Health CEO Owen Bailey.

“Natalie is one of the best examples I know of a true servant leader who has a head and a heart for continuously seeking to improve the quality of care our patients receive and the business operations that make compassionate healthcare possible,” said USA President Jo Bonner. “She will guide an exceptional academic healthcare team whose dedication to research, education and world-class medical care will continue improving lives in our community, the region and beyond.”

Beginning with patient care in 2011, Fox held various roles across USA Health, including spearheading quality projects focused on improving population health outreach and reducing barriers to patient access. She also led team-based care initiatives for physician practices and served as manager of clinical operations for its pediatric division.

She was promoted in 2023 to chief physician enterprise officer where she was responsible for overall strategy, performance, and operational effectiveness of the physician enterprise, which comprises more than 700 physicians, advanced practice providers, residents, and fellows who care for patients in dozens of faculty and community physician practices.

As the COVID-19 pandemic reached the Alabama Gulf Coast in 2020, Fox led USA Health’s efforts to provide timely and convenient COVID testing and, later, vaccine administration through a partnership with the City of Mobile. She was presented with a Mobile Community Health Leadership Award for her efforts in May 2022.

“The University of South Alabama has shaped me, challenged me, and given me a mission larger than myself,” Fox said. “I am deeply honored to serve as USA Health’s CEO for the opportunity to give back to the place that has given me so much. My commitment is to lead with purpose and a clear sense of responsibility to our employees, our patients, and our region.”

In recent years, Fox has been recognized at the local, state, and national levels for her accomplishments. In 2023, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey appointed her to a three-year term on the state’s Certificate of Need Review Board. In 2024, she was named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Rising Stars Under 40” list. Earlier in her career, she was recognized as a member of Mobile Bay Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2017 and the Leadership Mobile Class of 2019.

In 2024, Fox was named dean of that year’s Leadership Mobile Class, underscoring her continued commitment to leadership development and civic engagement. Also in 2025, she was named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of 95 Academic Medical Center CEOs to Know. Fox serves as Bonner’s designee on the board of the newly formed Alabama School of Healthcare Science, helping to shape the future of healthcare education in the state. She earned her doctoral degree in nursing from USA in 2017. She also earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from USA.

About USA Health   

USA Health, the health system for the University of South Alabama, the Flagship of the Gulf Coast, is the leading academic health system in the region. With more than 40 care delivery locations, including University Hospital, Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Providence Hospital and the Mitchell Cancer Institute, and physician practices throughout the area, the health system melds clinical care, research and healthcare education into the most advanced medical care in the region.