Austin, TX — St. David’s South Austin Medical Center has named Megan Drake as the hospital’s new chief operating officer. Drake assumed her role on June 1.
Before joining St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, Drake served as the chief operating officer at Heart Hospital of Austin. In this role, she managed a $20.9-million capital expansion, increasing the hospital’s bed capacity by nearly 25% and expanding support service areas to accommodate the hospital’s growth.
“Megan has more than a decade of experience and a proven record of success in hospital operations and business development,” Charles Laird, chief executive officer of St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, said. “She is a strong addition to the leadership team at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center and will play a key role in further advancing the growth of the hospital.”
Prior to her time at Heart Hospital of Austin, Drake was chief operating officer at Shelby Baptist Medical Center—a 252-bed hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. In this role, she provided administrative and financial oversight of hospital services, including wound care, dietary, environmental, biomedical, security, respiratory therapy, imaging, pharmacy and laboratory. Drake also managed several significant capital projects, including a surgical suite expansion that encompassed a new hybrid operating room, as well as construction of an electrophysiology lab to expand cardiovascular services.
Prior to joining St. David’s HealthCare, Drake served as the western region chief business development officer for Prospect Medical Holdings, which owns 20 acute care and behavioral health hospitals in six states. Other leadership positions include market chief strategy officer for Valley Baptist Health System in Harlingen and Brownsville, acting chief operating officer and assistant chief executive officer of Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, administrative specialist and facility compliance officer at Lake Granbury Medical Center, and administrative specialist at Northwest Medical Center in Springdale, Arkansas.
Drake earned a master’s degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and a bachelor’s degree in biology from The College of Charleston. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.