Chief Executive Officer, Banner University Medicine Tucson
Banner Health
Ms. Flynn Gaffney oversees operations for Banner Health’s academic arm in southern Arizona, which employs nearly 8,100 team members at two large hospitals, a children’s medical center, a comprehensive cancer center and 28 outpatient locations that saw a combined 885,000 patient visits in 2024. The 649- and 254-bed hospitals are training sites for nearly 500 University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson medical students and 750 residents and fellows. With over 30 years of executive-level business experience in the field of healthcare, Alison has unique insight as to how healthcare organizations can balance innovation with efficiency, while adhering to strict compliance regulations to improve the patient and care team experience. Alison is a seasoned leader and strategist who drives innovation, excellence, and growth. She is highly skilled in system integration, strategy and execution, and corporate reputation management.
A strong believer in the power of organizational culture and its ability to catalyze success, Ms. Flynn Gaffney is transforming the Banner – University Medicine Tucson's leadership practices to increase visibility, communication and trust, already resulting in a double-digit increase in employee sentiment about leaders’ level of care for staff. Under her visionary leadership, Banner – University Medicine Tucson is expanding patient access, investing in infrastructure and partnering with University of Arizona and the community in new, innovative efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery across southern Arizona.
She serves as a trustee of the Chamber of Southern Arizona and is a member of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council.Alison has authored or co-authored over 40 publications and is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including being named a 209 Women Hospital and Health System Presidents and CEOs to know by Becker’s Healthcare, the Senior Healthcare Executive ACHE Regents Awardee in New York (2024) and Utah (2020), a 2024 Patient Safety Expert to Know by Becker’s Healthcare, and one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Medicine (2025, 2024) by Women We Admire.
Beyond the Bricks: Engineering a Culture of Trust and Shared Purpose
Monday, March 2, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm CT