UMMC’s First Female Leader Plans 2027 Retirement

LouAnn Woodward, the first woman to lead the University of Mississippi Medical Center, will retire June 30, 2027, after more than 40 years at the institution and leading it since 2015. The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved Dr. Alan Jones, UMMC’s associate vice chancellor for health affairs and second-in-command, to succeed her effective July 1, 2027. Woodward became a prominent public voice during the COVID-19 pandemic and led the state’s only academic medical center through major challenges and expansions.