USA Health CEO Natalie Fox keynote speaker for national advanced practice providers meeting
“The future will require leaders who can pivot strategically, admit uncertainty, integrate systems, and protect culture. Healthcare doesn’t need more leaders further removed from care – it needs leaders who understand what it takes to deliver it,” said Natalie Fox, DNP, CEO of USA Health.
By Casandra Andrews
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Natalie Fox, DNP, PNP-BC, served as the keynote speaker during the 2026 National APP Advisory Council Meeting in Chicago, sharing insights on leadership gained during her career that has spanned from a bedside nurse to chief executive officer of USA Health, the academic health system for the University of South Alabama.
The meeting brought together top advanced practice provider (APP) leaders from across the United States to focus on the evolving role of APPs and spark discussion about new trends, performance drivers and leading practices.
“I’m honored to share my personal journey, along with the transformational growth experienced by USA Health, with such a talented group of emerging healthcare leaders,” Fox said.
The sold-out event, held May 6-8, offered participants an opportunity to learn from their peers through case studies, panel discussions, and structured exercises.
Fox shared a presentation detailing how her clinical roots shape her leadership as a healthcare executive. As one of the only advanced practice providers named chief executive officers of a health system in recent history, Fox offered insight and advice.
“The future will require leaders who can pivot strategically, admit uncertainty, integrate systems and protect culture,” she said. “Healthcare doesn’t need more leaders further removed from care – it needs leaders who understand what it takes to deliver it.”
SullivanCotter's National APP Advisory Council focuses on the emerging role of the advanced practice provider, guiding the development of tools, solutions, data collection, and other resources needed by leaders to assess and optimize the APP workforce. The purpose of the council is to create platforms that facilitate networking, discussion, and ideation.
Beginning with patient care in 2011, Fox has held various roles across USA Health. In 2023 she was promoted 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 along the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast. In 2025, she was promoted to CEO of the 7,200-employee system.
In recent years, Fox has been recognized for her accomplishments on both state and national levels. In 2024, she was named to Becker’s Hospital Review's “Rising Stars Under 40” list and was also named dean of the 2025 Leadership Mobile Class, underscoring a continued commitment to leadership development and civic engagement.
In 2025, she was named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of 95 Academic Medical Center CEOs to Know. This year, she was among the 2026 Class of Women Who Shape the State by the news organization al.com, an honor that recognizes leaders whose work is making a lasting impact across Alabama.
