William Kirkwood

William (Bill) E. Kirkwood, Ph.D. is a healthcare executive with over 40 years of experience in hospital and health systems. He has served as a trusted advisor to executive and middle management groups utilizing an interplay of consulting and coaching skills. The primary focus of his career has been facilitating transformational change initiatives utilizing a performance improvement foundation. Bill’s career encompasses administrative roles at Good Samaritan Hospital (Cincinnati), TriHealth (Cincinnati), Mercy Health System (Cincinnati), Caritas Health (Boston) and Jordan Hospital (Plymouth, MA). He has also served as an external consultant, most recently affiliated with Vizient, Inc. a top five healthcare consulting firm. Bill holds a B.S. from the University of Cincinnati’s Social Work Program. In 1982, he graduated with an MHA from Xavier University. He completed his doctoral studies at The Union Institute and University doctoral program in 2003. Bill’s area of study was organizational behavior with his dissertation on the nurse’s calling which won the President’s Award for Scholarship. He was inducted into the school’s Circle of Scholars. He co-authored Leading Health Care Improvement: a Personal and Organizational Journey. In 2015, Bill began his career at University of Cincinnati as an adjunct in the then Masters in Health Administration Program. Since the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year, he has served as Visiting Professor in the Executive Master in Health Administration Program.

Published Books

Fausz, A., Kirkwood, W., Nickle, W.B., Sullivan, M. (2018. ) Leading Healthcare Improvement: A Personal & Organizational Journey .Nashville, Tennessee , Harpeth Valley Group (Co-Author)