Patricia Spees Maysent, MPH '87

Patricia “Patty” Spees Maysent is Chief Executive Officer of UC San Diego Health, the region’s top-ranked health care provider and only academic health system. Guided by a commitment to improving public health, she focuses on expanding access to high-quality care while strengthening the connection between academic medicine and community health.

CEO since 2015, Ms. Maysent aligns more than 14,500 team members who support 1.49 million patient visits annually across the health system’s two academic medical centers, a community hospital, and more than 30 primary and specialty care locations. During her tenure, annual operating revenue has grown an average of 14% per year, from $1 billion to $6 billion.

Under Ms. Maysent’s leadership, UC San Diego Health has earned national distinctions for quality, safety, and patient outcomes, including a top 20 Honor Roll designation by U.S. News & World Report and seven consecutive top 10 placements in Vizient, Inc.’s Quality Leadership Ranking.

Ms. Maysent has also pioneered community-based partnerships that advance regional health and long-term sustainability. She orchestrated the creation of Palomar UC San Diego Health, an innovative joint powers agreement designed to expand specialty care access for nearly one million residents by combining the strengths of community-based care and academic medicine under unified governance. She championed collaborations in Imperial County that strengthened services, improved sustainability, and expanded care for vulnerable populations.

Ms. Maysent earned her Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from Stanford University in 1983, her Master of Public Health from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in 1987, and her Master of Business Administration from UCLA in 1989.

In 2026, Ms. Maysent was inducted into the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Hall of Fame and received the Hall of Fame Award.