DAYTON — Premier Health has announced that its president and CEO, Mary Boosalis, has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of its 2019 Top 25 Women Leaders.

The highly selective awards program, which recognizes female health care executives from across the country every two years, acknowledges executives who are influencing policy and care delivery models nationwide. In doing so, it highlights the continued need to nurture diversity in health care leadership.

Boosalis has held numerous leadership roles at Premier Health since joining Miami Valley Hospital in 1986. She became the first woman to lead Premier Health upon being named president and CEO in 2017. Under her leadership, the percentage of Premier Health vice presidents who are women increased to 60 percent in 2018 from 52 percent just a few years earlier. The health system also continues to make great strides in promoting diversity; in recent years, more than half of its construction spending has been with diverse suppliers.

Boosalis’ application details her leadership in delivering health care in innovative ways, positioning Premier Health as the first health system in the Dayton region to offer care virtually, whereby people can access providers via video or phone chat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In 2018, the health system also continued to expand its telehealth network for nonemergency care that allows residents in more rural areas to receive care closer to home. The health system also recently announced a hub-and-spoke multi-specialty medical office model to enhance access and convenience of care for patients.