Dr. Tom McDougal

Dr. Tom McDougal is a proven healthcare executive, author, and speaker. Tom currently serves as CEO for Merit Health in Biloxi, Mississippi. Tom began his hospital CEO leadership at age 27 and has served as CEO for six different hospitals over nearly 20 years including for profit, not for profit, and governmental hospitals. He also invested six years with entrepreneurial ventures founding multiple innovative companies and assisted Samford University with establishing its Healthcare Administration program. Finally, he has published multiple articles and books, the most recent of which is scheduled for publication late 2020 entitled, Predicting Patient Decisions: An Economics Handbook for Healthcare Executives.

Tom holds a Doctor of Science degree in Healthcare Management in addition to MSHA and MBA degrees. He graduated summa cum laude from Samford University. Tom is a Fellow in ACHE and has been elected as Regent for the Mississippi Region of ACHE effective March of 2021.