Amanda Spielman – Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, UTHealth Neurosciences
Attributing much of her success to her passion for making a difference in the lives of others, Amanda Spielman began her studies with a Bachelor of Science in business from Louisiana State University in 1997. During this time, she was in a car accident that resulted in severe injuries and a significant hospital stay. This experience led her to have a new appreciation for those that dedicate their time and energy to illness or injury, as well as the importance of high quality patient care. After earning a Master of Business Administration from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University in 1999, she began her career in the technology industry before moving into a role as a health care executive with the Memorial Hermann Health System in 2004.
Ms. Spielman worked for the Memorial Hermann Health System from 2004 to 2018, first serving as the chief of hospital operations from 2004 to 2015 and then as the senior vice president of neurosciences and the president of Physician of Texas from 2015 to 2018. In 2018, she joined UTHealth Neurosciences, part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, as the senior vice president and chief operating officer. In her current positions, she partners with her chairmen to provide executive and operational leadership, administratively overseeing an expansive organization of physicians, providers, trainees, research faculty and staff. She provides leadership for strategic planning, programmatic growth, and determining how to provide the best care and experience for patients. Ms. Spielman also manages the finance, clinical operations, quality and performance improvement, and marketing and business development.
Above everything, Ms. Spielman finds nothing more rewarding than making a positive impact on people’s lives. She often tells her staff to remember that, while they have been with patients hundreds of times, this may be the patient’s first time and they may be scared, anxious or nervous. For example, while a staff member may know that a headache post-surgery is common, the patient may not, so it is important to be able to put yourself in the patient’s shoes. Having accomplished much over the course of her career, Ms. Spielman considers her most notable achievements to be serving others, helping to build a renowned physician group by recruiting over 150 faculty members that provides high-quality care, teaching the next generation and conducting groundbreaking research.
Holding considerable expertise in executive leadership, Ms. Spielman spent seven years working for Compaq, a computer company, in marketing, business development and sales prior to entering the field of health care. After her time with the computer company, her past hospital experience, combined with her desire for a career where she could help those in need, drove her to change her career trajectory to health care, where she has excelled ever since. Through her work, she has also contributed to various professional articles on accountable care organizations, optimizing patient transfer programs and quality programs.
For her excellence, Ms. Spielman has been the recipient of a number of honors and accolades over the course of her career. Most recently, she was named to the Top 50 Health Care Professionals of 2021 by the National Diversity Council. She had previously been recognized by the Houston chapter of the National Diversity Council as one of their Power 50 in 2018 and by the Houston Business Journal as one of their Women in Business in 2017. Furthermore, Ms. Spielman has been honored as a Marquis Who’s Who listee and will be appearing the upcoming print edition of Who’s Who of Professional Women.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Spielman’s main goals are to continue to learn, to mentor others, and to help and to bring out the best in people. She has lived her life by the motto, “Give more than you take,” and hopes to leave a legacy as someone who went to great lengths to, both in her personal life with her family and through her efforts to lead her organization to excellence. To young and aspiring professionals, Ms. Spielman would advise putting in the time and energy to learn as much as they can, build relationships, own your mistakes and do not be afraid to take risks.
