David Pope has been selected to take the place of Greg Wood as the new president and chief executive officer of Scotland Health Care System. Pope will start in his new position on Dec. 4.
LAURINBURG — David Pope has been tapped as the new president and chief executive officer of Scotland Health Care System.
Sybil Bullard, chair of the Board for Scotland Health Care System, and Chris Bowe, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Atrium Health for the Greater Charlotte Market, jointly announced the selection on Friday.
“After a very thorough, national search over the past five months, we are confident that David is the best candidate to continue Scotland’s success and work with both the local and Advocate teams,” Bullard said.
Atrium Health’s national team coordinated the search receiving nearly 100 applicants and recommending 14 initially. The Scotland Search team interviewed the initial list and had two finalists spend the day with several groups of local stakeholders. The finalists also met with Atrium Health leadership. The Search Committee, the Scotland Board of Trustees and the Atrium Health leadership all unanimously selected Pope for the position.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Scotland Healthcare System, we are pleased that David will be taking on the role of CEO,” Bullard said. “It was important to our board to find a leader committed to our mission, our communities, our team members and our medical staff. We believe in his commitment, and we are excited to welcome him in his new role.”
Bowe added, “Atrium Health is committed to rural health and the strategic success of our partners in those spaces. Our commitments to rural health access, eradicating disparities in care and supporting sustainable missions of care are demonstrated in our partnership with Scotland Health. As Greg Wood retires and leaves his significant leadership legacy in Scotland Health, we are excited to welcome David Pope as the CEO, Scotland Health. David and his family are fully committed to the success and sustainability of the Scotland Health system as well as the Atrium Health Mission of Health, Hope, and Healing — For All in the communities served. David has a successful history as a leader within Atrium Health and has the strong backing of our leadership as he steps into the CEO role. We look forward to working with the Board of Scotland Health and David as we move forward.”
A North Carolina native, Pope has served as chief operating officer and senior vice president of operations for Scotland Health since 2019. In that role, he has been instrumental in leading the health care system through the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating a major renovation/addition to the Surgical Services and Imaging Departments, and cultivating clinical partnerships to increase services offered in the community.
Prior to that, Pope served as the interim CEO at St. Luke’s Hospital in Columbus and as vice president of Clinical Services and associate counsel at Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge in Morganton. He served as a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He holds a Master of Healthcare Administration and Doctor of Public Health degrees from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Pope and his wife, Jeannie, have three young daughters and have lived in Laurinburg since 2019 where they are active in the community.
“I am humbled to be chosen to lead the amazing team at Scotland Health, where patients are treated like family,” Pope said. “I look forward to continuing to serve our communities by providing safe, high quality, compassionate and sustainable health care. Scotland Health has a strong legacy and a bright future.”
Pope will start in his new position on Dec. 4, succeeding Greg Wood, who will retire at the end of the year after serving Scotland in this role for 33 years.
Wood and his wife, Janet, plan to relocate to the mountains and spend time outdoors, traveling and visiting their children and grandchildren.
“We would like to personally thank Greg for his commitment to the Scotland community and our teammates as well as the tremendous success he has built over the past three decades. He is certainly leaving a legacy to be proud of,” the health system wrote in a statement.
“Please join us in congratulating David on his new role and thanking Greg for his years of service to Scotland.”
Tracie Stubbs is the marketing coordinator for the Scotland Health Care System. Stubbs can be reached at Tracie.Stubbs@Scotlandhealth.org.