Ela Lena

Ela Lena, MSL, BSN, FACHE, was named the new President and Chief Executive Officer at Southern Regional Medical Center on August 8, 2022. Ela replaces Charlotte W. Dupré who led the hospital since the acquisition by Prime Healthcare and announced her retirement in April after a more than 40-year career in healthcare.

Ela joined Southern Regional and Prime Healthcare with over 30 years of healthcare experience. She previously served as System Chief Operating Officer and CEO at Bethesda Health in Boynton Beach, Florida. Earlier in her career, Ela served as COO at Florida Medical Center, a Steward Healthcare facility in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Vice President of Operations at SurgiCare Surgical Associates in New Jersey. In addition, Ela has served in various leadership roles at Broward Health in Florida.

A seasoned healthcare executive, Ela is a skilled strategic planner with a sense of urgency to deliver integrated, patient-focused solutions and high-quality, compassionate care. Additionally, her strengths include cultivating a culture of mentorship and developing strong leaders who focus on achieving their goals while setting the stage for staff engagement and support and the organizational success.

Ela earned a Master of Science in Leadership Organizational Behavior from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Phoenix, Florida. She is currently working toward her Doctorate of Business Administration – Healthcare with an anticipated graduation date of December 2022.