Upland Hills Health names new president and CEO

The Upland Hills Health Board of Trustees has announced that after a months-long national search, Dr. Mark Thompson has been hired as the organization’s president and chief executive officer to succeed Lisa Schnedler, who is retiring after 12 years with UHH.

Dr. Thompson is an accomplished healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in leading integrated healthcare systems in Wisconsin and elsewhere. His most recent position was with Essentia Health, serving as the market president for the western district for that system. He previously worked for both SSM Healthcare and the Monroe Clinic.

Dr. Thompson will begin his new role on Sept. 15.

“I am honored to accept the role of president and CEO at Upland Hills Health and am deeply inspired by the organization’s exceptional culture and unwavering dedication to excellence,” Dr. Thompson said. “Upland Hills Health stands as a model of compassionate, high-quality care, and I am committed to advancing our shared mission of delivering leading-edge healthcare services to the rural communities we serve. I look forward to building on this strong foundation together with our outstanding team.” 

A nationwide search drew more than 140 applicants for the position. 

Jim Massey, chairman of the Upland Hills Health Board of Trustees, said Thompson rose to the top of the field after an extensive review with the board, hospital staff, physicians, community members and others. 

“We are very fortunate to have found a leader of Dr. Thompson’s caliber to help carry out our mission of providing the safest and best possible experience for every patient we serve,” Massey said. “We will truly miss Lisa’s strong and compassionate leadership, but we believe Dr. Thompson will help us build on the growth we have experienced during Lisa’s tenure.”

Dr. Thompson received his M.D. from Michigan State University before becoming an officer in the U.S. Air Force, in which he served as a faculty family medicine physician. He served as a program director for the Fox Valley Family Medicine Residency through the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health before moving to the Monroe Clinic in Monroe, where he worked as the chief medical officer for nine years. When the Monroe Clinic was acquired by SSM Healthcare, Dr. Thompson became the regional chief medical officer for the organization and then became the president of medical groups and the chief clinical officer. 

Dr. Thompson has had many impressive experiences in his healthcare career, which has spanned both large systems and smaller community hospitals. He said his heart is in community-based hospitals, and the fact that he especially appreciated his tenure at the Monroe Clinic led him to seek the UHH position.

Upland Hills Health provides a wide range of healthcare services including primary care, specialty care, emergency/urgent care and home health and hospice. The organization operates a hospital in Dodgeville, has seven primary care clinics, a home medical equipment service, and owns CrestRidge assisted living and memory care in Dodgeville. UHH is in the midst of aggressive renovation projects to relocate the Dodgeville Medical Clinic on campus, move the emergency room and laboratory services into a new space, and add two new assisted living facilities just south of the hospital. 

Dr. Thompson is married to Rebecca, and they have three adult sons. They currently reside in New Glarus, but Dr. Thompson has specified his intention to move into the UHH service area early in his tenure with UHH.