Ann Madden Rice will take over the helm at the hospital and its outpatient centers. She’ll be leaving her current position as chief executive officer at the University of Iowa’s hospital.

Rice says she’s up for the challenge of leading an expanding organization. 

"The hospital is growing quickly and we need to be able to manage efficiently so that patient care needs are met with a building program that isn’t on board all the way yet, so there are some growing pains."  

UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef says Rice is a terrific fit for the job because of her understanding of the financial and operational challenges faced by academic med centers.

Rice starts her new job in October. She replaces Robert Chasen who retired earlier this year.