Fellowship Executive Committee
Toni Leeth
Chief of Staff, UAB Health System
Toni serves as chief of staff for UAB Health System, where she leads transformational initiatives that drive measurable outcomes aligned with the organization’s mission to provide life-changing care. A statewide network comprising 16 hospitals, UAB Health System generates more than $6 billion annually in economic impact for Alabama. Before joining UAB Health System three years ago, Toni spent a decade at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, where she was associate dean for Strategic Planning and Administration.
Beyond her professional responsibilities, Toni is deeply engaged in her community. She serves on the boards of One Place Family Justice Center and VOICES for Alabama’s Children, is an active member of the Downtown Rotary, and is a former president of the Junior League of Birmingham. A native of Mississippi, Toni holds degrees from both Mississippi State University and UAB. She and her husband, Clark, have two daughters, Emma and Virginia, who are rising eighth- and fifth-graders in Mountain Brook Schools.
Summer Tappan
Chief Operating Officer, UAB St. Vincent’s Medical Group
Summer Tappan serves as chief operating officer (COO) for UAB St. Vincent’s Medical Group, having joined UAB Medicine following the acquisition of St. Vincent’s in November 2024. Since January 2018, she has led the physician enterprise at UAB St. Vincent’s, overseeing employed physician practices, hospital-based providers, and a variety of physician arrangements.
She currently chairs the Epic Ambulatory Advisory Group and plays an active role on the Integration Management Council, contributing to strategic alignment and operational excellence across the system.
Prior to joining UAB Medicine, Summer held leadership roles within Ascension, serving as COO and administrative dyad leader for the Medical Group in Birmingham and Mobile, Ala., from 2018 to 2020. She is a graduate of the AMG Leadership Development & Formation Program and was a member of the Patient Excellence Committee.
Summer has extensive experience in physician practice operations. Her career includes a decade with Tenet Healthcare, where she served in various management roles, including director of market operations for physician practices in the South Carolina markets of Charleston and Hilton Head.
Outside of work, Summer and her husband, Chris, enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors.
Fellowship Advisors
Charlie Angel, MSHA
Director of Operations, Telehealth
Charlie Angel is a results-oriented health care executive with a passion for digital transformation and a strong foundation in system-level strategy. He currently serves as director of business operations, Telehealth, at UAB Health System, where he leads statewide growth of enterprise virtual care services. Overseeing a multispecialty team, Charlie has launched scalable platforms in 40-plus hospitals statewide, introduced remote patient monitoring and asynchronous care models, and built strong partnerships with over 200 clinicians in multiple medical disciplines
Before assuming this role, Charlie served as a UAB Health System fellow, developing enterprise business strategies, leading COVID-19 vaccine coordination efforts, and advancing key initiatives in operational efficiency and care delivery. His background includes clinical support roles, supply chain strategy, and analytics, allowing him to bring a well-rounded perspective to health system innovation.
Charlie holds a Master of Science in health administration from UAB and currently is pursuing a second master’s in artificial intelligence in medicine. He is a Birmingham Business Journal NextGen Award recipient and serves on several advisory boards and committees, including the UAB MSHA Admissions Committee and HLAA Board. Known for his collaborative leadership style and data-informed decision-making, Charlie is committed to creating meaningful change in how health care is delivered, accessed, and experienced.
Clarence Hwang, MSHA, MSHI
Project Manager, Office of COO, UAB Health System
Clarence is project manager for the UAB Health System chief operating officer (COO). His primary role is to facilitate leadership planning and informed decision-making. Previously, he was the 2022-2024 UAB Hospital administrative fellow and worked with executive leadership to lead and support hospital-wide efforts, including capital business case development, service line financial analysis, employee engagement, and contracted services for Radiology staffing. Clarence holds Master of Science degrees in health administration and health informatics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the University of Florida.
Benjamin Krueger, MSHA, MBA
Associate Vice President, System Integration, UAB Health System
Ben has over a decade of experience serving health care organizations, with a concentration on transactions and strategic growth initiatives, and in operations performance improvement efforts. He currently serves as the AVP of system integration for UAB Health System, where he focuses on integrating the hospital and related assets across the Health System and addressing the corresponding operational and strategic challenges.
Prior to joining UAB Health System, Ben worked as a senior manager in Deloitte’s health care mergers and acquisitions (M&A) practice and supported clients in a variety of capacities across the M&A lifecycle, including due diligence, pre-close planning, day one/cutover management, and post-close integration support. He has experience working with a variety of organizations, including hospitals, integrated delivery networks, third party administrators (TPAs), and health plans. He holds a master’s degree in health services administration and business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
