HASC is pleased to welcome Sal Ababneh, the new senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente (KP) Los Angeles Medical Center. With over two decades of experience in medical operations and health care leadership, Ababneh brings a wide breadth of skills and knowledge to KP’s flagship Los Angeles tertiary care center.
Most recently, he served as president and chief operating officer (COO) for the University of Wisconsin (UW) SwedishAmerican Health System and Northern Illinois Region. The latter is part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s integrated health system, providing care in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. University of Wisconsin Health includes UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital and others specializing in heart health, women and children’s health, cancer and more.
Prior to joining UW Health, Ababneh was senior vice president and COO for St. Luke’s Medical Center-Houston. Earlier, he served for four years as administrative director for surgical services and cardiovascular operations at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Houston. In 2017, he became vice president of operations and service lines at St. Luke’s Health–Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center before moving to UW Health.
Ababneh earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing at Jordan University in Amman, Jordan. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in business administration from Cambridge University, England, and a master’s in nursing administration from Prairie View A&M University, Texas.