Novella W. Thompson, MBA, MA, ALM-C, FACHE
Asst. Chief – CEO Cabinet
nwt4k@uvahealth.org
Novella Thompson serves as Assistant Chief and System Hospital Administrator for Population Health, Post-Acute Care, and Continuum Home Health at UVA Health. She is a member of the CEO Cabinet. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, she provides executive leadership for enterprise initiatives spanning care integration, value-based care, post-acute strategy, digital health, telehealth, behavioral health, home-based care, and community-based service delivery.
With more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, Novella is recognized for advancing innovative care delivery models that improve access, strengthen care transitions, enhance patient outcomes, and support health system performance. She works across UVA Medical Center, UVA Children’s, the physician enterprise, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, ambulatory operations, post-acute services, and community partnerships to align clinical, academic, operational, and community priorities in support of UVA Health’s mission.
Under her leadership, UVA Health’s Population Health Department supports a broad portfolio of programs and partnerships focused on care coordination, digital innovation, community integration, serious illness care, mobile healthcare, behavioral health, and post-acute care. Her work has helped secure significant external funding, expand innovative care models, strengthen transitions across the continuum, and improve access to services both within and beyond traditional healthcare settings.
Novella earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and English from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Marshall University, and an Executive MBA from the University of North Alabama. She is certified in Advanced Lean Management and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Having dedicated more than 16 years—and nearly half of her healthcare career—to UVA Health, she remains committed to advancing innovative, patient-centered solutions that improve the health and well-being of the communities UVA Health serves.