Atrium Health is pleased to announce that Eugene A. Woods MBA, MHA, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atrium Health, has been selected to participate in Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte Gala, presented by the Charlotte Ballet.

Preparing to take center stage in early 2018, Eugene (Gene) A. Woods and his dancing partner from the Charlotte Ballet will dance in memory of his late father, Eugene A. Woods, Sr., who battled Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer that forms in an individual’s plasma cells.

Unique to this event, proceeds generated from Gene’s participation in the Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte Gala will benefit The Eugene Woods, Sr. Multiple Myeloma Fund, named in memory of Eugene A. Woods, Sr., to advance the Multiple Myeloma research program at Levine Cancer Institute. The event is qualified as an official Atrium Health authorized fundraising partnership activity consistent with the guidelines of CHS Partnerships.

You can support Gene Woods, the Charlotte Ballet and Atrium Health by casting your vote via a monetary contribution through the Charlotte Ballet (here). For every dollar contributed, an equal number of virtual “votes” is cast in support of Gene Woods as the top dancing star. Monies generated through the Charlotte Ballet event website will be evenly distributed to the designated programs benefiting the Charlotte Ballet and Carolinas Health Care System. Use this link to support the Eugen Woods Sr. Multiple Myeloma Fund directly.

Meet the Star…

Born in Rhode Island, Gene spent much of his youth in Spain, where his father, a Naval aeronautics mechanic, was stationed. Gene’s mother, Maria, was born in a city called Jerez de la Frontera (an area dating back to the 11^th century, alive with festivals, sherry and Andalusian horses), and so he and his younger sister, Maria, grew up bilingual and surrounded by a large family. When he was a child, every reunion with his Spanish family included flamenco, singing and the best Spanish food one could possibly imagine. Gene has fond childhood memories of his father coming home each day with the newest blues record and can still recall when his uncle taught him his first song on the guitar.

During his freshman year at the Pennsylvania State University, instead of attending a business-oriented event on career day, Gene accidentally went to a session on healthcare administration. This minor mix-up exposed him to a field that was all about improving the health of people and communities for the better – and right then and there he found his purpose and life’s work.  The very next day he declared a new major and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in health planning and administration, a master’s degree in business administration and then a master’s in health administration – all at Penn State. Gene often jokes that during college, his love for music grew into a more practical purpose, helping him to pay the bills.

Gene has more than 25 years of healthcare leadership experience, having overseen non-profit and for-profit managed hospitals, academic and community-based delivery systems, and rural and urban facilities. Recently he was named among the top 20 most influential healthcare leaders in the nation by Modern Healthcare, and in addition to being President and CEO of Carolinas Healthcare System, he serves as Board Chair of the American Hospital Association, which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals in the country on policy reform and delivery system transformation strategies. Gene’s colleagues describe him as an authentic leader with a powerful work ethic who remains grounded and approachable.

Spending time with family and friends rejuvenate Gene, and he still finds time to write, play and record music.