Home
History
Partners
Staff
Press Room
Partnership Council
PHP
PAD
CALS
iHOP
Contact Us
history hdr

dr. cook photoLarry N. Cook, MD
CEO & Chairman of the Board

Dr. Larry N. Cook was appointed by the University of Louisville (UofL) Board of Trustees as Executive Vice President for Health Affairs (EVPHA) in April 2005, after serving in an interim capacity since August 2004.  He assumed the leadership of the UofL Health Sciences Center, located in downtown Louisville, which includes oversight of the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Public Health, as well as 17 centers and institutes.  As EVPHA, Dr. Cook also serves as a key member of President James Ramsey's leadership team.  Dr. Cook is a member of the University Medical Center, Inc. Board of Directors and also serves as Chairman and CEO of the UofL Health Care Board of Directors.

Dr. Cook joined the UofL faculty in 1974 after completing his pediatric residency at the University of Colorado Medical Center and his neonatology fellowship at UofL.  He was named chair of the pediatrics department and chief of staff at Kosair Children's Hospital in 1994, and is a practicing neonatologist, who is regarded as the architect of advanced technology neonatal intensive care in the region.  He also is past president and chairman of the School of Medicines practice plan board and the Medical School Practice Association.  

Dr. Cook serves as CEO and Chairman of the Board of University Health Care, Inc. (UHC).  He was instrumental in the development of UHC, a Medicaid managed-care HMO doing business as Passport Health Plan with responsibility for more than 135,000 lives in 16 counties. 

Dr. Cook obtained his B.S. and M.D. from the University of Louisville.  He is a member of the Association of Academic Health Centers, the Jefferson County Medical Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Kentucky Pediatric Society, the Kentucky Medical Association, the American Pediatric Society and numerous other professional societies.

shannon turner photoShannon R. Turner, JD
Executive Vice President

A native of Harlan, Kentucky, Shannon R. Turner serves as the Executive Vice President of University Health Care, Inc. Ms. Turner brings a wealth of experience from both the public and private
health care sectors. Prior to accepting her current position, Ms. Turner served as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Medicaid Services.  In her role as Commissioner, she engineered
a complete Medicaid transformation plan design and received approval from CMS for the first Deficit Reduction Act reform plan in the country. 

Shannon started her career in the commercial health insurance market.  Ms. Turner's private health care experience includes corporate compliance, government affairs, HIPAA implementation
and oversight of the clinical appeals department. She is a noted public speaker appearing before the National Association of State Medicaid Directors, Medicaid Health Plans of America, National Medicaid Congress and numerous appearances before state legislative and regulatory bodies.

She received her Bachelors of Arts degree from Georgetown College and her law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Ms. Turner was appointed by Governor Patton to the Health Insurance Advisory Council. She serves as Treasurer of the Kentucky Association of Health Plans and has previously held the position of Vice Chair in the organization. Ms. Turner is the recipient of numerous health care awards including the Ronald J. Cutter Professional Services Award by ARC of Kentucky, the 2006 Champion Award by the Kentucky Association of Hospice and Palliative Care, the Furthering Mental Health Practice and Services in Kentucky Award by the Kentucky Mental Health Counselors Association, and the 2006 Kentucky Association of Adult Day Providers Award.    

Ms. Turner is active in the community and contributes her support to charitable activities such as the PUSH Celebrity Dinner where she has served as a "celebrity" waitress for the past two years.  This program funds day care and Kindergarten programs for children with disabilities. She also actively supports the Boy Scouts of America and serves as assistant den leader.

Shannon resides in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky with her husband Michael and their eight year old son, Patrick.

 

 

Nici Gaines PhotoNici C. Gaines
Associate Vice President

Nici C. Gaines serves as the Associate Vice President of University Health Care, Inc. Her state government experience includes
serving as the former director of the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) where she transformed the program under the Deficit Reduction Act. She also formerly served as the director of pharmacy operations for the Department for Medicaid Services where she worked closely with advocates, providers, and CMS. Previously Ms. Gaines worked in the private sector in the areas of government affairs and compliance.

She has been a conference speaker for the Academy Health/State Coverage Initiatives on the Deficit Reduction Act and state Medicaid reform, as well as for the National Association of State Medicaid Directors Annual Conference. She is a member of Empire Executives and Professional Who's Who. While at the Cabinet, she served as a member of the Wellness Committee and Nutrition Subcommittee.

Ms. Gaines received a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism from Eastern Kentucky University. She is currently completing her Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in healthcare from the George Washington University.

She is originally from Worthington, Kentucky and now lives in Lexington with her wonderful husband Keith and two great stepchildren, Megan and Travis.

 

 

dr. cook photoMadonna J. Blum
Chief of Staff

Madonna J. Blum serves as the Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice President and Associate Vice President of University Health Care, Inc. She brings a detailed knowledge of provider administration
from her previous position at the University of Louisville
Department of Pediatrics. Prior to her time at UofL, she worked in the Archdiocese of Louisville school system and at First National
Bank as an officer of the bank specializing in voice
communications analysis and data operations management. Madonna and her husband Bud owned and operated their own business for twenty years, Gourmet Corn & More, which in 2005
was awarded the national small business of the year award by the Congress of the United States.

She received her Associates of Arts in Business Administration degree from Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin.

Ms. Blum is actively involved in the community. She developed and managed a not-for-profit fund raising group, Support A Student, to raise money for students with financial needs. She has served as a member of the St. Edward Parish Council, chaired its Social Outreach Committee and is a member of its Bereavement, Habitat for Humanity and Eucharistic Minister committees. She and her husband are also sponsors in their Parish pre-marriage program and are presently developing a new pre-marriage training program for the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Madonna is a native of Madison, Wisconsin. She resides in Louisville with her husband Bud. They have two grown children, Mark, a graduate of Florida State University and Jennifer, a graduate of the University of Louisville who also reside in the Louisville Metro area.

 

 

Nicole L. RobinsonNicole L. Robinson
Administrative Assistant

Nicole L. Robinson, a native of Jasper, Indiana, serves as the Administrative Assistant of University Health Care, Inc. Mrs. Robinson brings eight years of experience in financial and administrative support to University Health Care, Inc.

Prior to joining University Health Care, Inc., Mrs. Robinson was a Financial Program Assistant for University Pediatrics Foundation, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky and a Fiscal Assistant for TRI-CAPP E.O.C. in Jasper, Indiana.

She received her Associates of Applied Science degree as an Administrative Assistant from Indiana Business College in May 2002.

Mrs. Robinson has resided in Louisville, Kentucky for the past 6 years with her husband, James, and their two dogs, Bella and Sassy and their cat, Mercedes.