Adventist Health

Robert G. Carmen, Executive Vice President & COO of Adventist Health, has held this position since 1999. In this role, Carmen chairs the boards of nine Southern and Central California hospitals: Central Valley General Hospital in Hanford; Glendale Adventist Medical Center; Hanford Community Medical Center; Paradise Valley Hospital in National City; San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield; Selma Community Hospital; Simi Valley Hospital; South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach; and White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles. In addition, Carmen oversees managed care throughout Adventist Health s four-state service area, which includes 20 acute-care hospitals with more than 3,100 beds, 19,000 employees, 16 home care agencies, numerous clinics and outpatient centers and three joint-venture retirement centers. Carmen also oversees Clinical Engineering Services in California. Carmen has more than three decades of health care experience all gained in various Adventist Health facilities. Previously, he served as president of Adventist Health/Southern California, where he oversaw the operations of five hospitals and a medical foundation. Simultaneously, he was the president of White Memorial Medical Center and Glendale Adventist Medical Center. He also served as president of Castle Medical Center in Kailua, Hawaii. Prior to that, he was vice president of Region I, which encompassed Adventist Health s Central California hospitals, and he oversaw Human Resources at the corporate office. Carmen holds a bachelor s degree in Occupational Therapy from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, and a master s in Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Care Administration from the University of Colorado, Denver. In addition, he is affiliated with numerous professional organizations including the California Healthcare Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Brett Spenst, Vice President & CIO, assumed his current position in January 1999. In this role, Spenst oversees the strategic direction and management of information technology throughout Adventist Health's four-state service area, which includes 20 acute-care hospitals with more than 3,100 beds, 19,000 employees, 16 home care agencies, numerous clinics and outpatient facilities, and three joint-venture retirement centers. Previously, Spenst served as regional vice president of Finance and regional CIO for Adventist Health/Central California. He joined the organization in 1986 as chief accountant for Western Health Resources, an affiliate of Adventist Health. He was then promoted to controller and later served as vice president of Finance for Ukiah Valley Medical Center in Northern California. Prior to joining Adventist Health, Spenst worked at Ernst & Young in health care auditing and consulting. Spenst holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Loma Linda University in Riverside, California, and is a certified public accountant in California and Utah. In addition, he is a member of numerous professional organizations including the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Sharman has been with Adventist Health for five years and we are excited to have him on the Gresham Imaging Center team. He was the Education Coordinator for the Imaging Department and was also the Clinical Instructor for seven students from the Radiologic Technology program at Portland Community College. Sharman belongs to the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) and the American Registry of Radiologic Technolgists (ARRT).

Alan J. Rice, Senior Vice President, was appointed to his current position in February 2001, bringing more than 30 years of health care management, business development, fundraising and consulting experience to the role. He currently chairs the governing boards of four Adventist Health hospitals in Northern California. In addition, he oversees multiple shared support services for these hospitals and is responsible for business development, retail medicine, acquisitions/divestitures and physician services for the system. Prior to this appointment, he was president of Adventist Health/Central California. Previously, Rice served as president of Simi Valley Hospital in Simi Valley, California. He also served as senior vice president for Business Development at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and as vice president for Strategic Planning at the corporate office. Rice has received many awards including the Gold Award from the Academy of Health Services Marketing; the American Marketing Association Award for New Product/Program Design of the Ask-A-Nurse program, now used by over 500 hospitals nationally; and the Emerging Leader Award from the Association of Western Hospitals, the Healthcare Forum and Korn/Ferry International. Rice holds a bachelor s degree in Theology and Biology from Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, and a master s degree in Public Health from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California. He also has completed studies and dissertation research for a doctoral degree in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.