Advocate Health Care president joins Illinois Health and Hospital Association Board

Advocate Health Care President Dia Nichols has joined the board of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA), which represents more than 200 hospitals and nearly 40 health systems across the state. His term began Jan. 1.

“I'm proud to join my peers across the state to work together on solutions that improve care for the communities we serve,” Nichols said.

Nichols, of Inverness, has more than 20 years of health care administration and leadership experience.

In his role as the first Black president of Advocate Health Care, he oversees 11 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care in Illinois. He joined the organization in 2021 as president of the Central Chicagoland Area and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge — joining a small field of hospital executives who are people of color.

Nichols earned a graduate degree in health administration from Indiana University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

He previously was president and CEO of the 329-bed Amita Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village.