The Big Picture
For more than two decades, Mark Davis has helped shape University of Utah Health through steady leadership, thoughtful questions and a deep commitment to the people the system serves. Now, that service is being recognized with the Utah Hospital Association’s Urban Trustee Service Award.
Davis began his service with the University of Utah Hospital Foundation, where he helped lead philanthropic efforts supporting hospital programs and facilities. After six years on the foundation board—including two as chair—he was invited to continue serving on the U of U Hospitals and Clinics board. He later became board chair and remained an influential presence through years of growth, change and unprecedented challenges.
For Davis, trusteeship has never been limited to attending meetings or reviewing financial reports. He believes board members should move beyond the boardroom—meeting caregivers, listening to patients, visiting facilities and learning firsthand what communities need from their health system.
That people-first approach has defined his leadership and helped make him a trusted advocate, mentor and ambassador for U of U Health.
What’s Happening
The Urban Trustee Service Award recognizes Davis’s long record of leadership, service and support for U of U Health. Colleagues describe him as a constant presence: someone who attends important meetings, asks meaningful questions, supports leadership and shows up for milestones across the health system.
Dan Lundergan, CEO of U of U Hospitals and Clinics, said Davis’s leadership is rooted in curiosity. In board meetings, Davis asks questions that encourage deeper discussion while still giving organizational leaders the room to lead. His role, Lundergan explained, has been to provide guidance, support and perspective without losing sight of the board’s responsibility to the community.
That approach was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. As board chair, Davis helped the board transition to virtual operations while remaining engaged with hospital leadership during a period of enormous uncertainty. He supported the people managing the crisis, stayed connected to caregivers and celebrated employees working long hours on the front lines.
Dr. Kencee Graves, chief medical quality officer at U of U Health, recalled Davis sending reassuring notes after difficult media appearances during the pandemic. She also described him as a grounding presence—someone whose encouragement helped leaders feel supported during high-pressure moments.
Davis has brought the same engagement to issues ranging from hospital quality and accreditation to patient access and campus navigation. He regularly visited care sites and asked leaders a simple question: “What keeps you up at night?” Their answers helped bring frontline challenges and community needs back to the board.
Why It Matters
Effective trustees help connect a health system’s mission with the real experiences of patients, caregivers and communities. Davis has consistently served as that bridge.
His professional background in employee benefits, insurance and healthcare financing gave him a valuable understanding of the pressures facing employers and patients. His board service then broadened that perspective by showing him the complexity and cost of delivering care, the importance of charity care and the life-changing impact of strong health systems. Together, those experiences helped him approach difficult decisions with balance and empathy.
Graves said Davis has a gift for making complex conversations more meaningful. Whether the topic is quality, safety or performance, he asks the question that brings the discussion back to what the community needs to understand and why the issue matters. During a quality “boot camp” for board members and senior leaders, his questions helped translate technical healthcare language into ideas that were practical, relevant and accessible.
Former U of U Hospitals and Clinics CEO Gordon Crabtree described Davis as a peacemaker who created change not through force, but through example, communication and steady support. Davis advocated for the health system under public and political scrutiny, helped keep difficult conversations moving and remained focused on what would make a difference for patients.
Current board chair John Larson has experienced that impact personally. Davis invited Larson to join the board and later became a mentor as Larson prepared to succeed him. Larson said Davis’s ability to connect with people, study the health system and look for opportunities to help made him an exceptional chair—and left “huge shoes to fill.”
The Bottom Line
Mark Davis’s legacy at U of U Health is one of presence, curiosity and service. He showed up—at board meetings, facility visits, dedications, quality discussions and moments of crisis. He asked questions, listened carefully and helped leaders move forward. Just as importantly, he built relationships with the people doing the work and reminded them that the board and the broader community believed in them.
Davis has said that his greatest reward came from getting beyond the boardroom: meeting patients, thanking caregivers and understanding the challenges facing teams across the health system. That commitment strengthened the board’s connection to the community and helped U of U Health remain focused on the people at the center of its mission.
Crabtree captured the gratitude of Davis’s colleagues in a poem written for the occasion: “Mark Davis has given his all.”
The Urban Trustee Service Award honors that extraordinary contribution. After more than 20 years of service, Davis leaves a model for what trusteeship can be—engaged, compassionate, inquisitive and grounded in community. His influence will continue through the leaders he mentored, the relationships he built and the patients and families whose care was strengthened by his work.