Her Story
About Elizabeth "Bess"
Elizabeth “Bess” Wildman is a seasoned academic healthcare administrator and financial leader serving as Vice Dean for Academic Administration and Finance in the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago. With more than three decades of experience in healthcare administration, she oversees a broad portfolio spanning finance, human resources, information technology, clinical operations, and grants administration, helping advance the institution’s missions of patient care, education, and research. Wildman began her career in banking operations before transitioning to healthcare after earning her MBA, and she has since held leadership positions at multiple academic medical centers, including significant experience with faculty practice plans and complex healthcare operations.
Throughout her career, Wildman has emphasized that her greatest professional success comes from people and talent development. She takes particular pride in mentoring administrative fellows and developing members of her teams into confident, capable leaders. Her leadership approach combines strategic and financial discipline with a strong commitment to authenticity, collaboration, and organizational development. She is actively engaged with professional and leadership organizations including the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and Women of Impact, and she has also contributed to leadership networks focused on advancing women in healthcare.
Looking toward the future of healthcare, Wildman sees an industry undergoing significant disruption driven by artificial intelligence, rising cost pressures, workforce shortages, policy changes, and evolving models of care. She sees tremendous opportunity in areas such as precision medicine, AI-enabled healthcare delivery, home-based care, and new approaches to workforce development and system-wide learning. For aspiring women leaders, she advocates finding the balance between authenticity and strategic awareness, encouraging women to recognize and navigate societal expectations while confidently challenging inequities and refusing to be overlooked. At the heart of her philosophy is a people-first approach grounded in mentorship, continuous development, family, and meaningful engagement with the broader community.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth "Bess"
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to people. I have always believed in developing others, particularly administrative fellows, and mentoring my team to become outstanding leaders. Investing in people, supporting their growth, and helping them reach their potential has been central to my success.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to be mindful that being a woman leader often requires an additional level of balance. I encourage young women to remain authentic to who they are, recognize and navigate the different ways society may view women, and challenge inequities without adopting a victim posture. Most importantly, know your value and do not accept being walked over.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Healthcare is experiencing a significant period of disruption, driven by policy changes, the rapid growth of AI, public intolerance of rising healthcare costs, and workforce shortages. At the same time, these challenges create important opportunities. Precision medicine, in-home care, AI-enabled healthcare delivery, alternative providers, and new approaches to system-wide learning and workforce development all have the potential to reshape the field.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
People-first leadership is one of my most important values. I place a strong emphasis on developing talent, mentoring others, and helping people become outstanding leaders. Outside of work, family and active engagement in my community are equally important to me. Together, these values guide how I lead, how I support others, and how I contribute to the communities around me.
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