UT Health East Texas Tyler Hospital is pictured. (Tyler Morning Telegraph File)

UT Health Tyler has named a new CEO.

Zach Dietze will fill the role, effective Jan. 1, according to a press release from UT Health.

Dietze is an experienced healthcare executive who most recently served as chief operating officer of Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prior to that, he served first as assistant administrator and then as CEO of Seton Medical Center in Harker Heights and as a program manager at Harris Health System in Houston.

“We are thrilled to welcome Zach back to Texas and to UT Health East Texas. He is a people-first, physician-driven leader who understands that serving people is at the heart of everything we do,” said Donald Baker, market president of UT Health East Texas. “Zach’s focus on safety, quality and service fits our culture, and his experience, especially in graduate medical education, will help us continue to fulfill our purpose of caring for our patients, their families and each other.”

Dietze earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Healthcare Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio.

UT Health East Texas provides care to thousands of patients each year through a regional network that includes 10 hospitals, more than 90 clinics, the Olympic Plaza Tower, 13 regional rehabilitation facilities, two freestanding emergency centers, an EMS fleet of more than 50 ambulances and four helicopters, and a comprehensive seven-trauma center care network, including the region’s only Level 1 trauma facility.