As a search team built by a university, for a university, we are passionate about identifying, recruiting, and retaining outstanding talent.
Executive Search Services (ESS) is UCLA Health’s internal executive search team. Designed to function like a retained search firm housed within the health system, our team integrates industry best practices with a mission-driven lens to recruit top talent to the organization.
Established in 2016, ESS has successfully placed more than 50 leaders at UCLA Health. We are passionate about identifying, attracting, recruiting and retaining leaders who are at the top of their field and care deeply about making a positive difference. As an in-house service, we understand first-hand, the opportunities and challenges associated with recruiting for an academic medical center that is built upon the four pillars of patient care, education, research and community engagement and are motivated by a sense of purpose and personal connection to that mission.
Our team brings decades of recruitment expertise to the goal of recruiting leaders who will impact the future of medicine and healthcare. It is a privilege to help identify individuals who will resonate with the culture, not only of UCLA, but of the greater UC System as a public enterprise.
With a genuine commitment to building robust, diverse, high-caliber pools of candidates, our search timelines are efficient, our processes are transparent, equitable and thorough, and each search is built upon the principles of confidentiality, integrity, professionalism, and inclusion.
While our team is focused on recruitment needs for UCLA Health (inclusive of the UCLA Health System as well as the David Geffen School of Medicine), the UC System has also identified our team as an approved vendor for other UCs. We offer competitive fee structures for a variety of search needs and welcome inquiries from other UCs. We also welcome inquiries from prospective candidates who would like to learn more about UCLA Health and any leadership opportunities.
BRIDGET HOUGH, D.M.A.
Director of Academic and Executive Search
Bridget specializes in recruiting senior academic administrators for major research universities, and academic medical centers, as well as chief executives for hospital and health systems. Over the past decade, she has worked on the execution of more than 100 searches.
Currently the Director of Academic and Executive Search for UCLA Health, Bridget joined UCLA in 2016 as its first executive recruiter. Charged with establishing an in-house executive recruitment function for the medical enterprise, she oversees senior-level recruits for the David Geffen School of Medicine and the UCLA Health System. Bridget serves as the strategic talent partner to senior executives, helping to build the leadership team, recruit and retain outstanding talent, and ensure a broad and diverse workforce reflective of the cultural values and priorities of UCLA Health.
Bridget spent seven years with Russell Reynolds Associates, an international recruiting and consulting firm, where her executive search and assessment work focused on higher education and healthcare. She had the privilege of serving as a key member of the search consultant team for university presidential searches, for provost searches, and for a variety of academic dean and department chair searches.
Bridget has a deep appreciation for academic institutions, especially the UC System, having received her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she also completed her master’s and doctorate in collaborative piano.
CAITLIN HARGADON
Senior Executive Recruitment Consultant
An experienced Senior Executive Recruitment Consultant, Caitlin leads department chair, vice dean, associate dean, center director and senior executive searches for the David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Health System. Since joining UCLA Health in 2017, Caitlin has successfully supported or led more than 35 searches.
Her approach is defined by establishing harmony amongst diverse groups of talented individuals, from executives to faculty, staff, trainees, and students. She has established a reputation for cultivating relationships built on trust and mutual respect and is known for her ability to streamline processes and drive success. Prior to becoming an executive search consultant, Caitlin served as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences where she balanced the execution of a diverse array of assignments and projects, honing her organizational prowess and ability to thrive in a field where change is constant, and consistency is key.
Before joining UCLA Health, Caitlin worked at Washington Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she started as a medical assistant and ultimately advanced to the roles of office supervisor and HR administrator. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiological Sciences from the University of Maryland at College Park. Caitlin enjoys running in her spare time, and serves on the race committee for the Manhattan Beach 10k.
DAVID HOUGH
Senior Executive Recruitment Consultant
David (no relation to Bridget Hough) is a seasoned Sr. Executive Search Consultant at UCLA Health, a position he has held since May 2021. His role within the Executive Search Team is to discover, attract, and hire passionate and talented individuals who align with the institution’s commitment to exceptional healthcare, excellence in medical education, and groundbreaking research. Before this, David worked within a private organization where he provided executive and staff recruitment for higher education, non-profit, and industry clientele.
David’s career is marked by his dedication to fostering positive relationships and helping organizations grow through strategic talent acquisition. He has over twenty years of experience, having served as an Executive Attorney Recruiter, where he specialized in matching top legal talent with leading law firms and corporations. His career in recruitment began at Erickson Consulting, where he managed West Coast operations and focused on permanent partner and associate placements within top national/international law firms. David’s background also includes a role as a University Advisor/Manager at Bridgepoint Education, where he managed recruitment, enrollment, and retention operations for student admissions advisors.
David received his education through the University of California, Davis, and Ashford University where he studied managerial economics and organizational management. In his spare time, David coaches competitive youth ice hockey and volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation.
BRIDGET HOUGH, D.M.A.
Director of Academic and Executive Search
Bridget specializes in recruiting senior academic administrators for major research universities, and academic medical centers, as well as chief executives for hospital and health systems. Over the past decade, she has worked on the execution of more than 100 searches.
Currently the Director of Academic and Executive Search for UCLA Health, Bridget joined UCLA in 2016 as its first executive recruiter. Charged with establishing an in-house executive recruitment function for the medical enterprise, she oversees senior-level recruits for the David Geffen School of Medicine and the UCLA Health System. Bridget serves as the strategic talent partner to senior executives, helping to build the leadership team, recruit and retain outstanding talent, and ensure a broad and diverse workforce reflective of the cultural values and priorities of UCLA Health.
Bridget spent seven years with Russell Reynolds Associates, an international recruiting and consulting firm, where her executive search and assessment work focused on higher education and healthcare. She had the privilege of serving as a key member of the search consultant team for university presidential searches, for provost searches, and for a variety of academic dean and department chair searches.
Bridget has a deep appreciation for academic institutions, especially the UC System, having received her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she also completed her master’s and doctorate in collaborative piano.
CAITLIN HARGADON
Senior Executive Recruitment Consultant
An experienced Senior Executive Recruitment Consultant, Caitlin leads department chair, vice dean, associate dean, center director and senior executive searches for the David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Health System. Since joining UCLA Health in 2017, Caitlin has successfully supported or led more than 35 searches.
Her approach is defined by establishing harmony amongst diverse groups of talented individuals, from executives to faculty, staff, trainees, and students. She has established a reputation for cultivating relationships built on trust and mutual respect and is known for her ability to streamline processes and drive success. Prior to becoming an executive search consultant, Caitlin served as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences where she balanced the execution of a diverse array of assignments and projects, honing her organizational prowess and ability to thrive in a field where change is constant, and consistency is key.
Before joining UCLA Health, Caitlin worked at Washington Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she started as a medical assistant and ultimately advanced to the roles of office supervisor and HR administrator. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiological Sciences from the University of Maryland at College Park. Caitlin enjoys running in her spare time, and serves on the race committee for the Manhattan Beach 10k.
DAVID HOUGH
Senior Executive Recruitment Consultant
David (no relation to Bridget Hough) is a seasoned Sr. Executive Search Consultant at UCLA Health, a position he has held since May 2021. His role within the Executive Search Team is to discover, attract, and hire passionate and talented individuals who align with the institution’s commitment to exceptional healthcare, excellence in medical education, and groundbreaking research. Before this, David worked within a private organization where he provided executive and staff recruitment for higher education, non-profit, and industry clientele.
David’s career is marked by his dedication to fostering positive relationships and helping organizations grow through strategic talent acquisition. He has over twenty years of experience, having served as an Executive Attorney Recruiter, where he specialized in matching top legal talent with leading law firms and corporations. His career in recruitment began at Erickson Consulting, where he managed West Coast operations and focused on permanent partner and associate placements within top national/international law firms. David’s background also includes a role as a University Advisor/Manager at Bridgepoint Education, where he managed recruitment, enrollment, and retention operations for student admissions advisors.
David received his education through the University of California, Davis, and Ashford University where he studied managerial economics and organizational management. In his spare time, David coaches competitive youth ice hockey and volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation.
Since our team was established in June of 2016, we have successfully placed more than 50 leaders at UCLA Health. Our economic model has resulted in millions of dollars in savings to the organization, a more robust pipeline of candidates, and placements reflective of the diversity of our community, with low turnover rates.
Most importantly, our team derives meaning from seeing new leaders thrive in their roles and work collaboratively together to continue to make UCLA Health a place that seeks to make all communities better through transformative discoveries, educating the next generation and healing humankind, one patient at a time.
WHAT OUR STAKEHOLDERS ARE SAYING:
“In all my years at UCLA, I have never worked with someone as effective as you. You are superb and I could not have done it without you.”
“It’s great to see that the search is being done by UCLA’s executive recruiter so it makes me even more happy to help!”
“Your experience and talent are evident and palpable.”
“This is the fastest recruitment I have ever been involved in and you are to be congratulated for making that happen!”
WHAT CANDIDATES ARE SAYING:
“I would like to say that I’ve worked with quite a few recruiters over the years, and yours is the best in-house shop by far. Your professionalism and empathy come through, even by email, and I appreciate it.”
“Your communication has been superb and should be commended.”
“Your professionalism and kindness are unparalleled.”
“I am very impressed with how you communicated with me throughout the process, probably the best I have experienced.”
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our current searches or services, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at: ess@mednet.ucla.edu.
