Merit Health Wesley on U.S. 98 in Hattiesburg is now under new guidance, as hospital officials in March named Travis Sisson as chief executive officer of that facility.
Sisson previously held the position of chief operating officer at the hospital.
“I am thrilled to be here,” Sisson said. “I had an opportunity to work here a few years ago as the chief operating officer, and so to be allowed to come back and lead the organization is pretty special.”
Sisson earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as well as an MBA from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Sisson came from Merit Health Biloxi, where he served as CEO since 2022. Prior to his role at Merit Health Biloxi, Sisson was COO at Longview Regional Medical Center, where he was instrumental in recruitment and the launch of several new service lines.
“This year marks my 24th anniversary in health care, and probably half -or more – of my professional experience has been in Mississippi, between Hattiesburg, Biloxi and Batesville,” Sisson said. “So I feel like I’m a Mississippian now, even though I was born in Alabama.
“I would say that my experience has prepared me to work not only for the community – which we still have a lot of ties to the community, because our children live here – but with the state as well. (We want to) make sure that we’re improving care and access to care for everybody in the Pine Belt.”
After returning to Hattiesburg from the Gulf Coast, Sisson served as COO at Merit Health Wesley from 2008-2013.
“It was a great opportunity to come back home to Hattiesburg; three of our four children still live in Hattiesburg,” Sisson said. “So a chance to come back to a hospital that was home to me for a very long time, to go to a bigger hospital and help drive improvements to really help our hospital fill the potential that we have, was just an opportunity I couldn’t say ‘no’ to.”
Sisson said he is looking forward to working with the hospital’s staff to lead the facility in all its future endeavors.
“Wesley has really outstanding people that work here,” he said. “The care that we deliver is great, and we’ve got opportunities the showcase the great work we do for the community.
“So I would say under my leadership, I want to make sure that we shine a spotlight on all the great work that our team does, and that we are serving the needs of our community in a way that resonates with them. (We also want to make sure) that we grow our hospital, and become the hospital of choice in the Pine Belt.”
To learn more about Merit Health Wesley’s leadership team, visit www.merithealthwesley.com/leadership.
"Travis has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry," said Gardner Fletcher, M.D., and chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees. "He has demonstrated an ability to guide health systems through new changes and initiatives, forge strong relationships with physicians, and engage with both employees and the community."
