CINCINNATI–Anya Sanchez, MD, MBA, has been named Administrative Director of the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute (UCNI) at University Hospital. Dr. Sanchez is responsible for the management and oversight of day-to-day operations for the tertiary/quaternary program’s seven centers of excellence.

Kimbaird Avant, MS, has been hired to manage the UC Brain Tumor Center, one of the seven centers of excellence. Mr. Avant is responsible for brain tumor operational efficiencies and center development.

Prior to joining UCNI, Dr. Sanchez was the Director of the Physicians in Leadership Program for Sg2, LLC, an international healthcare intelligence firm based in Chicago. She also served as Senior Consultant at Sg2 in a dual role as Project Manager and Clinical Lead on the firm's strategic consulting team, providing clinical oversight and managing project team efficiency, project profitability, client relationships, and business development opportunities. Before joining Sg2, Dr. Sanchez served as the Director of Operations at Becker & Associates, a healthcare regulatory consulting firm in Washington, DC.

Though her primary focus throughout her career has been in the area of neuroscience, she also has experience developing strategic plans and implementing tactics for multiple service lines and across entire hospitals and regional health systems.

Of her new role at UCNI, Sanchez said, “It’s a privilege to be part of such a great organization. The Institute’s dedication to patient care, research and education is truly inspiring, and it is exciting to see how UCNI is changing lives every day.”

Dr. Sanchez earned her bachelor of arts in biology and psychology, with a minor in neuroscience, from Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio.  She received her doctor of medicine from the University of Toledo and her master of business administration from Georgetown University. 

A native of Cincinnati, Dr. Sanchez recently returned to her hometown of Lebanon, Ohio, where she resides with her husband and their three children.

Mr. Avant has worked for more than 19 years in health care project management and information technology. He spent most of his career at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, working in the neurosurgery operating room, the Department of Information Systems and, most recently, as an Application Specialist in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology. Mr. Avant served on the Board of Directors for Children’s Medical Center Federal Credit Union for more than five years.

Mr. Avant earned an associate of science degree in computer network administration from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, a bachelor of science in management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a master’s of science in executive leadership and organizational change from Northern Kentucky University. 

Mr. Avant and his wife are the parents of two daughters.