Meet the Leading Ladies of Cardinal Hill

Tara Diebling and Dr. Susan McDowell are no strangers to healthcare. Diebling is the chief executive officer of Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital, Dr. McDowell is the medical director at the hospital. Diebling assumed the CEO position in September 2017. She comes to Cardinal Hill from The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis (TRISL), a partnership of BJC HealthCare and Encompass Health, where she has served as chief executive officer since 2013. Prior to leading the hospital, she served as the controller at TRISL and has worked in healthcare financial roles since receiving her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University. Diebling serves as an executive coach and preceptor for the company’s new leaders and has consistently improved quality outcomes in the areas of overall hospital care, discharge destination, employee engagement and patient experience. Dr. McDowell has been with Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital since 1994, and assumed the role of medical director in July 2018. She earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed her physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the University of Kentucky. She is board-certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a subspecialty certificate in spinal cord injury medicine. Dr. McDowell is the Janet Galloway Carter Endowed Chairperson of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Kentucky. Both Diebling and Dr. McDowell are committed improving the patient experience Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital and are committed to helping change their lives for the better.