Midtown Leader Discusses Local Impact, Emory’s Midtown Legacy
09/17/2025
Emory University Hospital Midtown COO Dr. Adam Webb has seen the Midtown skyline change dramatically over the 25 years since he first lived in the area as a recent college grad. Today, he wears many hats as a key leader straddling Emory’s healthcare and academic missions, in addition to serving on Midtown Alliance’s Board of Directors. We spoke recently with Dr. Webb about Emory’s growth and impact on Midtown Atlanta. Read more.
What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in medicine?
I attended Emory University to study economics and philosophy. But I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. About halfway through school, the picture got clearer for me, and I became interested in medicine. I saw the path forward. And there has never been a day that goes by - even when I don’t get to spend time with patients - that I don’t find fulfillment in what I’m doing.
Describe the team you manage inside Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM) as Chief Operating Officer. What are the keys to the culture you’re creating with the leadership team?
I have a great leadership team that I get the privilege of supporting here, including physician leaders, nursing leaders, operations leaders, and others across a full spectrum. We have more than 5K employees at EUHM and 2K physicians that are on the medical staff here. I've been learning the culture here since I arrived at Emory University Hospital Midtown about two years ago. And our leadership team has put in place some foundational principles of what we believe our culture should be.
They begin with our vision for “One Emory,” meaning that all of our hospitals and clinics are working together towards a singular mission, that we first think about our patients and staff as people, and that all of our interactions are centered around them as people. We also see the importance of our leaders to be change agents and move towards change. Because healthcare moves fast. And it also means owning the outcomes. This speaks to the ability to see a problem and correct it, and the ability to maintain accountability for all things big and small. We try to exemplify these cultural principles every day.
What are some facts about EUHM that readers might not know about?
If you’re in Atlanta and you have a trauma emergency, chances are you'll go to Grady. If you have a medical emergency, chances are you're going to come to Emory Midtown. And our emergency department handled nearly 95,000 patient visits last year, which equates to treating about one patient every six minutes around the clock. So we see nearly the same amount of ambulance traffic as Grady does, but serving a slightly different patient population in terms of medical, non-trauma emergencies.
We also deliver about 5,000 babies annually and have a robust practice for maternal health. We have a level three neonatal intensive care unit here that treats patients from all over the city and the state.
In addition to being a large community hospital, we also have a number of specialized areas where we are doing things as the first in the state, the first in the nation, and sometimes the first in the world. We have a very robust head and neck surgical program here, and one of the busiest neurosurgical programs in Georgia. Our structural heart programs are known across the world. And we broadcast training sessions from here that are viewed by practitioners in other countries. This is a teaching hospital, and we are one of the teaching sites for Emory University School of Medicine. We also have a number of other training programs here for nurses, pharmacists, and other specializations.
EUHM is only one entity among a couple in Midtown. How does the hospital cross-pollinate with Winship Cancer Institute and other Emory properties down the street?
There has been a hospital operating on this site in Midtown since 1911. What began as the original Davis-Fischer Sanatorium and then expanded into what was once Crawford Long Hospital is now Emory University Hospital Midtown. And that now includes the Winship Emory Midtown Cancer Center as part of our expanded footprint. And we’re still growing in this community with other anchors. We recently announced that we're building workforce housing on the block across the street from EUHM to better enable our workforce to live where they work and be a part of the community where they work. We also recently announced a partnership with Project Heal, which is part of the Mayor's Housing Collaborative, to take an active role in fighting homelessness and housing insecurity within our communities here.
You wear a lot of hats. You are COO Adam Webb. But you are also Dr. Webb and Professor Webb. Can you describe these other roles?
As a medical practitioner, I specialize in neurointensive care. So if you have a catastrophic injury to your brain or spinal cord that lands you in intensive care, whether you're having surgery or not, I'm the type of doctor that you would end up seeing. I still care for patients, though it's less frequently than I used to and probably less frequently than I would like to. I still care for patients here in the neuroscience ICU, and I've worked in the neuroscience ICU at Emory University Hospital, and for many years at Grady Hospital in the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center. I still practice and see patients and teach residents, fellows and medical students here.
You’re involved with Midtown Alliance as a Board member, and you have served in that role since 2023. What is your assessment of the work we’re doing together to create an exceptional urban place?
When I graduated from Emory in 1999, I first lived in Midtown with some of my classmates for several years. So I have seen the difference that Midtown Alliance has made on the ground over the last 25 years. It’s neat to be able to interact with other Board members in all different walks of life. And I had to learn a lot about many different topics that were not part of my medical school curriculum when I took this job. And that extends into what I've learned within Midtown Alliance, around what makes a residential and commercial urban center great. And how businesses, organizations, and allied partners work together to deliver on that. So, meeting other leaders and working with them has been fantastic.