Clarkson Regional Health Services Announces Recipient of Healthcare Leadership Scholarship
Oncologist and physician advocate Dr. Mary Wells named 2025-26 Canedy Scholar
April 1, 2025
Omaha, NE — Clarkson Regional Health Services (CRHS), a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation dedicated to improving access to high-quality, low-cost healthcare throughout Nebraska and Western Iowa, is pleased to announce that Dr. Mary Wells has been selected as the 2025-26 Canedy Scholar.
The Canedy Scholar Program awards one Omaha-area physician annually with full tuition support to matriculate in the Health Administration Executive MBA (EMBA) program at the University of Colorado–Denver, consistently ranked as one of the top health MBA programs in the United States. Physicians graduate from the program with greater business insight, broader organizational perspectives, and a more profound personal capacity to address emerging issues in the healthcare system.
“We are so pleased and excited to award the Canedy Scholarship to Dr. Mary Wells,” said Bill Lydiatt, MD, EMBA, CEO of Clarkson Regional Health Services. “Dr. Wells is the consummate physician with superb bedside manner and a wide breadth of knowledge in oncology. She is also a passionate advocate for her patients.” He continued: “The healthcare landscape has suffered multiple crises over the past few years—COVID-19 and the related economic fallout, unequal access to care, burnout among providers, and more. There is tremendous need for well-prepared physician leaders who can pair clinical wisdom with systems-level healthcare skills. Dr. Wells is well suited to take this knowledge and continue to give back to our community through her leadership in medicine in our region.”
Dr. Wells is a general medical oncologist and hematologist and a partner at Nebraska Cancer Specialists. Her clinical interests include breast cancer as well as gastrointestinal and lung cancers. Her other professional interests include health policy, physician advocacy, and philanthropy.
“The Canedy Scholar Program’s namesake, founders, alumni, and supporters have among their ranks some of the most inspiring physicians and administrators I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing,” said Dr. Wells. “I deeply appreciate the vision of Clarkson Regional Health Services to develop a group of physician leaders with the skillset and bench depth to really shape the future of healthcare for Nebraskans.”
CRHS established the Canedy Scholar Program in 2012 in honor of James A. Canedy, who for 36 years served as administrator of CRHS antecedent, Clarkson Hospital, the roots of which trace back to the founding of Nebraska’s first hospital. Throughout his tenure, Mr. Canedy—described by many as the “unofficial dean” of healthcare management in Nebraska—placed strong emphasis on high-quality patient care and believed in continuing education for health leaders both in business and medical aspects.
Through her selection as the 2025-26 Canedy Scholar, Dr. Wells joins a distinguished group of local healthcare leaders helping address the most pressing healthcare needs in our community. This diverse group—representing physicians from each of the major Nebraska health systems, independent and academic practices, surgical and medical specialties, and psychiatry and primary care—is dedicated to giving back through their advice, counsel, and experience filtered through the knowledge gained from the EMBA program.
The Health Administration EMBA at the University of Colorado–Denver is designed for working healthcare professionals. The scholarship from CRHS covers all travel costs for the in-person sessions, full tuition, and all books/class materials for the scholarship recipient. Applications for the 2026-27 Canedy Scholar Program are expected to open around September 2, 2025. To learn more, visit clarksonregional.com/cultivating-future-healthcare-leaders.