Leadership
At HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center, our experienced and knowledgeable leadership team is committed to improving the quality of care and helping our community.
Robert Sabina
Chief Executive Officer
Robert Sabina was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center in January 2025.
An accomplished healthcare executive, Sabina has 15 years of healthcare leadership experience in the greater Houston market. He first joined HCA Healthcare in 2017 as assistant vice president of strategic planning for Gulf Coast Division.
Sabina most recently served as chief operating officer (COO) of HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe and HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball. During his time at HCA Houston Conroe, he led the programmatic build of the hospital’s Comprehensive Stroke Program and the operational improvement of surgical services that resulted in a marked increase in elective cases and robotic-assisted procedures.
Sabina earned his bachelor's degree from Purdue University and a dual master's in healthcare and business administration from the University of Minnesota.
Sam Pena
Chief operating officer
Sam Pena, MBA, BSN, was appointed as chief operating officer (COO) at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center in July 2024.
Pena joined HCA Healthcare in 2012, holding various nursing positions at Corpus Christi Medical Center and was part of the inaugural HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division Emerging Leaders Academy. He later served as director of patient care services, vice president of cardiovascular services, and most recently, as vice president of operations.
Committed to his community, Pena served as an executive leader in the American Heart Association Corpus Chapter. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division Young Professionals Colleague Network and the Latino Colleague Network.
Pena attended Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi earning his bachelor's degree in nursing and master of business administration degree in healthcare administration. He is a 2024 graduate of HCA’s Executive Development Program.
Eric Rinard
Chief Financial Officer
Eric Rinard was appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center in December 2024.
Most recently, Rinard served as assistant CFO and chief staffing officer at HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood and HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland. He successfully guided initiatives that enhanced the hospital’s financial performance, operational efficiency, and overall patient experience.
Rinard has been with HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division for seven years. As a strategic planning team member, he demonstrated a proven track record of aligning financial strategies with organizational goals and implementing systems that improve decision-making, productivity, and care delivery.
He earned both his bachelor's degree in science and master's degree in health administration from Texas A&M University.
Ann Byerman
Chief nursing officer
Ann Byerman, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, has served as chief nursing officer (CNO) at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center since August 2021. In her role, she coordinates the hospital's nursing care and daily operations while also developing nursing leaders.
Byerman is a tenured nurse leader with comprehensive clinical experience spanning more than twenty years with HCA Healthcare. Throughout this time, she has served in multiple nurse leadership roles, including most recently as assistant chief nursing officer at HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe.
As a clinical leader, Byerman seeks to leverage her ability to form strategic partnerships, identify leaders and foster growth and development in nursing to create a culture of excellence at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ohio University – Athens and a Masters of Science in Nursing Leadership and Administration from Texas Tech University.