Jillian Dolan
TidalHealth
“Recruiting isn't just a support function, it's a strategic partner.”
Jillian Dolan has been named to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, the annual award recognizing up to 100 leaders in each category of talent acquisition. Honorees are nominated by peers or found by committees that look for excellent work wherever it happens, then chosen for the depth of their craft and their impact on hiring. This is Jillian's story.
Jillian Dolan's path into recruiting did not begin in human resources. It began in interior design, where a degree in the field and a background in sales had her building a career helping clients transform their homes. Over time, though, she found herself craving work that felt more meaningful and more closely connected to the community around her.
The pivot arrived, unexpectedly, in the middle of a kitchen renovation. The client was a local physician, and in conversation he mentioned an open physician recruiter role at the local health system and encouraged her to apply. It was an unlikely suggestion on paper and an obvious one in practice: with her sales experience and a deep understanding of the region, Jillian was uniquely positioned to help attract medical professionals to a community that, while close-knit and welcoming, isn't always top of mind for job seekers. She took the leap, and found her calling.
What she discovered was that physician recruitment combined everything she loved, from relationship-building to strategy to the chance to make a tangible difference. The impact became deeply personal when family members would mention being treated by doctors she had recruited. Knowing that her work directly influenced access to care in her own community gave her a sense of fulfillment she hadn't experienced before.
After several years as a recruiter, Jillian stepped into a leadership role and now serves as Director of Physician Recruitment at TidalHealth. Her team has grown alongside the health system, evolving from just two recruiters figuring things out as they went into a structured function that today includes four physician recruiters, a coordinator, and two onboarding specialists. Together, they support a growing system while continuing to refine processes and raise the bar for what the function can be.
What Energizes Her Most
Ask Jillian what she is most energized by right now and the answer is not a single hire or a hard-won search. It is the work of building and developing her team. As the department matures, she finally has the space to move beyond simply keeping up with demand and to focus instead on strategy, structure, and long-term process improvements.
One recent milestone stands out. Her team hired a physician recruiter who already had direct experience in the specialty, something it hadn't had before; historically, most team members came from different professional backgrounds and learned physician recruitment on the job. Watching the team evolve, strengthen its reputation, and begin attracting experienced talent of its own is, for Jillian, both validating and motivating.
How Recruiting Is Changing
In a field built entirely on relationships, Jillian sees artificial intelligence as a powerful support tool rather than a replacement for human connection. AI has created major efficiencies by absorbing the administrative and organizational tasks that once consumed hours of recruiter time. Organizing candidate pipelines, setting follow-up reminders, streamlining job postings and outreach lists: automation keeps the team organized while it manages the high volume of touchpoints recruitment demands.
Because physician recruiting relies heavily on proactive sourcing rather than inbound applicants, the technology has also sharpened how her team identifies and reaches potential candidates. Tools that generate targeted outreach lists or analyze regional compensation trends give the team a competitive edge while saving valuable time.
On the limits of all this, Jillian is clear. Technology will never replace the personal side of recruiting. Conversations about schools, hobbies, and community fit, the human details that help someone picture their life in a new place, remain irreplaceable. What AI does is give recruiters more time to spend on exactly those moments, the ones that truly influence decisions.
Jillian's Advice for 2026
As healthcare systems grow and evolve, Jillian believes one of the most important lessons for talent leaders is to secure a seat at the table early. Too often, recruitment teams are brought in after the strategic decisions have already been made, once leadership has defined a vision, a compensation model, or a structure that may not align with market realities. Her argument is that recruiters belong in workforce planning conversations from the very beginning.
Participating early allows talent leaders to offer insight into competitive salaries, scheduling expectations, and candidate preferences, ensuring hiring strategies are realistic and set up for success from the start rather than requiring course correction later. For Jillian, recruiting isn't just a support function, it's a strategic partner, and making sure talent leaders are present in early decision-making is essential to building sustainable, effective growth.
The Talent 100 exists to celebrate the people shaping the future of how the world hires, and few embody that better than Jillian. We are honored to welcome Jillian Dolan to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, and grateful for the experience, perspective, and craft they bring to this community. Congratulations, Jillian. Welcome to the Talent 100.
About the Talent 100
The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees. Selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.
