Becker's Hospital Review announces 30 of the best physician executive leaders of hospitals and health systems. These are physicians who excel on the leadership side of healthcare in an extraordinary manner.
Ron Anderson, MD. (Parkland Health & Hospital System, Dallas). Dr. Anderson is president and CEO of Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas. He has served as a CEO for 26 years and a practicing physician for 35 years. Dr. Anderson became CEO of Parkland in 1982 and previously served as Parkland's medical director for ambulatory care and emergency services. He practices internal medicine and has served on the National Health Policy Initiative to advise the White House on healthcare issues as well as the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Under Dr. Anderson's leadership, Parkland received the Foster G. McGaw Award for Community Service from the American Hospital Association and has been a multiple winner of The National Association of Public Hospitals' Safety Net Award for Community Service.
Warren Browner, MD. (California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco). Dr. Browner is CEO of California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and an adjunct professor of medicine and epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and his master's in public healthcare in epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley. He has published a number of books on clinical research and is currently engaged in research focusing on human longevity and frailty, identifying genetic markers for longevity as well as slowing the aging process.
Delos M. "Toby" Cosgrove, MD. (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland). Dr. Cosgrove is president and CEO of the $4.6 billion Cleveland Clinic Foundation, which is comprised of the Cleveland Clinic, nine community hospitals, 14 family health centers and ASCs, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Cleveland Clinic Toronto and the developing Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Dr. Cosgrove has served as the top leader at Cleveland Clinic since 2004. He previously served as chairman of Cleveland Clinic's Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, which was ranked as the top cardio program in the country for 10 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report under his leadership. He received his medical degree at University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and completed his clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital and Brook General Hospital in London.
Melinda Estes, MD. (Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vt.). Dr. Estes became president and CEO of Fletcher Allen Health Care in Oct. 2003. She is a neurologist and neuropathologist who also holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining Fletcher Allen, Dr. Estes spent most of the previous two decades in the Cleveland Clinic healthcare system, holding a variety of positions of progressive responsibility including CEO and chair of the board of governors of Cleveland Clinic Florida where she oversaw both Cleveland Clinic Naples and Cleveland Clinic Weston. Prior to becoming CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida, Dr. Estes was appointed executive director of business development at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland. She also served as chief medical officer of Cleveland Clinic Florida and as executive vice president and chief of staff for the MetroHealth System in Cleveland, where she was responsible for all operational and financial management, strategic planning and hospital management of MHS. Dr. Estes received her medical degree and completed her residency at the University of Texas, Galveston and was a neuropathology fellow at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She also completed special training in pediatric neuropathology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Joseph Golbus, MD. (NorthShore University HealthSystem Medical Group, Evanston, Ill.). Dr. Golbus is president of the NorthShore University HealthSystem Medical Group and an associate professor of medicine at the Northwestern University Medical School in Evanston, Ill. He earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at Evanston Hospital and was a fellow in the Rockham Arthritis Research Unit, Division of Rheumatology at the University of Michigan.
Larry J. Goodman, MD. (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago). Dr. Goodman is president and CEO of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Prior to being named president and CEO, Dr. Goodman was senior vice president for medical affairs at Rush and the Henry R. Russe Dean of Rush Medical College. He is also a professor of medicine at the college. Before accepting the position of senior vice president in 1998, he was medical director of Cook County Hospital, also in Chicago. During this time, he also served as professor of medicine and associate dean of Rush Medical College. Dr. Goodman received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed his residency at Rush University Medical Center in internal medicine and was named chief resident. He completed a fellowship in infectious disease also at Rush.
David Feinberg, MD. (UCLA Hospital System, Los Angeles). Dr. Feinberg is the associate vice chancellor and CEO at UCLA Hospital System in Los Angeles. Prior to assuming the CEO role for the UCLA system, he was the medical director of the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, considered to be one of the premier psychiatric hospitals in the Western United States. Dr. Feinberg is triple board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, adult psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. He is a professor of clinical psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Feinberg earned his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School and his MBA from Pepperdine University.
Gary L. Gottlieb, MD. (Partners HealthCare, Boston). Dr. Gottlieb was recently appointed president and CEO of Partners Health System in Boston, succeeding James Mongan, MD. Dr. Gottlieb will serve as president at Brigham and Women's Hospital until the end of 2009. He is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and focuses his attention on workforce development and disparities in healthcare. He was appointed by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino as chairman of the city's workforce development board, which partners with education, labor, higher education, the community and government to provide oversight and leadership to public and private workforce development programs. In 2004-2005, he served as co-chair of the Mayor's Task Force to Eliminate Health Disparities.
Roberta Luskin-Hawk, MD. (Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago). Dr. Luskin-Hawk was apponted CEO of Resurrection Health Care's Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago in Sept. 2009. Dr. Luskin-Hawk founded Lakeshore Infectious Disease Associates, and has operated the practice for 24 years while serving on the Saint Joseph's medical staff since 1985. She has served as chief of the section of infectious diseases, director of graduate medical education and chairperson for the department of medicine for the hospital. She co-founded one of Chicago's first inpatient HIV units at Saint Joseph in 1987, which has served thousands of patients from Chicago and its suburbs. As an AIDS/HIV advocate, she established in 1989 an independent, non-profit clinical research consortium in Chicago called the AIDS Research Alliance Chicago for which she served as principal investigator for 15 years. Dr. Luskin-Hawk earned her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency, where she served as chief resident, at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, and her infectious disease fellowship at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Rodney Hochman, MD. (Swedish Medical Center, Seattle). Dr. Hochman is president and CEO of Swedish Medical Center in Seattle and has served in the position since April 2007. Before joining Swedish, Dr. Hochman had been executive vice president of Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk, Va. In this position he was responsible for the operation of five hospitals, as well as the organization's medical group and legal and corporate compliance divisions. Prior to that position, he had served as Sentara's chief medical officer and senior vice president. Before joining Sentara, Dr. Hochman held numerous executive-level positions during five years with Cincinnati-based Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, and he spent nearly 10 years with Guthrie Healthcare System in Sayre, Pa. His medical background is in rheumatology and internal medicine, and he has served as a clinical fellow in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dartmouth Medical School. He earned his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine.
Gary Kaplan, MD. (Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle). Dr. Kaplan is chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. He recently received the John M. Eisenberg Award from the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission for individual achievement at the national level. He also was recognized by the Medical Group Management Association as the recipient of the Harr J. Harwick Lifetime Acheivement Award. Dr. Kaplan joined Virginia Mason in 1981 as chief resident of internal medicine and is board-certified in internal medicine. During his time at Virginia Mason, he has served as a section head at Virginia Mason East in Kirkland, Wash.; deputy chief of medicine; and chief of the Department of Satellites. Dr. Kaplan earned is medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1978.
John Koster, MD. (Providence Health and Services, Seattle). Dr. Koster is president and CEO of Providence Health and Services in Seattle. He previously held primary responsibility for system operations since joining Providence in 1997. Prior to Providence, Dr. Koster served as vice president for targeted member services at VHA in Irving, Texas, and was vice president of Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, N.M. He was also senior vice president of Rocky Mountain Healthcare Corp. He is board certified in internal medicine and earned his medical degree from the University of New Mexico.
Brent Lambert, MD. (Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America, Hanover, Mass.). Dr. Lambert is the chairman of the board and a founder of Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America, an ASC management and development company. Dr. Lambert is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a graduate of Harvard College, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary residency program. Prior to the founding of ASCOA, Dr. Lambert was the developer and owner of three ASCs, including the first eye ASC in New England.
Mark Laney, MD. (Heartland Health, St. Joseph, Mo.). Dr. Laney serves as president and CEO of Heartland Health in St. Joseph, Mo., a position which he began on Aug. 3, 2009. Prior to this role, Dr. Laney served as president of Cook Children's Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the largest pediatric multi-specialty practices in the United States. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and completed his pediatric neurology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education in Rochester, Minn. He also earned a master's of science degree in medical management at the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas Southwestern.
Roger Longenderfer, MD (Pinnacle Health System, Harrisburg, Pa.). Dr. Longenderfer is president and CEO of four-hospital Pinnacle Health System in Harrisburg, Pa. He was named head of the Pinnacle system in 2001. Included in Dr. Longenderfer's list of accomplishments at PinnacleHealth is the development of a successful transplant program and management of the clinical consolidations between Community General Osteopathic, Harrisburg and Polyclinic Hospitals. He earned his degree in medicine from Hahnemann Medical College and completed his residency in family practice at Geisinger Medical Center. He later went on to complete his master's degree in business administration at Oklahoma City University. After a successful tenure in private practice in Terre Hill, Pa., Dr. Longenderfer served as vice president of medical affairs at Ephrata Community Hospital. He also previously served as vice president of medical affairs at Mercy Health System of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
Edward D. Miller, MD. (John Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore). Dr. Miller is CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and vice president for medicine of The Johns Hopkins University. He has held these positions since Jan. 1997. His appointment followed a year-long national search for the first CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, an organization that formally integrates operations and planning of the School of Medicine with The Johns Hopkins Health System and Hospital. An anesthesiologist who has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters, Dr. Miller joined Johns Hopkins in 1994 as professor and director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. He was named interim dean in 1996. He came to Johns Hopkins after eight years at Columbia University in New York, where he served as professor and chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Prior to that, he spent 11 years at the University of Virginia. Dr. Miller received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He was a surgical intern at University Hospital in Boston, chief resident in anesthesiology at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston and a research fellow in physiology at Harvard Medical School.
Edward Murphy, MD. (Carilion Clinic, Roanoke, Va.). Dr. Murphy is president and CEO of Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Va., and Professor of Medicine at the newly organized Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. In his position, Dr. Murphy oversees eight hospitals and a 500-physician multi-specialty group practice. Prior to his affiliation with Carilion Clinic, he served as president and CEO of Seton Health System in upstate New York. Dr. Murphy obtained his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, graduating cum laude. Prior to leaving New York, Dr. Murphy was a member of the New York State Hospital Review and Planning Council.
Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD. (Brigham and Women's/Faulkner Hospitals, Boston). Dr. Nabel will become the president of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Faulkner Hospital in Boston in Jan. 2010. She succeeds Gary Gottlieb, MD, who became CEO and president of Partners HealthCare when James Mongan, MD, retires at the end of 2009. She previously served as the director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Nabel is a board-certified cardiologist and received her medical degree from the Cornell University Medical College. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine and a clinical and research fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at BWH and Harvard University. During her career, she has served on the faculty at the University of Michigan, joining in 1987 as an assistant professor of medicine. She went on to become director of the Cardiovascular Research Center, professor of internal medicine and physiology and then chief of the division of cardiology.
Stephen L. Newman, MD (Tenet Healthcare Corp., Dallas). Dr. Newman is COO of Tenet Healthcare Corp., in Dallas. He is responsible for the operational oversight of Tenet's 50 acute-care hospitals in 12 states, as well as the company's ASCs and diagnostic imaging centers. He previously served as CEO for Tenet's California operations and implemented the company's Targeted Growth Initiative, which matched a hospital's current service offerings and growth plans against the future needs of its community. Prior to becoming a hospital administrator, Dr. Newman was a pediatric gastroenterologist for 12 years and was a professor of pediatrics and medicine at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. He also served as director of gastroenterology and nutrition support at Children's Medical Center.
Herbert Pardes, MD. (New York Presbyterian Health Care System, New York.). Dr. Pardes is president and CEO of the New York Presbyterian Health Care System in New York. He served as U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and was director of the National Institutes of Mental Health during the Carter and Reagan Administrations. He also served as vice president for health sciences at Columbia University and dean of the faculty of medicine of Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, positions he held while he was chairman of Columbia's Department of Psychiatry. He was the director of the Psychiatry Service at the Presbyterian Hospital and director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He served as chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the AAMC's Council of Deans. In 1997, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Pardes has served as chairman of the psychiatry departments at the State University of New York, Downstate, the University of Colorado Medical Center and Columbia. He served as president of the American Psychiatric Association from 1989-90 and as chairman of the APA's Council on Research.
Jonathan Perlin, MD. (Hospital Corporation of America, Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Perlin is chief medical officer and president of the clinical services group for Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA. He provides leadership for clinical services and improving performance at HCA's 163 hospitals and 112 outpatient centers. His current activities include implementing electronic health records throughout HCA, improving clinical core measures to benchmark levels and leading patient safety programs to eliminate HAIs. Before joining HCA in 2006, Dr. Perlin was Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. At VHA, Dr. Perlin directed care to over 5.4 million patients annually by more than 200,000 healthcare professionals at 1,400 sites including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, counseling centers and other facilities, with an operating and capital budget of over $34 billion. Dr. Perlin has a master's of science in health administration and received his Ph.D. in pharmacology with his medical degree as part of the Physician Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Perlin has faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University as adjunct professor of medicine and biomedical informatics and at VCU as adjunct professor of health administration.
Patrick J. Quinlan, MD. (Ochsner Health System, New Orleans). Dr. Quinlan is CEO of Ochsner Health System in New Orleans and is responsible for all operations and strategic growth for the health system. He previously served as chief medical officer for Ochsner and was chief medical officer at Lovelace Health Systems in Albuquerque, N.M. Dr. Quinlan earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He completed his internship at Carraway Methodist Center in Birmingham, Ala., and a dermatology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is board certified in dermatology and also earned a master's degree in health administration from the College of St. Francis in Albuquerque.
Prem Reddy, MD. (Prime Healthcare Services, Victorville, Calif.). Dr. Reddy is chairman and founder of Prime Healthcare Services, which oversees 13 acute-care hospitals in California. He is board certified in both internal medicine and cardiology. During his 25 years serving the High Desert region of California, he has built several practices and hospitals from the ground up, including the Desert Valley Medical Group and Desert Valley Hospital. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiologists and the American College of Physicians. Dr. Reddy is committed to serving his community and founded the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Fund, which is a nonprofit organization that serves the healthcare needs of the High Desert community, including a free public health library, a scholarship fund and support of other healthcare-related charities.
William Roper, MD. (University of North Carolina Health Care System, Chapel Hill, N.C.). Dr. Roper is CEO and vice chancellor of medical affairs for the University of North Carolina Health Care System in Chapel Hill, N.C., and dean of the UNC School of Medicine. He also is professor of health policy and administration in the School of Public Health and is professor of pediatrics in the School of Medicine at UNC. Prior to joining UNC, Dr. Roper was vice president of Prudential HealthCare, director of the CDC, served on the senior White House staff and was administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (responsible for Medicare and Medicaid) and was a White House fellow. Dr. Roper is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of the board of trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He attended medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine and earned his master's in public health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.
Thomas Royer, MD. (CHRISTUS Health System, Irving, Texas). Dr. Royer is CEO and president of the CHRISTUS Health System in Irving, Texas, and leads day-to-day operations for CHRISTUS Health, lending extensive expertise in developing physician partnerships and community health programs within the company. Before joining CHRISTUS, Dr. Royer served as senior vice president of medical affairs and chairman of the board of governors of Henry Ford Medical Group. He served for two years at Johns Hopkins Medical Services Corporation and Wyman Park Medical Associates in Baltimore in a variety of positions including CEO, president and COO and vice president of clinical operations. Dr. Royer, who is board certified in surgery, received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his postdoctoral training at Geisinger Medical Center and Clinic.
Steven M. Safyer, MD. (Montefiore Medical Center, New York). Dr. Sayer is president and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Montefiore is the University Hospital and academic medical center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. An accomplished physician leader and highly respected healthcare executive, Dr. Safyer has been at Montefiore for 25 years, most recently as senior vice president and chief medical officer. Dr. Safyer received medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He conducted his internship and residency in social medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and is board certified in internal medicine. He holds academic appointments as professor of medicine in the department of medicine and professor of epidemiology and population health in the department of epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Paul Summerside, MD (Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, Wis.). Dr. Summerside is chairman of the board at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay, Wis., and chief medical officer at BayCare Clinic. Dr. Summerside is board certified in emergency medicine and has practiced emergency medicine in the Green Bay area since 1988. He attended the University of Iowa College of Medicine and holds a master's in medical management from the University of Southern California. He is also an active member of the American College of Physician Executives.
Nick Turkal, MD. (Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee). Dr. Turkal is president and CEO of Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee, Wisc. Prior to becoming CEO, he was senior vice president and president of the company's Metro Region. He also previously served as program director and the family medicine associate chair at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center. Dr. Turkal graduated from Creighton University Medical School before coming to Milwaukee for residency training at St. Michael's Family Practice Residency Program. He also ran a solo practice in Robinson, Ill., before coming to St. Luke's in 1989.
Harold Varmus, MD. (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York). Dr. Varmus is president and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was the former director of the National Institutes of Health and co-recipient (along with J. Michael Bishop, MD) of a Nobel Prize for studies of the genetic basis of cancer. While at the NIH, Dr. Varmus initiated many changes in the conduct of intramural and extramural research programs, recruited new leaders for most of the important positions at the NIH, planned three major buildings on the NIH campus and helped to initiate the five-year doubling of the NIH budget. He has authored more than 300 scientific papers and four books, including an introduction to the genetic basis of cancer for a general audience, and he has been an advisor to the federal government, pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms and many academic institutions. He served on the World Health Organization's Commission on Macroeconomics and Health and is a co-founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Public Library of Science.
Paul Whelton, MD. (Loyola University Health System, Chicago). Dr. Whelton is president and CEO of Loyola University Health System in Chicago. He was senior vice president for health sciences at Tulane University Health Sciences Center and was dean of the Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Whelton has held faculty positions at both Tulane and Johns Hopkins University. A native of Cork City, Ireland, Dr. Whelton received his medical degree from the National University of Ireland, University College Cork and a master's of science degree in epidemiology from the University of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Whelton has conducted a series of groundbreaking studies on the prevention and treatment of hypertension for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institute on Aging. He is well-published and has served as a consultant to numerous national and international health agencies and governments.