In part one of a two part series, we examine the trajectory of three healthcare CEOs, from their unique beginnings to the roles they currently hold as leaders of some of the nation's top health systems.
1. Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, MD, president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Toby Cosgrove rose from surgeon to leader of one of the most dynamic healthcare systems in the nation — and one that is expanding its footprint globally. In 2004, Dr. Cosgrove was appointed president and CEO of the system, which now includes the flagship Ohio location, more than 75 outpatient sites and clinics in Florida, Las Vegas, Canada and Abu Dhabi, which began rolling out patient services and will offer most specialties by the end of May.
Dr. Cosgrove is a Vietnam veteran. He was a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and served in Da Nang as the Chief of U.S. Air Force Casualty Staging Flight. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Republic of Vietnam Commendation Medal. After the war, he joined Cleveland Clinic in 1975 as a cardiothoracic surgeon. By 1989, he became chairman of the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, where he led the program to the top national ranking from U.S. News & World Report for 10 consecutive years. Dr. Cosgrove also helped launch Cleveland Clinic Innovations, a division focused on technology transfer and commercialization. He retired as a surgeon in 2006.
Now, as leader of the $6.2 billion healthcare system, Dr. Cosgrove has led the clinic to champion same-day appointments — serving approximately 1 million same-day appointments annually — in addition to the construction of a Global Health Center for Innovation and the launch of one of the nation's two mobile stroke units.
2. Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health (San Diego). Chris Van Gorder, who has served as president and CEO of Scripps Health for 15 years, got his start in healthcare as a patient. Formerly a San Diego police officer, a critical injury on the job put Mr. Van Gorder in and out of the hospital for nearly a year. Following his injury, he became a hospital security officer and studied healthcare management.
He earned a master's in public administration and health service administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and completed the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School CEO program. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and previously served as chairman in 2010.
Mr. Van Gorder came to Scripps in 1999 and assumed leadership just a year later. He is well known for his turnaround of the five-hospital system, which was losing $15 million a year when he took over. Today, in addition to his responsibilities as CEO, Mr. Van Gorder continues to serve as a reserve commander for the San Diego County Sherriff’s Department Search and Rescue Unit, a licensed EMT and an American Red Cross instructor. This year, he published a book detailing his leadership philosophy, called "The Front-Line Leader: Building a High-Performance Organization from the Ground Up," where he emphasizes the importance of relationships with employees and patients.
"You can't be a distant boss and hope to be an effective leader," he writes. "You have to connect with people. You have to put time and energy into getting to know them and their work. Not just once. Or twice. Or three times. But regularly, month after month."
3. Nancy Howell Agee, RN, MN, president and CEO of Carilion Clinic (Roanoke, Va.). Nancy Howell Agee has led Carilion Clinic as president and CEO since July 2011, taking the reigns as the clinic was still recovering from the 2008 recession. After more than 20 years of management experience within the Carilion system, Ms. Agee has risen to the top of the C-suite at the $1.5 billion nonprofit integrated healthcare organization, which includes a multispecialty physician group, eight hospitals, the Jefferson College of Health Sciences and a medical school joint venture with Blacksburg-based Virginia Tech.
However, the Roanoke native has humble beginnings. She was the first in her family to earn a high school diploma, according to Virginia Business, let alone a college diploma and graduate degree. She attended the Roanoke Memorial School of Nursing, before completing her undergraduate education at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and earning a master's degree from Atlanta-based Emory University.
Prior to her appointment as CEO, Ms. Agee served as vice president of medical education, vice president and executive vice president and COO of Carilion Clinic. On Jan. 1, she began her three-year term on the board of trustees for the American Hospital Association.
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