FYI FW: A few thoughts - and thanks - as we begin a leadership transition

He’s going back home:

http://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/blog/2013/06/20/dr-stephen-klasko-named-to-lead-prominent-philadelphia-university-and-hospital-system/

From: Klasko, Stephen
Sent: Monday, August 12, 2013 10:43 AM
To: USFHealth Bulletin Email List
Subject: A few thoughts - and thanks - as we begin a leadership transition

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Nine years ago, I was afforded the honor of being named the dean of the College of Medicine and SVP at USF.  To say it has been a rewarding professional and personal experience for my family and me would be an understatement.  On September 9, 2013, I will start my new role as president of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital System.  It is a point of pride for the president and me that USF's ascension as one of the premier entrepreneurial academic health entities has given us the visibility that allowed me to be sought after for this role.

Today we will enact the transition to Dr. Harry van Loveren as interim dean of the Morsani COM and Dr. Donna Petersen as SVP for USF Health.  Harry and Donna have been two of the reasons that we have been so successful and the president and the Board of Trustees have expressed confidence that we will not miss a beat.  At the same time, a search is underway, led by Dr. Holbrook and Dr. Sinnott, to find a "permanent" replacement for the dual roles that I enjoyed.  I will be available for the next three weeks to be helpful in any way that I can for that transition.

Since several people have asked what I am most proud of during my tenure here, I would offer this.  

First, the ability to bring the campus together under USF Health with the great deans (all of whom I had the honor of hiring) in Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Medicine. There are very few places in this country that have been able to articulate and implement a model that strives for a single college of health as a high-powered team.  USF Health, in that regard, has become a model for the country.

Second, and I believe that those of you who went to MediFuture 2023 this year will appreciate this, no one talks about the future of health care in Tampa Bay without USF Health being at the center of the conversation.  That represents a seismic shift from when I began, when the region was defined by hospitals and other entities outside of USF.  The MediFuture theme of "Tampa Bay - Where Tomorrow's Healthcare Happens Today" began at USF Health and will continue with us at the center.  The USF Health 2.0 theme which positioned us as a statewide and national entity has served us well in our quest for national and international prominence.  CAMLS, SELECT with Lehigh Valley Health Network, The Villages, the USF-Byrd Institute, the HCA trauma network, the development of the heart institute and USF's role in the ascendance of TGH as a top hospital have all served to elevate the stature of USF and the region.

Third, I am most proud of our faculty, staff and leaders, some of whom were here before I arrived and some of whom we were fortunate enough to lure from other academic medical centers.  You all represent the DNA of the organism that is USF Health and I recognize that nothing we have attained collectively would have been possible without your individual commitment to excellence, passion, creativity and sacrifice.  It is the reason we will continue to prosper through whatever external changes occur in the healthcare environment and it is the reason that I am sure that when I return in a few years as a visitor, USF Health will only have grown in academic, clinical and research stature.

Finally, as a point of personal privilege, I want to thank the greatest boss I will ever have, the president of USF, Judy Genshaft.  She set a course for national excellence, promised she would support an entrepreneurial academic model and never wavered on that support.  It is a rare leader who can oversee a transformation as dramatic as ours with unmitigated support. Dr. Genshaft is that rare leader.  We also have been and continue to be blessed with an outstanding and committed Board of Trustees.  I have been through  three board chairs during my tenure — Mr. Dick Beard, Ms. Rhea Law and Mr. John Ramil — all with different styles, but all with a passion for USF and a belief in the importance of USF Health to the university, the community and the state.

So, thanks for allowing me to serve as your leader for the past nine years. And while I may have to root for the Eagles, Phillies and Flyers…I will always pull for USF Health to be THE leader for healthcare transformation in Tampa Bay and beyond.

Thanks.  Steve