West Health Institute Names Dr. Mike Schatzlein to its Board of Directors
Physician-executive Brings Decades of Healthcare Leadership Experience to Senior-Focused Applied Medical Research Organization
SAN DIEGO, June 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Gary and Mary West Health Institute, a nonprofit applied medical research organization dedicated to enabling seniors to successfully age in place, announced today Michael Schatzlein, MD, has been named to its board of directors.
A surgeon-turned hospital administrator, Dr. Schatzlein has a long and distinguished career caring for patients and leading large healthcare systems including Ascension Healthcare, the largest not-for-profit health system in the U.S., where he was senior vice president until he stepped down from the position in 2016 to pursue other interests.
"We are honored and privileged to welcome Dr. Schatzlein to our board of directors," said Shelley Lyford, president and CEO of the West Health Institute. "He is a proven healthcare leader who brings valuable insights on the medical, dental and social needs of seniors for comprehensive systems of care that can improve outcomes and lower costs."
Dr. Schatzlein also serves as board chairman of the Center for Medical Interoperability, a nonprofit cooperative health system research and development lab established with grants from the Gary and Mary West Foundation.
"Having spent most of my life working in hospitals as both a surgeon and administrator, I'm very aware of the unique medical and social needs of seniors and the value of generating evidence to advance new models of care," said Dr. Schatzlein. "The West Health Institute can help fill important gaps in research that have delayed new comprehensive care solutions in support of successful aging. I'm excited about our future work together."
Dr. Schatzlein was a cardiothoracic surgeon for nearly 15 years in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he performed the area's first heart transplant in 1985. He began a career in healthcare administration in 1994, serving in various positions at Lutheran Health in Fort Wayne. He helped take Lutheran Hospital from a standalone hospital to northern Indiana's largest health system, where he was appointed CEO in 2007.
Dr. Schatzlein earned his bachelor's and medical degrees from Indiana University and trained in surgery at the Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, and in thoracic surgery at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has a Master's in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion.
About the Gary and Mary West Health Institute and West Health
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health includes the nonprofit and nonpartisan Gary and Mary West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Foundation in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. These organizations are working together toward a shared mission dedicated to enabling seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. For more information, visit westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.
SOURCE Gary and Mary West Health Institute
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