OU announced Friday the hire of OU Health’s inaugural Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Richard Lofgren, following an “extensive and competitive” national search.
Lofgren will advance OU Health as the state moves toward an “unmatched union” of patient care, cutting-edge treatments and healthcare research, according to an email. Lofgren will lead the OU Health system in his new position, reporting directly to its board of directors and working onsite in Oklahoma City starting in mid-March.
According to the email, he’ll oversee the organization’s strategic vision and growth, clinical and operational direction, quality and safety, financial performance and integration. He aims to transform OU Health into a healthcare model that mirrors “the healthiest states in the nation.”
“We are confident that under his leadership, OU Health will strengthen our proud tradition of delivering exceptional care while remaining on the forefront of new discoveries,” the email read.
Lofgren previously worked at UC Health in Cincinnati, where he’s served as president and CEO since 2013, the email reads. According to the UC Health website, the institution is made up of more than 11,000 employees, physicians and practice providers, and includes the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the West Chester Hospital, the Daniel Drake Center for Post-Acute Care and the Lindner Center of HOPE.
The email reads that while in the position, he led the organization to becoming a “world-class” academic health system with unprecedented growth and expansion of services.
Lofgren earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the email read. He earned a Master of Public Health degree and completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
His healthcare leadership experience spans over 40 years and includes positions at University HealthSystem Consortium, the University of Kentucky and the University of Pittsburgh, where he helped execute strategic visions, according to the email.
According to the email, Lofgren also has experience as an academic physician, having earned tenure at the University of Kentucky, the Medical School of Wisconsin and the University of Pittsburgh. He earned 14 awards for teaching excellence throughout his career, as well as becoming a funded researcher, with multiple publications and contributions. He also created two research centers focused on improving healthcare outcomes for veterans.
“A national thought leader within academic health care, Dr. Lofgren is an expert in health system transformations and redesign, with a proven track record of uniting hospitals, clinics, and centers into a single enterprise with a single purpose,” the email read.
