Wednesday, August, 8th, 2018 Speeches and Messages
August 8, 2018
Dear members of the Tufts University community:
We want to share some exciting news.
Michael Apkon, M.D., Ph.D., a renowned administrator, physician and researcher who currently serves as president and CEO of the highly acclaimed Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, will become the next CEO of Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children. He is expected to start this fall.
Dr. Apkon has vast experience in mission-driven health care settings like Tufts Medical Center. He has held leadership positions at three of North America’s most acclaimed academic medical centers. At The Hospital for Sick Children, also known as SickKids, he forged an innovative network to expand the hospital’s reach and impact. He also led efforts that reduced preventable patient harm by two-thirds in less than three years while also integrating a new electronic health record system. Before arriving at SickKids, Dr. Apkon served as the Chief Medical Officer for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Executive Director at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in Connecticut.
Also of note, he learned about the CEO opportunity from his daughter, a second-year medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine. Additional information about Dr. Apkon can be found in the press release below.
During the five-month international search for a CEO, the strong reputation of Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital attracted a number of highly qualified candidates for this position. Dr. Apkon has the broad experience, vision and drive for excellence that will make him an exceptional leader at Tufts Medical Center.
Sincerely,
Anthony P. Monaco, M.D., Ph.D.
President, Tufts University
Harris A. Berman, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Dean, Tufts University School of Medicine
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE:
August 8, 2018
MICHAEL APKON, MD, PhD NAMED NEW CEO OF TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER
Leader of One of World’s Best Pediatric Systems Comes Home to Massachusetts
BOSTON – An acclaimed health care administrator, physician and researcher who has held leadership positions at three of the top academic medical centers in North America will become the next Chief Executive Officer of Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children. Tufts Medical Center’s Board of Trustees today announced the appointment of Michael Apkon, MD, PhD, who currently serves as President and CEO for The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada, to the position following an international search. Dr. Apkon will begin as CEO starting this fall.
“Dr. Michael Apkon is uniquely qualified to take the helm of Tufts Medical Center at this dynamic and exciting time in health care and for our organization,” said Joe Campanelli, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Tufts Medical Center. “Over the course of his broad and distinguished career, working in renowned institutions, he developed innovative systems, improved quality, and integrated new technologies – all while ensuring the patient was at the center of decision making.”
Dr. Apkon became CEO of the Hospital for Sick Children, also known as SickKids, in January 2014. The 300-bed hospital, considered one of the best pediatric hospitals in the world, has 11,000 staff, trainees and volunteers and annual revenue of $1 billion. Previously, Dr. Apkon served as the Chief Medical Officer for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Executive Director at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in Connecticut.
“This is a wonderful homecoming for me. I am returning to a city my family and I love, to lead an organization I have long respected and admired. In fact, it is family who brought this opportunity to my attention. My daughter, a second-year medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine sent me the internal email announcing the search,” said Dr. Apkon, a native of Framingham, Massachusetts. “The Boston health care market is one of the most influential in the world, and the role Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children play is critical. I am honored to be chosen to lead this outstanding organization and be part of the growing and innovative Wellforce system.”
In his time as CEO at SickKids, Dr. Apkon expanded the hospital’s reach and impact by forging an innovative partnership with other Ontario children’s hospitals. The Kids Health Alliance members work together to share specialized expertise and resources, improve access and safety, and advance research and education.
A patient safety champion, Dr. Apkon led efforts at SickKids that reduced preventable patient harm by two-thirds in less than three years. At SickKids and CHOP, he expanded international consulting, resulting in safe and effective health care services and new health care facilities abroad, including in South Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. And he inspired his staff. In 2017, Glassdoor named Dr. Apkon as the top-rated CEO of a large organization in Canada, winning the approval of 99 percent of his employees.
“Dr. Apkon transformed a top hospital into the anchor for a top health system, a novel approach in Canadian health care,” said Norm Deschene, CEO of Wellforce, the parent organization of Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children. “He understands the benefit of integration across health care entities in driving value while achieving the highest quality. His experience and organizational thinking will be of great benefit as Wellforce strengthens and expands.”
Dr. Apkon started his education with a biomedical engineering degree from Northwestern University. He went on to receive his MD and PhD from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and an MBA from Yale School of Management. He is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles related to quality improvement, patient safety and the application of health care information technology. He also served as a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto, and has held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and the Yale School of Management.