Appointment of Kevin B. Mahoney as CEO, University of Pennsylvania Health System


March 20, 2019

To:All Penn Medicine

From:Amy Gutmann, PhD
President
J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
EVP/Dean, Penn Medicine


We are pleased to announce our appointment of Kevin B. Mahoney as Chief Executive Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), effective July 1, 2019.  A well-known and universally well-respected member of the Penn and Penn Medicine communities, Kevin currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for UPHS, as well as the Executive Vice Dean for Integrative Services for the Perelman School of Medicine.  Kevin has an unrivaled breadth of experience and depth of knowledge of health care in an integrated academic medical center, combined with a profound personal commitment to Penn’s ambitious vision for the integrated academic medical center and health system of the future.  We are confident that Kevin will successfully lead the team-based effort to propel UPHS to even greater heights, building on its unparalleled successes and enormous momentum.

Kevin joined UPHS in 1996 and quickly took on positions of responsibility and importance, including as Executive Director of Penn’s primary care physician network and as CEO of Phoenixville Hospital.  With this knowledge of patient care and clinical operations from both the in- and out-patient perspectives, Kevin was superbly prepared for his next major assignment: he developed the master plan concept for the former Philadelphia Civic Center site, known today as the Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center.  These facilities, together with the Smilow Translational Research Center and the Jordan Medical Education Center, form the nation’s first single building that integrates biomedical research, clinical care, and medical education. Building on this tremendous success, Kevin planned and now leads the Penn Pavilion project, the largest building project in Penn’s history and the most advanced inpatient hospital facility in the nation, set to open in 2021. In every realm of his responsibility, Kevin led diverse, inter-professional teams with purpose, inspiration, and confidence.

When the Health System needed an executive to champion and help oversee our growth strategy across the Philadelphia region, Kevin answered the call. From the integration of Chester County Hospital into UPHS, to the clinical expansion of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and the construction of five multispecialty ambulatory facilities across the Delaware Valley, Kevin played a key part in the development of nearly $4 billion in new capital projects over the last decade.  Most recently, as EVP and Chief Administrative Officer, he oversaw the implementation of a common electronic health record platform across five hospitals, numerous outpatient clinics, and home care – the only comprehensive system of its kind in the region.

A passionate believer in Penn’s academic mission and in our Penn Compact priorities of inclusion, innovation and impact, Kevin teaches MBA courses and is a senior fellow at Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics.  He co-founded the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation, a center designed for the rapid development, testing, and implementation of new strategies to reimagine health care delivery for dramatically better value, patient outcomes, and experience.  Today, other major health systems have innovation centers, but Penn Medicine was at the forefront and it remains the leader in this regard.  Kevin was similarly an early and strong contributor to our campus-wide efforts to make innovation part of Penn’s and Penn Medicine’s DNA. A decade ago, nobody could possibly have predicted Penn Medicine’s role in the development and commercialization of six FDA-approved therapies within just the past 18 months. Today, we are leading the way with innovation efforts across the institution from small scale start-up efforts to larger commercialization agreements and industry partnerships.

Kevin received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Millersville University and an MBA and Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University.  He serves on numerous boards for non-profit organizations in the Delaware Valley, including Puentes de Salud and Community Volunteers in Medicine.  He has been recognized for his community and volunteer work, most recently as the recipient of the 2018 Heart of Philadelphia Award by the American Heart Association. 

As we announce Kevin’s appointment, we would like to thank the search advisory committee members for their invaluable guidance during this national search process.  As you would expect, we received significant interest in this position and we considered many superb candidates from around the country.  We are especially grateful to David L. Cohen, Chair of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, and Andy Heyer, Chair of the Penn Medicine Board, for their trusted advice and counsel.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to our friend and colleague Ralph Muller, who serves with incredible commitment and distinction as the CEO of UPHS since 2003.  Put simply, Penn Medicine would not be in the position we find ourselves in today without Ralph’s leadership.  We have all benefited greatly from his realized vision of a health system that emphasizes quality clinical care above everything else, with the financial strength to invest in the people, programs, and infrastructure across each of our critical missions.  We look forward to celebrating Ralph’s many accomplishments in the coming months. 

Please join us in celebrating this exciting day for Penn, Penn Medicine, and UPHS and in congratulating Kevin Mahoney as he embarks on this incredibly important and exciting new role.