September 24, 1999

Peter L. Slavin, MD

The Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) named Peter L. Slavin, MD, to the position of CEO and chair, Sept. 17. Slavin will succeed W. Gerald Austen, MD, who is retiring from the position, and will start in November.

Slavin announced earlier this month that he would step down as president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, a 1,150-bed adult teaching hospital affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine. Prior to assuming the top position at Barnes-Jewish two years ago, Slavin was chief medical officer of the MGH and a medical director of the MGPO.

"Barnes-Jewish was a wonderful experience, but Boston and the MGH are home," says Slavin. "I am delighted to shift my focus from hospital administration to physicians, especially at the MGH, where so much talent exists."

As CEO and chair, Slavin will serve as the leader of the MGPO, furthering its mission to offer the highest quality patient care, educate future academic and practice leaders, and advance medicine through excellence in biomedical research. The MGPO also supports physicians through a broad range of services – such as managed care contracting and program development, finance and administration, marketing, business development, information systems, physician compensation and benefits, human resources, customer service and communications. In addition, the MGPO works in partnership with the MGH and Partners HealthCare System to foster the integrated delivery of patient care.

"The search committee interviewed several strong candidates, but Peter stood out and was our unanimous choice," says Andrew Warshaw, MD, chief of MGH Surgery and chairman of the MGPO Search Committee. "He has successfully managed a large medical center with an outstanding reputation. Peter understands and is committed to the MGH's tradition of excellence in patient care, teaching and research. We were drawn to Peter as a physician leader who would work well with our professional management team, which is essential to survival in these budget-cutting and managed care times."

Austen plans to continue at the MGH to help with the transition. "Peter Slavin is a wonderful choice for this job," he says. "I'm truly excited and pleased that he will be coming back to the MGH community."