A Message from Jonathan Kraft, Chair of the MGH Board of Trustees

Dear MGH Community,
 
From the day I first met Peter Slavin in September 1988–the day he walked in late to the first day of classes at Harvard Business School wearing scrubs and tired after a long overnight shift in a local emergency department–I have been in awe of both his intellect and his deep passion for the care of others. For the last 18 years, 12 of those as a member of the Board of Trustees of this hospital, I have had the privilege of watching him lead and strengthen what I believe to be the world’s most extraordinary healthcare institution.
 
Peter’s primary focus as President of Mass General has been building upon the culture of providing unequivocal empathetic and high-quality care to our patients and bringing this same level of care to all the citizens in the communities we serve, regardless of their ability to pay. Peter had this passion 33 years ago when healthcare equity was a phrase few knew and was certainly not a focus at our country’s major academic medical centers. To this day, he maintains that same fierce passion for the underserved, the vulnerable, and those who have been marginalized or neglected. Peter has helped build programs and fostered an environment of kindness, dignity and respect that supports patients, communities and staff. This overarching sense of humanity and heart will be the core of his ultimate legacy.
 
In addition, Peter is a brilliant manager who has expertly shepherded Massachusetts General Hospital, the largest single private employer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A critical element of this job was empowering and supporting the MGH’s research program as it blossomed into the largest hospital-based scientific enterprise in the world. The consistent high quality of the MGH Research Institute has been demonstrated repeatedly as Mass General has been the number one recipient of NIH funding among all hospitals each year of Peter’s tenure as President. The research generated by these efforts has been game changing and will continue to improve the quality of lives of all the citizens of the world. That indeed is a powerful and meaningful testament to Peter’s brilliant leadership.
 
I know I speak for the entire MGH Board of Trustees when I say that Peter has been the most impactful President in the history of the hospital. He has set an extraordinarily high standard for his successor and for all those who will follow in his footsteps in the years, decades and centuries to come.
 
On a personal level, I have been and remain very much in awe of this amazing man–this amazing leader–I met 33 years ago. I will greatly miss working with him day to day to ensure the ongoing strength of this extraordinary hospital that we both love so deeply.

Jonathan Kraft
Chair, MGH Board of Trustees