Tampa, FL (Sept. 18, 2014) — Tampa General Hospital and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine moved to further strengthen their relationship by giving the chief executives of both institutions a voice in each institution’s operational and strategic decision-making process.
Tampa General CEO Jim Burkhart, DSc, and Charles Lockwood, MD, dean of the Morsani College of Medicine and senior vice president of USF Health, will now participate in each other’s senior executive meetings. Each will receive an additional title to reflect the increased level of collaboration between the two institutions.
In addition to president and CEO, Dr. Burkhart is now also the senior associate dean, Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. Dr. Lockwood has added the title of executive vice president, chief academic officer at Tampa General.
The new titles reflect the desire to give each institution greater access into the decision-making process.
“This gives us a new level of integration that will help the hospital and medical school create much closer ties,” Dr. Burkhart said. “This is critical as we embark on our plan to deliver health and medical services throughout the Tampa Bay area.”
“We look forward to building upon our longstanding partnership with Tampa General Hospital,” Dr. Lockwood said. “Moving forward, we will both benefit from greater collaboration and coordination that improves health care delivery for our patients.”
USF Health’s Charles Lockwood, MD, right, and Tampa General’s Jim Burkhart, DSc
Since it became a private, not-for-profit in October 1997, the hospital’s governing board has reserved a seat for the USF President or designee. The dean now will have a seat at meetings of the hospital’s senior executive team and medical executive committee. Dr. Lockwood will also work with the hospital’s leadership and medical staff to further develop academic programs and expand research capabilities.
As senior associate dean, Dr. Burkhart will participate in the strategic planning activities of USF Health. He will work with vice deans to enhance clinical training for students, residents, and faculty. He also will participate in physician recruiting for the medical school and work with community leaders and health professionals to support the medical school and its mission.
-Tampa General Hospital-
Tampa General is a 1018-bed academic medical center on the west coast of Florida that serves as the region’s only center for Level l trauma, comprehensive burn care, and adult solid organ transplants. It is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. TGH is a comprehensive stroke center and a state-certified spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation center. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
-USF Health-
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a Top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu
Media contacts:
John Dunn, Tampa General Hospital, (813) 844-7357 or jdunn@tgh.org
Lisa Greene, USF Health, (813) 974-4312 or lgreene@health.usf.edu
