|
Announcement
January 29, 2008 -
David J. Fine Receives Honorary Degree
David J. Fine, FACHE, President/CEO of St. Luke's Episcopal Health System and 2007 Chapter President, Awarded Honorary Doctorate Degree.
David J. Fine, 2007 president of ACHE - Greater Houston Chapter,
Inc. now dba ACHE - SouthEast Texas Chapter and president and CEO,
St. Luke's Episcopal Health System, received the Doctor of
Philosophy Honoris Causa from The University of Southern Mississippi
during its fall commencement ceremonies on December 14, and was the
commencement speaker for both the afternoon and evening graduation
exercises.
Since June 2004, Mr. Fine has served as president and chief executive officer of St. Luke's Episcopal Health System in Houston. St. Luke's is a multi-hospital, integrated healthcare delivery system with 7,000 employees and $1.1 billion in net patient revenues. It is the home of the famed Texas Heart Institute and the Episcopal Health Charities of the Diocese of Texas.
Mr. Fine has 33 years of experience as a healthcare executive, including 25 years as a CEO of university hospitals, multi-hospital systems, medical groups and managed care organizations. He has led the Health System in developing a strategy to expand St. Luke's faith-based, compassionate, high-quality and cost-effective care to suburban areas surrounding Houston. He also remains committed to St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, a unique ministry within the Health System that continues to increase opportunities for disease prevention, especially among the underserved. To date, The Charities has awarded more than $70 million to selected, non-profit service programs throughout the Diocese.
"We are proud to honor David Fine for his distinguished career in the healthcare field. His outstanding achievements in teaching, research and service to his profession will serve as an inspiring example to our Southern Miss graduates as they begin their own careers," said Dr. Martha Saunders, Southern Miss president.
Mr. Fine is the namesake of the annual David J. Fine Distinguished Lecturer Series in the Southern Miss College of Health. The lecture is intended to connect students with experts and scholars who can speak across disciplinary boundaries within the college. He also serves as an active member of the Dean's Council, composed of individuals who are advocates for the College of Health and serve as advisers to the dean, students, faculty and staff.
"I am greatly honored by this recognition, "said Mr. Fine. "It is a tribute to all those who have worked with me to support the early-, mid- and late-career educational needs of healthcare executives and all those who are committed to advancing public health and evidence-based practice for healthcare professionals."
Prior to joining St. Luke's, Mr. Fine served as CEO of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, a joint venture of the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation and the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. He also held positions at The University of California, San Francisco, the University of Nebraska, West Virginia University, the University of Cincinnati and Tulane University.
In 1972, Mr. Fine received a Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude) from Tufts University and in 1974 a Master of Hospital Administration degree from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, where he was a U.S. Public Health Service Trainee and winner of the James A. Hamilton Prize.
Mr. Fine also has held university teaching appointments, including five years as tenured professor of Health Services Administration and senior scholar in the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also served nine years as Regents Professor and chair of the Department of Health Systems Management at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
With more than 75 entries as author or co-author of a variety of professional writings, Mr. Fine has been listed in many editions of "Who's Who in American Medicine," "Who's Who in America" and "Who's Who in the World." He presently holds professorial appointments at Baylor College of Medicine (with tenure), Rice University, Texas A&M University and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Active in civic and professional organizations, Mr. Fine is past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. He also served as founding vice chairman of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership from 2001-07 and is a director of the Greater Houston Partnership and Council on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.
Mr. Fine is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including being named one of the "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare in 2004. He was the Birmingham Business Journal Health Care Executive of the Year in 2003, and has received the Robert S. Hudgens Medal of the American College of Healthcare Executives, of which he is a Fellow and Regent-elect. He also received the Martin Luther King Special Humanitarian Award of the University of Cincinnati and the Champion of Public Health Award of Tulane University.
In nominating Mr. Fine for the honor, College of Health Dean Peter Fos said, "Mr. Fine has distinguished himself as a national and international leader in healthcare administration education, as well as a strong supporter of the College of Health. David has undoubtedly made significant contributions to higher education and education in the Mississippi region and the country."
Southern Miss has awarded only three other honorary degrees, including Oseola McCarty in 1998, the Rev. Will Davis Campbell in 1999 and Evelyn Gandy in 2001.
On behalf of all of the ACHE - SouthEast Texas Chapter members, congratulations to Dr. Fine for such outstanding recognition!