Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General Hospital's John Couris Is Named One of Health Care's Most Influential Figures by Modern Healthcare

The recognition from Modern Healthcare highlights Couris' leadership in driving and influencing innovation and health care excellence across the country, expanding access to world-class care and fostering a nationally recognized culture of distinction.

TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- John Couris, president and CEO of the Florida Health Sciences Center, which comprises a portfolio of 30-plus organizations, including Tampa General Hospital (TGH), has been honored as one of Modern Healthcare's 2025 "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare." This recognition places Couris among the nation's most innovative and most prominent leaders whose work is making a profound impact on the health care industry and shaping the future of health care in this country. He is the only health system leader in the State of Florida to receive this best-in-class honor.

Published annually, Modern Healthcare's "100 Most Influential People" is one of the health care industry's most highly regarded and significant accolades. Couris' inclusion reflects his transformative leadership in health care across the country as he partners and collaborates with organizations across sectors and from all over the world, while leading an ever-growing, integrated academic health system in partnership with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine that includes more than seven hospitals, powered by approximately 15,000 team members and providers.

"John's vision and commitment to excellence have positioned Tampa General as a leader not only in Florida, but nationally," said Drew Graham, chair of the Florida Health Sciences | Tampa General Hospital Board of Directors. "His ability to unite innovation, quality and compassion is transforming health care delivery and improving lives across the communities we serve, and more broadly by setting new standards for the industry to follow."

Under Couris' leadership, Tampa General has expanded access to academic medicine statewide through strategic acquisitions, innovative partnerships and the creation of a comprehensive network of hospitals (including a specialized rehabilitation hospital and a behavioral health teaching hospital), outpatient centers, urgent care clinics, virtual health services and TGH at Home, TGH's hospital at home program. At the same time, the integrated academic health system has elevated its quality and safety performance to rank among the top 20% of academic medical centers nationally, as measured by Vizient, while improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency.

Couris has championed innovation through initiatives such as the AI-powered Care Coordination Center, developed in partnership with GE Healthcare and, most recently, with Palantir, and has spearheaded the creation of the Tampa Medical & Research District — an international destination for clinical care, research and biotechnology in collaboration with USF Health. His advocacy at the state and federal levels has helped shape health policy, including the At HOME Services Act and the Live Healthy Act, and has expanded access to behavioral health services across Florida.

Internally, Couris has fostered a nationally recognized workplace culture built on his AKTiVe leadership. For 2025, the organization achieved a 92nd-percentile engagement index, placing the integrated academic health system in the top 8% of all academic health systems in the nation.

"I am deeply honored to be recognized among this group of visionaries, representing a multi-disciplinary group of professionals who are relentless in advancing health care excellence, driving innovation and improving health outcomes for the people we serve across the country," said Couris. "Together, we are proving that by advancing cutting-edge research, ensuring the best possible education for the next generation of health care professionals and delivering personalized and compassionate care, we can transform the future of health care in Florida and beyond."

During his tenure as president and CEO, Tampa General has earned numerous accolades, including recognition as the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay and among the top hospitals in Florida and the nation by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek. Personally, Couris has been honored among Becker's Hospital Review's "Great Leaders in Healthcare" and "Hospital and Health System CEO Influencers" for four consecutive years, was named to the Modern Healthcare top 25 innovators list, named one of the "10 Most Admired CEOs" by the Tampa Bay Business Journal and recognized on Florida Trend's "Florida 500" list of the state's most influential leaders. He has also received the President's Fellow Medallion from the University of South Florida and was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame for his lasting impact on the region's health care and economic landscape.

Couris is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the health care industry. He frequently speaks and presents at conferences across the country and internationally on leadership, organizational transformation and growth, regulatory impact, consumerism, innovation and design and empowering and leading high-performing teams across the health care space and various sectors. Couris also provides counsel and works closely with elected officials at all levels of government to address issues impacting the industry. He also advises health care sector venture capital firms, including evolvedMD, Shields Health Innovation, Fountain Healthcare Partners and Waterline Ventures.

Couris holds a doctorate in business administration and management sciences from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business, where he is a Research Fellow. His dissertation examined the impact of authentic leadership on teams and organizations.

Couris and the complete list of Modern Healthcare's 2025 "100 Most Influential People" honorees are profiled here.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, the Tampa Bay region's only academic health system, is a 1,529-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning across Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals, with six medical specialties ranking among the top 50 in the nation and five additional medical specialties ranked among the top 10% best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2025 America's Best Large Employers, the top 40 in Florida in the 2025 America's Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2023, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $301.8 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It was the nation's No. 1 adult solid organ transplant center in 2024 and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; two TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and 19 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Assistant Manager
Publications & Physician Communications
(727) 510-6363 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital