New President/CEO at Scott & White Healthcare

TEMPLE, Texas, April 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert W. Pryor, M.D., MBA, FAAP, FCCM, FCCP, begins his new role today as president and CEO of Scott & White Healthcare. He succeeds Alfred B. Knight, M.D. who has assumed a leadership role as president of the Scott & White Healthcare Foundation (Scott & White's philanthropic arm).

The Scott & White Healthcare Board of Trustees announced selection of Dr. Pryor in August 2010. A physician leader with a distinguished career in large group practice management, Dr. Pryor, 59, served as chief medical officer of Scott & White since 2005 and additionally as chief operating officer since August 2007.

"Scott & White has a rich history of delivering innovative, patient-centered, accountable health care of the highest quality," said Dr. Pryor. "We will continue to draw from this legacy as we position Scott & White to become the most Trusted and most Valued name in American health care.

"We are uniquely poised to serve as an optimal model for providing patient care and improving the health of communities.  It is a privilege to lead Scott & White during this critical juncture in our industry," added Dr. Pryor.

The Temple, Texas native is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and The American College of Critical Care Medicine. He is certified in Lean Healthcare from the University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Center for Professional Development. A graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Dr. Pryor received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He completed a pediatric internship and residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and a pediatric intensive care medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He earned his MBA from Arizona State University and is a member of The American College of Physician Executives. Dr. Pryor served as chief medical officer at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona before joining Scott & White.

Glen R. Couchman, M.D., a 28-year Scott & White veteran, was named to succeed Dr. Pryor as chief medical officer in September 2010. Dr. Couchman, who is board certified in Family Medicine, previously served as associate system chief medical officer for Scott & White.

About Scott & White (sw.org)

Scott & White Healthcare is a non-profit collaborative health care system established in 1897 in Temple, TX.  Among the leading health care systems encompassing one of the nation's largest multi-specialty group practices, Scott & White provides personalized, comprehensive and the highest quality health care enhanced by medical education and research.  Scott & White Healthcare includes 12 hospital sites (and two additional announced facilities), more than 60 clinic locations throughout Central Texas and staff exceeding 13,000 (including more than 900 physicians and scientists and nearly 400 specialized health care providers).  

SOURCE Scott & White Healthcare