Swedish Board of Trustees Names Dr. Guy Hudson as CEO

SEATTLE, June 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swedish Board of Trustees today announced Dr. Guy Hudson – a Swedish pediatric urologic surgeon and executive physician leader – as Chief Executive Officer. Swedish is the largest not-for-profit health care provider in the greater Seattle area.

After an extensive evaluation process led by the Board and involving an international executive search firm, the Board voted unanimously to select Dr. Hudson, who has served as interim CEO since February and has practiced at Swedish for the past decade.

As CEO, Dr. Hudson, 48, will continue to work closely with the Board, medical staff, administrative leadership and 13,000 caregivers across Swedish to ensure the continued delivery of high-quality and safe care for all patients – and listening to and empowering Swedish caregivers.

"Dr. Hudson is exceptional. He embodies the best of Swedish: putting our patients first, listening to our caregivers, and working collaboratively to address complex health care issues in new and innovative ways," said Teresa Bigelow, Chair of the Swedish Board of Trustees. "Dr. Hudson is a natural, next-generation leader with an amazing amount of integrity and a true desire to do what is right for our organization, our patients and our community. All of this, combined with his excellence and expertise as a physician and administrator in health care, made Dr. Hudson our best choice for CEO."

Dr. Hudson said, "In my decade at Swedish, I have developed an immense respect for this organization. As a physician, there was no place I would rather practice medicine. As CEO, there is no place I would rather lead. I will ensure that Swedish remains a patient-centered organization that makes the right decisions for our patients and community. I will be the chief advocate and champion for our amazing caregivers and medical staff throughout the system."

To ensure the selection process was thorough, thoughtful and impartial, the Swedish Board worked with Spencer Stuart, an international leadership consulting firm, to implement a complete assessment of the CEO position. Committee members included physicians, nurses and other staff. The process involved interviews with members of Swedish's clinical and administrative leadership, a survey of cross-functional leaders, and in-depth interviews with individuals who have worked closely with Dr. Hudson.

"Our goal with the CEO selection process was to make the decision that was in the best interest of Swedish and our patients for the long term," said Janet True, Vice Chair of the Swedish Board of Trustees. "Dr. Hudson is the right choice for Swedish, today and well into the future. He has already brought energy and passion to the role and engaged thousands of our caregivers in meaningful ways. He will serve our organization, patients, caregivers and community well. In addition to his integrity and leadership skills, Dr. Hudson is incredibly approachable. He has a sense of humor and great listening skills that will be put to good use in the ever-changing health care industry."

Looking to the future and Swedish's role in health care regionally and nationally, Dr. Hudson added, "I will build and position Swedish as the health care innovator and leader that it is – and should be. We will lead the way in health care and set an example for other organizations, leveraging our technology and partnerships to care for all. We will serve as a national model."

During his nearly four-month tenure as interim CEO, Dr. Hudson has demonstrated strong leadership; made key, strategic hires, including a new chief medical officer; built trust with caregivers; engaged physicians as partners; improved governance; and infused the organization with positive energy.

In addition to hiring the CEO, the Swedish Board of Trustees oversees quality, safety and physician credentialing at Swedish. Since February, the Board, in close collaboration with Dr. Hudson, has worked diligently to improve communication between medical staff and the Board. Among the solutions in process is a formal structure for medical staff participation on the Board.

Dr. Hudson has served in several leadership roles during his 10 years at Swedish, including Western Washington Chief of Physician Services, Chief Medical Officer for Swedish Medical Group and Executive Director of Pediatrics for all of Swedish. Dr. Hudson is a pediatric urologic surgeon with a master's degree in business administration from the University of Washington. He earned his medical degree at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and completed an internship and residency at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and a fellowship at University of California at San Diego.

Dr. Hudson and his family live in Ballard.  His wife, Dr. Carmen Hudson, is also a graduate of OHSU.  They have two teenage children.  He focuses his free time on fitness, reading and family.  

Dr. Hudson was a collegiate swimmer at Indiana University, where Dr. James E. ("Doc") Counsilman, considered the most innovative coach in U.S. swimming history, served as Dr. Hudson's swim coach and mentor. According to Dr. Hudson, Doc emphasized patience and adaptability, along with hard work and dedication – qualities that will serve Dr. Hudson well in his CEO role.

About Swedish
Founded in 1910, Swedish is the largest not-for-profit health care provider in the greater Seattle area. It comprises five hospital campuses (First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, Edmonds and Issaquah); ambulatory care centers in Redmond and Mill Creek; and Swedish Medical Group, a network of more than 180 primary and specialty care locations throughout the Puget Sound area. In addition to general medical and surgical care including robotic-assisted surgery, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer care, neuroscience, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, pediatric specialties, organ transplantation and clinical research. In 2016, Swedish provided more than $247 million in community benefit programs, including $21.6 million in free and discounted care. For more information, visit www.swedish.org, www.facebook.com/swedishmedicalcenter or www.twitter.com/swedish.

SOURCE Swedish

Related Links

http://www.swedish.org