UCSF Medical Center Executive Elected 2014 Board Chair of California Hospital Association

Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center & UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, to Guide CHA in Coming Year

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mark R. Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, has been elected 2014 chair of the California Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Trustees. 

Laret is a nationally recognized health care executive, having just completed a term as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the national trade association for the nation's medical schools and academic medical centers.  He also is a former chair of the national Council of Teaching Hospitals and has been a board member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

"Hospitals are an essential part of the fabric of every community, yet they can easily be taken for granted. Today's health care environment is placing tremendous strains on the viability of these institutions, and we must do everything we can to ensure that whenever a child is sick or someone needs care, we are there to provide it," said Laret.  "I am honored to lead this distinguished group of more than 400 hospitals and health systems during a challenging period. And, I am optimistic about our abilities, working together, to build an even healthier hospital and health care delivery system in California over the next year."

A graduate of UCLA, where he was a Regents scholar, Laret earned his master's degree in political science from the University of Southern California (USC).  Prior to joining UCSF in 2000, Laret held management positions at two other UC hospitals – UCLA Medical Center and UC Irvine Medical Center. During his years at UCLA, Laret spearheaded the Medical Center's acquisition of Santa Monica Community Hospital and headed the 900-physician UCLA Medical Group.                   

Under Laret's leadership, UCSF has become recognized as one of the nation's top 10 hospitals, and has gained national prominence in the use of new medical technologies and advances in quality of care, patient safety and patient satisfaction. He is leading UCSF's partnership with Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, and the development of the new UCSF women's, children's and cancer hospital complex in the Mission Bay area of San Francisco. The hospitals will open in February 2015.

In addition to his hospital stewardship, Laret has been an active leader in the Bay Area, with a focus on improving population health.  He serves as the co-chair of the San Francisco African American Health Disparity Project, which works to improve the health status and access to care for African Americans.  Laret also has chaired fundraising events for the San Francisco Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Heart Association.   

CHA President/CEO C. Duane Dauner called Laret "an outstanding choice" to serve as CHA's Board Chair during the coming year.

"California's hospitals will be well-served by having Mark Laret guide our association in 2014," Dauner said.  "His visionary leadership and commitment to improving access to high-quality patient care will be crucial in the year ahead."

Other officers elected to the CHA Board of Trustees for 2014 are Chair-Elect Michael H. Covert, president/CEO of Palomar Health in North San Diego County; Secretary-Treasurer Gregory A. Adams, president, Kaiser Permanente Northern California; and Past Chair Roger E. Seaver, president/CEO of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia (Los Angeles County).

As one of the largest health care trade associations in the nation, CHA represents more than 400 hospitals and health systems in California.  The association provides its members with public policy development, issues management and legislative advocacy services at the state and federal levels.  CHA has offices in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

SOURCE California Hospital Association