After 30 years as a national leader in medicine, and 45 years serving the company, Cedars-Sinai President and CEO Dr. Thomas Priselac is set to retire in October. He will be succeeded by a fellow veteran of the medical industry. Following a nationwide search, Cedars-Sinai has named Dr. Peter Slavin the next president and CEO of both the medical center and the company’s health system. He previously led the medical team at Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General), one of the largest hospitals in the United States, as president from 2003-2021. He looks forward to leading the team at Cedars-Sinai with a focus on equity and community.
“I am humbled to follow in Tom Priselac’s footsteps,” said Slavin in a press release. “He has been one of my heroes as I’ve watched Cedars-Sinai’s progress over the years from 2,700 miles away. It is an incredible honor to join Cedars-Sinai and to do my part to build on the organization’s growth and success.”
Slavin comes to the West Coast with ample leadership experience and multiple awards. As president of Mass General, he led his medical team through the pandemic, a difficult time that pushed him to do some of his proudest work.
“Being in my role at Mass General during COVID was both the worst experience I had in the 19 years I was in the role, but also in some ways the best,” Slavin told the Courier. “I mean, it was horrible to see all the suffering, the death, the loneliness, the trauma to our staff. But on the other hand, it was amazing to see the staff rally to do whatever it took to meet the needs of the patients, families and the community, and also the resilience of so many people suffering from the disease. That experience definitely had a profound impact on me and just reinforced some of my beliefs about the importance of healthcare and being there for people in times of need. And I’ll certainly take that point of view, that approach, as I move to Cedars.”
Mass General also won the American Hospital Association’s inaugural Equity of Care award under his leadership in 2014. Apart from his regular duties at the hospital, he served as the board chair of the Association of Medical Colleges and an elected member of both the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Over the years, he’s dedicated the majority of his life to helping others through medicine, something he deems his true calling.
“I think there’s no better way to spend your time on this planet, when you’re away from your family, than trying to heal the world and make the world a better place,” said Slavin.
Besides his work, family also plays a very important role in his life. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to do everything I’ve been able to accomplish, and I’ve certainly tried my best to carve out time during every step of the way to spend quality time with them,” said Slavin. “Whenever I’m meeting with young people offering career advice, the first thing I tell them is to make sure you carve out time for your family.” He looks forward to moving to Los Angeles with his wife and two sons, playing golf and enjoying the warm weather.
Slavin graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences and then went on to earn his medical degree at Harvard Medical School. After he started working at Mass General, he returned to school to earn his MBA from Harvard Business School so that he could assist with hospital management. In 1994, he was appointed Mass General’s senior vice president and chief medical officer and in 1997, he was recruited to serve as the first president of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. In 1999, he returned as the chair and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization and in 2003, he was appointed president of Mass General.
He remained true to his passion for leadership by teaching internal medicine at Mass General and serving as a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School. He joins the team at Cedars-Sinai to serve patients and the community with a focus on expanding access to healthcare.
“We express our profound gratitude to Tom Priselac for his remarkable leadership in building Cedars-Sinai into an internationally recognized name in healthcare, and we warmly welcome Dr. Slavin to the Cedars-Sinai family,” said David Kaplan, chair of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center board of directors. “We wish Dr. Slavin every success in strengthening Cedars-Sinai’s mission to serve as a beacon of healing for our patients and community.”
