Memorial Hermann Health System is pleased to announce the appointment of three executives to new leadership roles within the organization, effective Aug. 1.
Brian Dean, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Service Lines for the System and CEO of the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (TMC) Campus, will assume a new role as EVP and Chief Financial Officer for Memorial Hermann Health System, where he will be charged with overseeing the System’s financial affairs.
Dean will be succeeded by Greg Haralson, Senior Vice President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, who has been named the new SVP and CEO of Memorial Hermann-TMC. In his new position, Haralson will be responsible for leading operations at the System’s flagship campus.
Haralson will be replaced by Malisha Patel, Vice President of Operations at Memorial Hermann Southwest, who will assume the role of SVP and CEO of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land and Southwest Hospitals, where she will be tasked with overseeing the care provided to residents of Southwest Harris and Fort Bend counties.
“During their tenures with our organization, each of these three executives have demonstrated remarkable leadership capabilities, inspiring and engaging their employees to reach above and beyond to deliver the utmost in safe, high-quality care rooted in our promise to advance the health and wellness of all of Greater Houston,” said Chuck Stokes, President and CEO of Memorial Hermann. “Their commitment to our patients, physician partners, employees and the organization as a whole has been paramount in helping Memorial Hermann achieve several notable successes, including national recognition for our care and operational excellence.”
The announcements underscore Memorial Hermann’s efforts to nourish and develop strong leadership talent within the organization.
Dean has extensive experience managing the finances for healthcare institutions nationwide, a strategically important skillset as the health industry continues to navigate a period of unprecedented change. After serving in key leadership roles overseeing fiscal operations for several hospitals across the country, Dean joined Memorial Hermann-TMC in 2013 as CFO, where he worked to optimize financial outcomes and achieve operational successes. In 2015, he was promoted to CEO, a role in which he oversaw day-to-day operations, fostered a culture of innovation, promoted initiatives aimed at patient safety and the patient experience and executed upon the TMC’s strategic vision and plans for the campus as it continues to grow, renovate, expand and improve through the Breaking New Ground project.
“It has been a true honor to serve as CEO of a campus with such a revered legacy. I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some of the finest people in medicine who share an unwavering passion to provide innovative and healing care to our patients,” Dean said. “While I will greatly miss my daily interactions with the TMC employees and affiliated physicians who make the institution such a special place to work, I am confident that Greg’s heartfelt leadership style, his track record of creating a culture of operational excellence and his drive to deliver compassionate care make him an ideal fit for this role.”
Haralson, who joined Memorial Hermann in 2012, has played an integral role in helping the System expand its footprint and transform its operations to better serve its patient population. He oversaw Memorial Hermann Sugar Land’s unprecedented construction of a new six-story, 155,000 square-foot patient tower, in addition to a 100,000 square-foot medical plaza. He also guided the campus on a journey to achieve excellence through innovation, improvement and visionary leadership, ultimately earning the 2016 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for performance excellence. Memorial Hermann Sugar Land was the first Houston area healthcare organization to earn the distinction. Since being named CEO of Memorial Hermann Southwest last year, in addition to Sugar Land, Haralson has been instrumental in strengthening Greater Houston’s trauma network by overseeing the Southwest campus’s journey to earn Level II trauma verification from the American College of Surgeons.
“I’m so grateful to the amazing individuals at Sugar Land and Southwest who allowed me to join them in building a family culture. Their dedication to putting patients at the forefront of everything we do has left an indelible mark on my leadership style, and I look forward to continuing to serve as a champion for our patients and our community at one of Houston’s most iconic medical institutions,” Haralson said. “I’m also pleased to pass the baton to Malisha, who has been a fierce advocate for the people of Southwest Harris and Fort Bend counties. I know that our hospitals will continue to thrive under her guidance.”
Patel, who joined Memorial Hermann in 2007, brings to her new role a wealth of experience at both campuses, where she has had operational and business development responsibility for both clinical and non-clinical departments. In her tenure serving as a key member of the executive team at both Southwest and Sugar Land hospitals, she also worked in tandem with Haralson on Sugar Land’s $93 million expansion project and its Baldrige achievement.
"Greg has been a beloved leader and leaves behind big shoes to fill, but I’m excited about the opportunity to build upon the foundation that he established of providing top-notch service to those who entrust us with their care,” Patel said. “We have an outstanding reputation of serving our communities with pride and distinction, and I look forward to the bright future that I see on the horizon for both campuses.”