Temple University and Temple University Health System announced today that Dr. Larry Kaiser, MD, FACS, will step down as President and CEO of the Health System, Dean of Temple’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine, and Senior Executive Vice President for Health Sciences of the University on December 31, 2019.

Effective September 30, Chief Restructuring Officer Stuart McLean will assume the duties of acting CEO of the Health System, and Emeritus Dean John M. Daly will serve as Interim Dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. In anticipation of this change, through the end of the year Dr. Kaiser will focus solely on supporting the health system restructuring in collaboration with the Chief Restructuring Officer and the President of the University to ensure a smooth transition for the clinical enterprise and medical school.

Kaiser joined Temple in 2011, and he has led Temple Health through a period of unprecedented change in healthcare regulation, ever-increasing pressure on Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, and one of the most competitive regional healthcare marketplaces in the nation for providers of clinical services.

“Larry’s eight and one-half years at Temple have been transformative for its clinical enterprise and the university,” said Temple President Richard M. Englert. “When he came to Temple, he aggressively tackled the monumental challenges facing Temple University Health System, being both a comprehensive academic medical center and a critical safety net for our North Philadelphia community. Only someone of Larry’s vision and drive could have provided the leadership necessary for the organization to excel at every level, and the Health System today has emerged in a far stronger and more stable position than at any time in recent memory.

"On behalf of the entire Temple family, I want to thank Larry for his outstanding service to our patients, our students, and our community,” said President Englert. “While we are sad that he will be leaving us, we wish him the very best as he pursues the next phase of his exemplary medical career.”

Under Dr. Kaiser’s leadership the Health System made important investments in initiatives such as the establishment of a network of ambulatory care centers. The Lewis Katz School of Medicine became an even stronger destination for aspiring physicians, opening a major branch campus in the Lehigh Valley.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kaiser’s reputation and character enabled him to consistently recruit top-notch practitioners and researchers to ensure that the broadest range of cutting-edge services, delivered at the highest level, would be available to the community served by Temple Health.

“It is clear that our efforts to comprehensively restructure the Health System are well on the way to completion. I feel that we are on a solid path going forward, and that the time is right for me to move aside and allow new leadership to take the helm,” said Dr. Kaiser. “It is difficult to leave a place where I have invested so much of my passion, energy and enthusiasm, but I think it is important for Temple to allow new leadership to step in and guide the restructured enterprise into its next chapter. This is the right time for me and for Temple to make this change and I look forward to the next phase of my career.”

“Larry Kaiser is a person of exceptional talent, diligence, and experience,” said Mitchell Morgan, chair of the Board of Trustees of Temple University. “Temple is far better for his service over the last eight years, and I have no doubt that healthcare providers, regulators, and legislators will continue to rely on his insights for years to come.”

A renowned thoracic surgeon, researcher and executive, Dr. Kaiser came to Temple in 2011 from UTHealth, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where he was President. A graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Kaiser completed his internship and residency in General Surgery as well as a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at UCLA. He then completed a residency in cardiovascular surgery and thoracic surgery at the University of Toronto. 

During his distinguished career, Dr. Kaiser has served on the faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University Medical College, and the Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis) before joining the University of Pennsylvania where he held a succession of positions, including being named the first incumbent of the Eldridge Eliason Professorship in Surgery, Chief of General Thoracic Surgery, Founder and Director of Penn’s Lung Transplantation Program, and Co-Director of its Center for Lung Cancers and Related Disorders. In 2001, he was named the 13th John Rhea Barton Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, where he served until departing to lead UTHealth in 2008.