MED MOVES: Retirements at Baptist Health South Florida, Johns Hopkins

Keeley to retire after nearly 50 years. The wave of health system retirements continues, with Baptist Health South Florida CEO Brian Keeley announcing plans to retire Wednesday after nearly 50 years of service, according to an announcement from the health system based in Coral Gables, Florida. Keeley will retire next year and will be succeeded by Albert “Bo” Boulenger, the current executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO), who now assumes the title of president. Keeley began his career at Baptist Hospital in 1969 as an administrative resident and was named assistant administrator in 1973, following four years in the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corp. Keeley became chief operating officer of Baptist Hospital in 1979 and CEO in 1986, and has led the multihospital system since the merger of Baptist Hospital with South Miami Hospital and Homestead Hospital in 1995. Keeley is credited with leading the health system’s digital transformation efforts, which aimed to make the Baptist Health South Florida the “Amazon Prime of healthcare.” The 11-hospital system now has nearly 24,000 employees.

Hopkins’ Lewis to retire. Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Tom Lewis will retire from Johns Hopkins University and Medicine will retire after 16 years at the institution, where he is credited with strengthening relationships with surrounding communities. Lewis came to Johns Hopkins in 2005 as director of State Affairs in a newly consolidated office spanning Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, and he became vice president four years later. According to a statement from the university, Lewis made an immediate impact in garnering state support for capital projects at Johns Hopkins as part of a broader strategy to boost Maryland's economic development and intellectual capital, including projects in technology and cell therapy. Lewis, who had previously served as chief of staff for two speakers of the Maryland House of Delegates, secured state funding for new clinical buildings in East Baltimore; gaining funding support for the Maryland Advanced Research Computing Center, which vastly increased the capacity for researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, College Park to pursue big data projects; and partnering with Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures to win state support for the Maryland Center for Cell Therapy Manufacturing in East Baltimore.