Ascension Leader Mike Schatzlein, MD, Announces Retirement
After a long and distinguished healthcare career marked by innovation, dedication and servant leadership, Mike Schatzlein, M.D., has announced that he will retire from Ascension, the nation’s largest non-profit and Catholic health system, on Dec. 31. He will continue to reside in Nashville, Tenn., and concentrate on his work as Chair of the Center for Medical Interoperability, incoming Chair of the United Way Board, and a member of the Council Capital CEO Council.
Dr. Schatzlein serves as Senior Vice President of Ascension Healthcare, which includes St. Mary’s Healthcare in Evansville, and Group Ministry Market Executive with oversight responsibility for the Ascension Indiana and Tennessee Ministry Markets. And since August 2015 he has served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Ascension’s St. Vincent’s HealthCare in Jacksonville, Fla. Previously, he served as President and CEO for Ascension’s Saint Thomas Health in Nashville, from June 2010 through July 2015.
He earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from Indiana University and trained in surgery at the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, and in thoracic surgery at the University of Michigan. He also earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion Ind.
Dr. Schatzlein practiced cardiothoracic and vascular surgery in Fort Wayne, Ind., from 1980 to 1994, performing the first heart transplant in northern Indiana in 1985. At one point, nine of the 22 longest-living heart transplant patients in the world had received their transplants under his direction.
In 1994, Dr. Schatzlein added healthcare administration to his resume, serving in various executive roles with Lutheran Health in Fort Wayne, where he was active in community affairs and served on numerous boards.
