WHEREAS, Stephen K. Klasko announced in October of 2021 that he would be retiring from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Jefferson University; and
WHEREAS, During his eight-year tenure with Jefferson, Dr. Klasko saw Jefferson University Health System expand from three hospitals to eighteen. He dramatically expanded the footprint of Jefferson in Philadelphia and throughout the region; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Klasko’s work allowed Jefferson to grow to its current 40,000 employees and 3,600 hospital beds located from Philadelphia’s western suburbs all the way to Gloucester County in New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Stephen is a native Philadelphian. He attended Lehigh University and later earned his medical degree at Hahnemann University in 1978. Dr. Klasko also attended the University of Pennsylvania from which he received his MBA in 1996; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Klasko began his career as an obstetrician and has delivered over 2,000 children. He is an expert in the field and was previously a professor of obstetrics at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey. He moved from direct medical practice to increasingly prestigious leadership positions in medical academia and healthcare over the course of his career; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Klasko was appointed CEO of Jefferson University, overseeing both the education and healthcare portfolios of the institution, in 2013. His work, in addition to growing the health system and its revenues, also prioritized development efforts, including the largest ever private gift to Jefferson in 2014; and
WHEREAS, During his time at Jefferson University, Dr. Klasko achieved an extraordinary number of acquisitions most recently including Einstein Healthcare and a fifty-percent share of Health Partners Plans. His vision for Jefferson created a stronger network of care for Philadelphians and people across the region; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his work at Jefferson, Dr. Klasko also serves on the Board of Trustees for Lehigh University and is a leader for other private sector medical technology companies; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Klasko is committed to improving healthcare for all by capturing technical solutions to complex care problems. He has written books on the subject and has served as chief editor of the medical journal “Transforming Healthcare.” Dr. Klasko plans to pursue his passion for revolutionizing medical service delivery upon retirement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the City Council of Philadelphia, Does hereby honor Stephen K. Klasko upon the occasion of his retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Jefferson University and congratulate him on his many accomplishments.
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