President and CEO, Kevin M. Spiegel, FACHE, is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert M. Brooks, FACHE, as Erlanger’s new Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Our new system COO is currently a hospital executive for Health Management Associates, Inc, (HMA) which operates more than 70 hospitals nationwide. He comes to Erlanger from St. Cloud Regional Medical Center near Orlando, Fla., where he serves as Chief Executive Officer.
Robert is board-certified in healthcare management and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He obtained an MBA and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management from Youngstown State University in Ohio. He is also a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Kent State University, as well as an EMT-Paramedic. Robert has 20 years of experience in the healthcare field and in healthcare management.
Prior to his CEO position in Florida, Robert was the COO at Central Mississippi Medical Center, one of HMA’s largest hospitals. He also served as Vice President of Operations and Centers of Excellence for Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, the major teaching campus of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Throughout his career Robert has been tireless in his efforts to provide quality healthcare in the communities he has served. He was an adjunct faculty member for the University of Memphis, and taught both Healthcare Administration as well as the Capstone Course for the MHA program. He has served on numerous boards throughout his healthcare career, and was awarded the honor of being one of the “Top 40 Under 40” community and business leaders in Memphis by the Memphis Business Journal.
He continues to advance the education of others by lecturing at the local level, as well as nationally. He spoke annually at the “When Every Second Counts” EMS Symposium, sponsored by the Memphis University Hospital Center for Emergency Medicine. He has also lectured at more than 30 different venues throughout the United States on “Leveraging Technology for Optimal ED Management.”
Robert and his wife Jeannine have four children: Kyle, in undergraduate studies at the University of Memphis; Kasey, living in Ohio; Cody in high school and Connor, in elementary school.
“I have been very impressed with Erlanger’s rich history, and look forward to the opportunity to grow the strong service lines at Chattanooga’s premier healthcare system,” Robert said. “My focus will be on streamlining operations, helping make Erlanger more efficient, and most importantly growing the multiple specialty services offered,” he added.
With his impressive background in both clinical and non-clinical leadership positions, Robert will be a tremendous asset to our executive team, our academic mission, this community and those we serve.
