Walter L. Hurd Executive Medal

17th APQO / SPA International Conference,
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore October 17-20, 2011

Congratulations for the year 2011 Walter L. Hurd Executive Medal Awardee in recognition of your contribution to the advancement of the quality movement with your personal leadership as Chief Executive Officer of SSM Health Care, one of the largest Catholic health-care systems in the United States.

Sister Mary Jean Ryan, FSM Chair and Chief Executive Officer SSM Health Care (SSMHC),USA

Sister Mary Jean Ryan, Franciscan Sister of Mary, is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of SSM Health Care (SSMHC), one of the largest Catholic health-care systems in the United States, with 23,000 employees and 5,800 affiliated physicians serving in 15 hospitals, two nursing homes and affiliated businesses. In 2002, SSM Health Care became the first health-care recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige Award, the nation’s premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement. During her 25-year tenure, Sister Mary Jean has emphasized three key themes: preservation of the earth’s resources; valuing ethnic and gender diversity; and commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement

Improvement (CQI). She is the author of “On Becoming Exceptional: SSM Health Care’s Journey to Baldrige and Beyond,” released in March 2007, and co-author of “CQI and the Renovation of an American Health Care System: A Culture Under Construction,” released in 1997. She has been privileged to share SSM Health Care’s quality journey through presentations to many national and international organizations. Sr. Mary Jean has received numerous honors, including the Distinguished Service Award (2010) which is the highest honor given by the Missouri Hospital Association, the Juran Medal from the American Society for Quality, the C. Jackson Grayson Distinguished Quality Pioneer Medal (2009) from APQC, the Life and Breath Award from the American Lung Association, the Governor’s Quality Leadership Award in Missouri (twice) and the Award of Honor presented by the American Hospital Association. She has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business in St. Louis and has been named one of the most powerful people in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine for the past eight years. She was elected as an Academician to the International Academy for Quality in 2008 and serves on several national, state, local, civic and health care boards. She received a Master’s Degree in Hospital and Health Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati. She is a nurse and has been a Franciscan Sister of Mary for 50 years.