Beta Gamma Sigma awards Dr. Stephen K. Klasko the 2016 International Honoree Award

From 1963 to 1999, Beta Gamma Sigma presented the National Honoree Award to individuals who furthered the ideals of the society through outstanding business and managerial leadership. Since 2000, the society has presented an International Honoree Award. This year, the BGS Board of Governors is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Stephen Klasko, President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, as the 2016 International Honoree.

Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, is the President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health. His passion for transformational change has made him a national voice for an optimistic future in healthcare: for students, researchers, clinicians, patients, and their communities. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Healthcare Transformation journaland author of the book The Phantom Stethoscope. At Jefferson, he has integrated the university and the hospital system, bringing together its five hospitals and six health colleges, including the 192-year-old Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He has launched initiatives, including telehealth, to bring advanced care closer to people at home. 

Klasko's vision has expanded Jefferson’s commitment to healthcare and innovation as a core mission of an academic health center. In 2014, Jefferson received a $110 million naming gift from Sidney and Caroline Kimmel for the College of Medicine. At the University of South Florida, from 2004 to 2013, Dr. Klasko launched USF Health as an integrated entity for all health science disciplines and clinical practice. At USF, he built CAMLS, the nation’s largest center for training and assessment of technical and teamwork competencies. He also developed SELECT, a program focused on accepting medical students based on emotional intelligence, then cultivating their leadership abilities. 

Klasko has served as Dean of the College of Medicine of Drexel, CEO of Drexel University Physicians, and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He was also President and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Physician Group from 1996 to 1999. He earned his BS from Lehigh University, his MD from Hahnemann University, and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Beta Gamma Sigma proudly bestows the International Honoree Award upon this outstanding individual.

Stephen Klasko