Tampa General Hospital’s (TGH) new TGH Crystal River board of managers convened for its inaugural meeting. The board will oversee operations and provide guidance for leadership, ensuring that the needs of the Citrus County community are met while honoring its history and traditions.
The board includes healthcare specialists, community leaders, and TGH leadership. John Couris, chair of the board at TGH North and president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, said, “The new board brings the full complement of expertise to the table to ensure that we’re on target to meet the needs of this community while honoring its history and traditions.”
John Couris was elected to serve as chair of the board. Since joining Tampa General as president and CEO in 2017, Couris has championed innovation, promoted operational excellence, and fostered a culture where teams are valued. Under his leadership, Tampa General has become one of the nation’s leading academic health systems.
“At TGH North, we’re working to expand access to world-class care in Citrus and Levy Counties, while honoring and maintaining community traditions,” said David W. Hochman, executive vice president at Tampa General and president of TGH North. “With the establishment of a new board at TGH North, we’re working to ensure that our facilities, operations and team members are guided by experienced leaders who know and love the families of this community and understand the full range of health care needs of this region.”
The board of managers includes:
– Walter Flanagan: A dedicated public servant who serves in multiple leadership roles in the region, including Vice Chair of CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion County Board, member of the Chamber of Commerce, and member of the Citrus One-Stop Resource & Entrepreneurial Business Center Board (CORE). He previously served on the Bravera Health Seven Rivers Governing Board.
– Dr. Mohammed Mohammadbhoy: A general surgeon who has been practicing in Crystal River since 2011. A native of Bangladesh, Dr. Mohammadbhoy earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida and his medical degree from the Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery at Orlando Health.
The board also features representatives of the Florida Health Sciences Center, under which Tampa General Hospital operates. The following TGH leadership will serve on the TGH North board:
– John Philpott: The immediate past chair of the board of directors at Florida Health Sciences Center. He is the managing partner of HealthEdge, where he is responsible for originating deals, overseeing due diligence, financing and transaction structuring, document negotiation, portfolio company management, fundraising and investor relations, and management of the firm.
– B. Thomas (Bo) Tomberlin III: A former chair of the board of directors at Florida Health Sciences Center. He is a third-generation partner and president of The Witt-Touchton Company, a family investment partnership in Tampa. Prior to his work at Witt-Touchton, he was a founding partner of Bayshore Capital Advisors and also worked for Lazard Frères & Co. in New York and for Bank of America Investment Banking in Los Angeles.
– Leigh H. Brandt: Executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Tampa General Hospital. In her current role at TGH, Brandt oversees the development and execution of the strategy, market planning and growth, marketing, public relations, physician business development, service lines, health care transformation, process engineering, external affairs, and project and program management enterprise.
– Les Runyon: Executive vice president and chief financial officer at Tampa General. In his role, Runyon leads and oversees all financial plans for Tampa General as the academic health system continues to develop its complete system of care for the community, region and state.
The board of managers at TGH North serves as the governing body for the operations in Citrus County. The board provides oversight of all strategic, financial, auditing and governance matters for the TGH North division of the not-for-profit academic health system. Members of the board were nominated by hospital leadership and approved by the Florida Health Sciences Center Board. Leadership roles are elected by their peers. Leadership and board members are eligible to serve three three-year terms.
TGH North was formed in January 2023, when Tampa General completed the acquisition of the Bravera Health network. TGH North encompasses three hospitals, one free-standing emergency department, two ambulatory surgical centers and 10 primary and specialty care clinics in Citrus and Levy counties.
