Tampa General Hospital VP Steven Chew Named to Modern Healthcare Top Emerging Leader List

Hospital vice president who has risen through the TGH ranks receives national recognition for his work leading transformational projects.

Tampa, FL (March 29, 2022) – Steven Chew, vice president, Service Lines at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is among Modern Healthcare’s 2022 class of Top Emerging Leaders. Modern Healthcare, the leader in health care business news, research, and data, annually honors emerging leaders all age 40 or under, who have made significant contributions in the areas of innovation and financial, operational, and clinical excellence early in their careers. Chew has spent most of his career at TGH developing his leadership and management skills, seizing new professional opportunities afforded him by the organization, and taking advantage of the organization’s investment in him to enhance his capacity and career trajectory. This national award recognizes his achievements at TGH.

Over the last two years, Chew played a significant role in helping guide the hospital through the pandemic, developing innovative and highly successful models of operation. Chew’s innovative leadership and contributions to operational and clinical excellence can be seen in his work helping to open Tampa General's Global Emerging Diseases Institute (GEDI), where he was the executive lead in guiding the establishment of the Institute in 2020. A collaboration between Tampa General and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the team includes expert physicians and clinical team members from both organizations who support the Institute's care, ranging from inpatient clinical care and outpatient clinics to teaching and research. Chew also led the development and implementation of the TGH Prevention Response Outreach (TPRO) program, which provides COVID-19 expertise and recommendations to organizations looking to protect their employees and patrons as well as helping them to manage their operations with strict safety protocols.

Chew began his career at TGH in the Materials Management department in 2008 and quickly became involved with operations by establishing meaningful relationships and building trust with physicians, clinicians, and team members. Recognized for his leadership potential and strong operational capabilities, Chew was promoted from a role in the Surgical Services department to leading operations as the Director of Operations Management. Chew continued to develop his management and leadership skills and moved into the role of Senior Administrator of the Neuroscience, Orthopedics and Infectious Diseases Institutes. Most recently, Chew was promoted to vice president of Service Lines.

Chew’s career journey is illustrative of Tampa General’s investment in leadership and skills development of its entire team—hospital-wide—which is a key pillar of the organization’s operational philosophy. Through various mechanisms, TGH has developed a suite of tools and opportunities to support team growth and professional development.

“TGH makes it a top priority to care for and support our team members in every way throughout their careers,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “We recognize that our team members want growth and educational opportunities, and that plays an important role in their job satisfaction. As leaders, our responsibility is to provide our team access to these opportunities for growth – and it’s exciting to see how these programs are positively affecting their lives. Steve’s progression through this organization demonstrates the value succession planning can have and this national recognition provides further validation that our programs are helping our team members grow, develop and achieve great success.”

Two key opportunities for team member development that TGH developed include the TGH-USF People Development Institute (PDI) and LEAD (Leadership Enrichment and Development) TGH. PDI offers a broad range of courses, at no cost, to all team members at Tampa General Hospital to support career aspirations and equip team members with the skills to drive their development. LEAD (Leadership Enrichment and Development) TGH provides team members a platform to grow and develop fundamental leadership skills through a structured 12-month program. These skills include mentorship, professional development, community involvement and business acumen.

As an academic medical center, Tampa General has an emphasis on continued learning for all team members—from career laddering to tuition support to programs like PDI and Lead TGH. Tampa General leads the regional market with educational benefits supporting team members to provide world-class patient care. It is these types of investments that have allowed us to recruit top talent and is a primary reason TGH has been named one of the "150 top places to work in healthcare" by Becker's Hospital Review. This ranking places TGH among the best U.S. hospitals for professional growth opportunities, work/life balance, a positive, team-focused environment, and a complete program of benefits enjoyed by its team members.

Tampa General’s team member-focused programs, and the overall philosophy of progression and succession planning, are integral parts of the TGH culture. These fundamentals provide the structure and focus to build up team members – offering additional growth opportunities within the organization while providing constant support along their trajectory.

“The TGH family is incredibly proud of Steve. He is the hallmark of the kind of leader we are developing at TGH—innovative, team-focused, strategic, and most importantly, always seeking opportunities to expand his skill set and knowledge base,” said Stacey Brandt, EVP, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer. “Steve developed into an exceptional leader during his tenure at TGH. He has excelled at building relationships, collaborating on strategy with his colleagues, understanding operations, effectively implementing new strategies, and successfully leading his areas of responsibility which include clinical service lines. This national recognition could not be more well deserved and symbolizes his outstanding growth and professional development here at TGH over the last 14 years.”

“I am truly humbled by this award, and TGH’s consistent investment in me and the opportunities afforded me to help contribute to the transformational growth of Tampa General and my own professional development,” stated Chew. “My success is not my own. It is the direct result of the leadership coaching and professional development afforded me here at TGH, as well as the collaboration, tireless work, dedication, and support of my team, colleagues, and the leadership of TGH. I feel so fortunate to work at an organization focused on doing all it can to invest in its people. TGH is raising the bar in providing the best and most innovative level of care for this community and developing leaders who can help make that possible. I am fortunate and thank everyone at TGH.”

A New Jersey native and Rutgers alum, Chew came to TGH via the University of South Florida from which he holds a Master of Health Administration from the USF College of Public Health. Chew and the rest of this year’s honorees are profiled in the March 21 issue of Modern Healthcare magazine and online at Modernhealthcare.com/awards/top-25-emerging-leaders-2022.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,041-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospitals, and one of the top four hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. The academic medical center’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious 2021 Forbes magazine rankings – America’s Best Employers by State, third out of 100 Florida companies and first among health care and social organizations and 13^th nationally in America’s Best Employers for Women. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal 2020 provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.  For more information, go to www.tgh.org.