Tampa General Hospital’s John Couris and Mark Runyon Recognized as a Highly Successful CEO-CFO Duo for Third Consecutive Year

The duo is honored nationally for excellent collaboration in positioning Tampa General Hospital as a model academic health system.

 

Tampa, FL (March 21, 2025) – John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital (TGH), and Mark Runyon, executive vice president and chief financial officer, have been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2024 list of “Highly Successful CEO-CFO Duos.” This marks the third consecutive year the pair has received this recognition, reflecting their continued successes in fostering sustainable growth at Tampa General.

 

Couris and Runyon have propelled Tampa General to national prominence through their complementary leadership styles and shared vision for excellence and innovation. Couris has positioned Tampa General as a model academic health system, integrating education, research and clinical care to deliver cutting-edge resources and therapies to patients in the Tampa Bay community. With his focus on financial stability, operational efficiency and integrity, Runyon has created a thriving environment for Couris’ strategic goals, even amidst challenging economic climates. Their collaborative leadership has fueled remarkable growth, expanding Tampa General’s footprint from 17 facilities in 2017 to over 150 in 2024.

 

“When you have strong strategic and financial leadership driving your organization forward, it empowers team members at all levels and in all roles to think creatively about how we can do our best work to deliver exceptional care to our patients,” said Couris. “It is always an honor to be recognized alongside Mark for leveraging our unique perspectives and strengths to create a powerhouse partnership that has allowed us to continue doing exactly that, even after years of working together.”

 

In 2024, Couris and Runyon led a historic investment in academic medicine, strengthening integration across Tampa General and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. The investment supports a shared vision between the two affiliated organizations to increase integration, recruit best-in-class providers and advance research initiatives while continuing to grow Tampa’s economy and create jobs.

 

Additionally, Couris and Runyon spearheaded the latest iteration of Tampa General’s five-year Master Facility Plan (MFP), which included the recently opened TGH Behavioral Health Hospital, Florida’s first and only freestanding academic medical center-affiliated behavioral health hospital, resulting from a joint venture between TGH, USF Health and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, a business unit of Lifepoint Health. The pair further advanced the MFP with the groundbreaking of the 13-story, 565,000-square-foot Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower which will significantly expand these critical service lines and — at $560 million — is the largest expansion project in the health system’s history.

 

Their leadership has also been instrumental in developing the Tampa Medical & Research District, an initiative transforming Florida's health care landscape. The District is projected to contribute significantly to the state's economy by fostering a burgeoning hub of world-class clinical care, academics, research and biotechnology in Tampa and surrounding areas. Additionally, under their leadership, Tampa General has continued to scale and enhance TGH at Home, the system’s hospital-at-home program, which has reduced readmission rates compared to brick and mortar inpatient care units, achieved exceptional patient experience scores and increased average daily census to 20 patients at the end of 2024.

 

“I earnestly believe that with each year that passes, our partnership grows stronger and our joint impact becomes greater in turn,” said Runyon. “We are tremendously proud to have the work of our team recognized as we’ve continued our growth trajectory, doubled down on our investments in innovation and continued expanding access to world-class care across our community and beyond.”

 

This latest recognition follows several regional and national accolades for Couris and Runyon. In 2024, Runyon was honored as one of Tampa Bay Business Journal's Chief Financial Officers of the Year, further demonstrating the impact of their collaborative leadership as well as a CFO to Know and AMC CFO to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review. Couris was recently named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal Power 100 list and recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a Top CEO Influencer and Academic Medical Center CEO to Know. Their leadership has also contributed to Tampa General's reputation as a nationally and globally top-ranked academic health system and workplace by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek.

 

Becker’s Hospital Review is a leading source of health care news for professionals. Couris, Runyon and the complete class of 2024 honorees are profiled here.