Sister Mary Jean Ryan, FSM

Sister Mary Jean Ryan, Franciscan Sister of Mary, had been President/CEO of SSM Health Care since the system's founding in 1986. In a new role which started August 1, 2009, she became Chair/CEO of SSMHC, one of the largest Catholic health-care systems in the United States with 23,000 employees (including 6,600 nurses) and 5,400 affiliated physicians in four states. In 2002, SSM Health Care became the first health-care recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement.

During her 23-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 (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.

Sister Mary Jean has received numerous honors, including the Juran Medal from the American Society for Quality, the Life and Breath Award from the American Lung Association, the Governor’s Quality Leadership Award in Missouri (twice), the Award of Honor presented by the American Hospital Association, 20 Distinguished Women/St. Louis Area; the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award from the National Conference of Community and Justice; the Corporation that Makes a Difference Award from the International Women’s Forum; one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business in St. Louis (2005), and one of the most powerful people in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine for the past six years. She also received an honorary degree/Doctor of Humane Letters from Webster University (St. Louis) in 1994, as well as from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Lindenwood University (St. Charles, Mo.), both in 2003.

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, which include: Premier, Inc., the former National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care, the Excellence in Missouri Foundation and the District Industry Council (Health Care) - Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In addition, she is Chairperson of the Boards of SSM Health Care of Oklahoma, SSM Health Care of Wisconsin, and SSM Health Care-St. Louis. She also serves as President of the SSM Health Care Board of Directors.
 
Sister Mary Jean received a nursing diploma at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, Wis., a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Saint Louis University, and a master’s degree in hospital and health administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati. She has been a Franciscan Sister of Mary for more than 40 years.

In her new role, she will chair the SSM Board of Directors as well as SSM's other regional and divisional boards. The system's five senior vice presidents and President/COO report to her.