Thomas M. Priselac

An advocate for improving quality and access in healthcare, Thomas M. Priselac has developed strategic and operational innovations to foster high-quality, safe and efficient care for patients. Under his leadership, Cedars-Sinai has earned an international reputation for quality care, community service, research and education while evolving from a community hospital to a major health system that continues to expand to better serve patients. Priselac, who holds the Warschaw Law Chair in Healthcare Leadership at Cedars-Sinai, first joined Cedars-Sinai in 1979, and has been president and CEO since 1994.

Before being appointed to his current role, he was executive vice president of Cedars-Sinai from 1988 to 1993. Earlier in his career, he was on the executive staff of Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh.

An authority on healthcare delivery and policy, Priselac is a past chair of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees and a past chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges. When he was chair of the American Hospital Association in 2009, he had an instrumental role in the development of Affordable Care Act. He also formerly chaired the California Hospital Association and the Hospital Association of Southern California.

He is a member of the Board of Councilors of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Civic Alliance, the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. Priselac has received numerous awards for his leadership in healthcare and his commitment to improving the health of the underserved, including the American Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award, B’nai Brith International’s National Healthcare Award, the Special Needs Network’s Distinguished Community Champion Corporate Leadership Award and the Charles R. Drew University Board of Trustees Medal of Honor.

Priselac writes and speaks on a variety of policy issues related to the delivery and financing of healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, and the adoption and implementation of information technology. He is an adjunct professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, where he teaches principles of organizational leadership.

Priselac earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in public health, health services administration and planning from the University of Pittsburgh.