KANSAS CITY, Kan. (July 8, 2008) – The University of Kansas Hospital Authority Board elected new leadership at its board meeting Tuesday on the hospital’s Westwood campus. Wichita surgeon George Farha, MD, stepped down from the Hospital Authority Board Chair position he has held since 1999. Lawrence businessman Robert Honse was elected the new chair.
Farha will remain on the board and on the Executive Committee, Honse said.
“George Farha deserves a lot of credit for the dramatic turnaround of The University of Kansas Hospital over the 10-year history of the Authority. He was a powerful voice that the hospital’s focus should be on the patient, even in those early days of financial challenges. That focus laid the foundation for developing the hospital into a national leader in academic medicine,” said Honse.
University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway will remain as the board’s vice chair.
“We went though some challenges to get to the landmark affiliation agreement finalized earlier this year. The chancellor’s leadership was critical in getting the hospital, the university and the practice group together,” said Honse.
Honse’s election as chair elicited praise from Bob Page, president and chief executive officer of The University of Kansas Hospital.
“Bob Honse not only has provided sage business counsel during his eight years on the board, he has developed a sure understanding of the complexities of academic medicine. I look forward to working with him and the other board members,” said Page.