COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University officials have turned to a veteran health administrator to take the reins of the newly-expanded Wexner Medical Center next year.
Dr. Sheldon Retchin will take over as executive vice president of health sciences and chief executive officer from Dr. Steven Gabbe on March 2, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, university president Michael Drake announced Monday.
Retchin has been serving as senior vice president for health sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University and as CEO of the VCU Health System in Richmond, Va., since 2003.
Like the Wexner Medical Center, VCU Medical Center is part of a large public university in an urban setting. It has consistently been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top hospitals.
Retchin also has patented the technology for an underwater recreational music device that uses bone conduction to transmit sound.
The hospital’s CEO since 2008, Gabbe announced in February that he is stepping down to return to teaching but will continue in the post until Retchin takes over.
Drake credits Retchin with being an architect of the Virginia Coordinated Care program, a program for caring for an inner-city, uninsured population, and a recognized expert in health policy.
Retchin was tapped to serve as vice-chair of the 15-member National Health Care Workforce Commission, established under the Affordable Care Act to study the nation’s changing workforce needs.
He has also served on numerous national and international panels related to managed care, costs of care and assessments of Medicare.