Ron J. Anderson, M.D.

Ron J. Anderson, M.D., is president and chief executive officer of Parkland Health & Hospital System, the general public hospital for Dallas County and the primary teaching hospital for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Dr. Anderson was named Parkland's chief executive officer in 1982 at age 35, after serving as medical director for Ambulatory Care and Emergency Services at Parkland and head of the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical School. His belief in the equality of mankind, whether rich or poor, male or female, black, white, yellow, or brown, is central in his personal and professional lives. From the beginning, he has worked to destroy the glass ceiling; today, over half of Parkland's management positions are held by women.

Dr. Anderson served on the executive committee of the State Task Force on Indigent Health Care and in 1985, he played a major role in the passage of landmark legislation concerning indigent health care in Texas. He was appointed co-chair of the Attorney General's Task Force to study not-for-profit hospitals and unsponsored charity care in 1988, and served as a member of Governor Ann Richard's Health Policy Task Force in 1991-1992. Dr. Anderson is past chairman of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, the Texas Association of Public and Non-Profit Hospitals, the Texas Board of Health, the National Association of Public Hospitals, the National Public Health and Hospital Institute, and the Texas Hospital Association.

Dr. Anderson was a member of the Kaiser Commission on the Future of Medicaid. He was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1997.

In 1994, he received the John P. McGovern Award for Humanitarian Medicine and Lectureship from the Association of Academic Health Centers. He  also received the American Public Health Association Award for Excellence in recognition of exceptionally meritorious contributions to the improvement of the health of the people.

In 2001, he received the American Public Health Association’s Award for Excellence. He also received the Dallas Baptist University-Oak Cliff Good Samaritan Award, and the first ever Annual Ron J. Anderson, M.D., Healthcare Servant Leadership Award from the Alliance for Healthcare Excellence. In 2002, he became an honorary member of the University of Texas at Arlington chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha. He recently received the Boone Powell, Sr. Award of Excellence.

Dr. Anderson was named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare for 2007 (he placed 27th) by Modern Healthcare magazine. It was the fourth time he had been honored on the list. Dr. Anderson has also been selected as the recipient of the Hall of Fame HEALTH Award from the DFW International Community Alliance, honoring individuals who, through innovations and leadership, have empowered new citizens and minorities to be active and productive members of the community.