Skip to main content

CommonSpirit CEO Lloyd Dean Announces Retirement

Analysis  |  By Melanie Blackman  
   October 13, 2021

During his 22-year leadership tenure, Lloyd Dean has been a leading voice in health equity.

CommonSpirit Health has announced that its CEO, Lloyd Dean, will retire during the summer of 2022.

Dean originally served as CEO of Dignity Health for 19 years before the organization merged with Catholic Health Initiatives to create CommonSpirit Health in February 2019. He then served as co-CEO alongside Catholic Health Initiatives CEO, Kevin Lofton, until he was appointed sole CEO of the Chicago-based organization in July 2020.

Since then, Dean has led the $30 billion system with more than 1,500 care sites and 140 hospitals across 22 states, to establish it as "a national leader in healthcare."

"When I started my journey in health care 35 years ago, I never imagined it would take me to Catholic Healthcare West, Dignity Health, and now CommonSpirit Health," Dean said in a LinkedIn post. "After all this time, I’m still amazed at how blessed I have been to do such important work with exceptional and inspirational colleagues and partners, especially in light of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic."

During his leadership tenure, Dean has been a leading voice in health equity and has led numerous initiatives, which include:

  • Addressing social determinants of health and removing barriers to access of care and advancing social justice
  • Establishing a 10-year, $100 million partnership between CommonSpirit Health and Morehouse School of Medicine to train Black doctors to create a more diverse and dynamic workforce
  • Contributing to the passage of the Affordable Care Act as an "outspoken advocate" and partnering with the President Obama Administration and Congressional Leaders to rally support of the bill
  • Establishing Dignity Health as the leading Medicaid provider in California
  • Establishing CommonSpirit Health as one of the leading Medicaid providers in the country and becoming a national leader in value-based care

"I’m looking forward to the next chapter, but my work at CommonSpirit is not done yet," Dean stated. "In the coming months, I will remain focused on our continued integration as a single organization to achieve better outcomes and improve the health of those we serve, especially the vulnerable."

A search committee has been established by the CommonSpirit board, which will work to identify Dean's successor prior to his departure.

Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.


Get the latest on healthcare leadership in your inbox.