April 30, 1999

W. Gerald Austen, MD, right, has announced that he will step down from his position as chief executive officer and chairman of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) Sept. 30. He will continue to stay involved in a variety of activities at the MGH, the MGPO and Partners.

The first CEO of the MGPO, Austen helped create the organization in 1994, unifying several physician groups at the MGH. "With the help of an excellent management team and outstanding physician leadership," says Austen, "the MGPO has come a long way."

Austen has focused on the MGPO's role in advocating for physicians, whose representation on the MGPO board has increased to 50 percent. In June 1999, physicians also will be represented on the MGH board. In addition, Austen's leadership has helped ensure a strong MGPO physician voice at Partners.

"Working in partnership with Dr. [James J.] Mongan [MGH president]," says Austen, "the relationship between the hospital and its physicians has increasingly been one of collaboration and joint decision-making."

Austen says that now is the right time for him to step down. "While there is still much to do," he says, "the MGPO is now well established and stable, both financially and politically. It is clearly a physician-driven and physician-led organization; it is very inclusive and democratic."

Even though he is stepping down from his official MGPO duties, Austen will stay involved in the hospital and the MGPO. He will continue as chairman of the MGH Chiefs' Council, remain active in raising funds for the MGH and will serve as an adviser to Mongan and to Samuel O. Thier, MD, Partners president and CEO. In addition, Austen will be available to participate on special projects and committees, and to advise and help his MGPO successor. He will continue to serve as the Edward D. Churchill Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Mongan calls Austen an extraordinary leader who has left an indelible mark on the MGH and MGPO. "Dr. Austen's enormous contributions have done much to help shape this institution," Mongan says. "I am delighted that his wisdom and understanding of the MGH and its complexities will continue to help guide the hospital as it faces the challenges of an ever-evolving health care environment."

An MGPO CEO/chair nominating committee will lead the search for Austen's successor. The committee will be comprised of four physicians – two chiefs and two nonchiefs – selected by the MGPO Executive Committee; two lay trustees selected by the MGPO board; the president of the MGH; and the president of Partners.

Austen has been a member of the MGH community for 44 years. He completed his internship and surgical residency at the hospital, serving as chief surgical resident in 1960. In 1963, he was named chief of the Surgical Cardiovascular Research Unit and became chief of Surgical Services in 1969. In October 1997, he stepped down from his administrative surgical position but continued to lead the MGPO.