July 22, 2002

"The MGH was always legendary to my family. My grandmother would tell me about the kind people at the MGH, how skilled they were and how much they cared."
- Peter L. Slavin, MD

"No matter what the assignment, Peter first and foremost is a compassionate physician who always keeps the best interest of patients and families at heart."
- James J. Mongan, MD

"Peter is masterful at building consensus because he listens, understands and thinks through situations crisply and constructively. His understated, quiet style has proven tremendously effective in dealing with the hospital's many constituencies, both internal and external."
- Samuel O. Thier, MD

One patient's legacy: A new MGH president

Louis Tokson (right) was a wise and respected leader, a pillar of his community in turn-of-the-century Malden, Mass. Born in Lithuania, he was one of a growing number of Jewish immigrants to settle just north of Boston, seeking the American dream. A distinguished and formal gentleman, Tokson earned a meager living by selling chickens and eggs. He was perhaps best known in his community as a healer, empowered with an almost mystical ability to help the ill and injured.

But he was unable to heal himself.

A freak accident left a chip of wood embedded in Tokson's leg, and he developed a severe infection. Each week, Tokson, escorted by his teenage daughter, Julia, would take the streetcar from Malden to the MGH in Boston. There, caregivers would remove the bandage, examine the wound, apply a diluted bleach mixture called "Dakin's solution," and replace the dressing. The care was free. Like many other immigrants in the 1920s, Tokson had no insurance and few financial resources.

For nearly 10 years, Tokson and his daughter made the weekly trek to the MGH. And for 10 years, the hospital treated Tokson with dignity, respect and kindness, offering its expertise to the grateful patient and devoted daughter. The MGH valiantly battled the infection and saved Tokson's leg, preserving his quality of life for a decade. The infection, however, eventually won out, and his leg was amputated. Tokson died several years later in 1937.

Julia Tokson Ruderman, today 92 and still a resident of Malden, for years has recounted to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the stories about the compassionate people, wonderful care and impressive technology that she and her father experienced at the MGH.

So it is particularly fitting that the Tokson family has made a meaningful and truly significant contribution to the MGH. On Jan. 1, 2003, Louis Tokson's great-grandson and Julia Ruderman's grandson, Peter L. Slavin, (left) MD, MBA, will become president of the MGH.

"The MGH was always legendary to my family," says Slavin, who currently serves as chief executive officer and chairman of the Massachusetts General Physicians rganization (MGPO). "My grandmother would tell me about the kind people at the MGH, how skilled they were and how much they cared. When I came to the MGH as a medical student, I experienced this caring culture, this unwavering dedication to patients - all patients. I feel so honored and privileged to lead such an extraordinary place."

The MGH Board of Trustees approved Slavin's appointment as president at its meeting July 19. He will succeed James J. Mongan, MD, who will move into the position of president and chief executive officer of Partners HealthCare.

Edward Lawrence, chairman of the MGH board and head of the search committee, calls Slavin a wise, thoughtful and distinguished leader. "Peter Slavin brings an impressive breadth of administrative, clinical and health policy experience to the position," Lawrence says. "He is widely respected and greatly liked, and we are delighted that he will be at the helm of this hospital in the years ahead."

Mongan says the future of the MGH is solid with Slavin as its leader. "Peter has an impressive ability to think through the most complex issues and come to what is inevitably a sensible and intelligent resolution," Mongan says. "Peter and I have worked closely together as the MGH and the MGPO have collaborated on key initiatives that have enhanced quality and safety, reduced length of stay, controlled expenses and promoted diversity and a culturally sensitive environment. No matter what the assignment, Peter first and foremost is a compassionate physician who always keeps the best interest of patients and families at heart."

Born in Malden, Slavin, 44, has spent most of his career at the MGH. Since 1999, he has led the hospital's 1,700-member MGPO, the state's largest physician multispecialty group practice. Slavin's previous MGH positions have included serving as senior vice president and chief medical officer from 1994 through 1997. He has been on the hospital's medical staff since 1987, serving as a primary care physician. In addition, Slavin is a member of the New England Patriots medical staff.

In 1997, Slavin was recruited to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., where he served as the first president of the merged institution.

Samuel O. Thier, MD, president and chief executive officer of Partners, calls Slavin an intelligent and effective leader. "Peter is masterful at building consensus because he listens, understands and thinks through situations crisply and constructively," Thier says. "His understated, quiet style has proven tremendously effective in dealing with the hospital's many constituencies, both internal and external."

Slavin received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He holds an undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard College. He has been a member of the faculty of Harvard Medical School since 1987. A resident of Newton, he and his wife, Lori, have two sons.

Slavin has long had a dual interest in clinical medicine and societal health issues. During college, he spent time working in the Washington office of Congressman Edward J. Markey. He also has served as a legislative analyst in the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Slavin says the MGH is in outstanding shape today because of the leadership of both Mongan and Thier as well as the benefits of being part of Partners. "It is clear that we will face some challenging times in health care in the years ahead," he says. "But working together, the talented and dedicated people of the MGH will continue to advance our clinical and academic missions. My focus is to make sure the MGH is not only a place with the most sophisticated technology and latest treatments, but also a place with a heart. I want every patient to feel the same dignity, respect and kindness that my great-grandfather experienced. These qualities, after all, represent the hallmark of this truly great institution. And they are what patients and families remember - generation after generation."