Transformational health care executive

Education

• 1970 Bachelor’s degree, Johns Hopkins University
  After he graduated from Hopkins, family circumstances compelled him to get a job rather than pursue a medical education. He ended up working as a city school science teacher and as a part-time employee of a local kosher caterer before entering a graduate program.
• 1974 Master’s degree, health care administration, George Washington University

Notable

With a career spanning 44 years, he has made a lasting mark on The Johns Hopkins Hospital as well as a notable global impact.

• In 1973, he was given the opportunity for an administrative residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
• In 1984, he was appointed president of the former Baltimore City Hospitals, now known as Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, after his recommendation to acquire the facility was accepted by trustees of The Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
• He was named executive vice president and COO for both The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System in 1995.
• In 1997, Peterson became president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System and soon thereafter was named executive vice president of the newly constituted Johns Hopkins Medicine. On his watch, the Health System grew to six hospitals, and he partnered with JHM leadership to create an academically driven integrated delivery and finance system.
• The Sheikh Zayed Cardiovascular and Critical Care Tower and The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center were opened in 2012, a landmark achievement in Peterson’s career.

In His Own Words

“I take pride in having been able, on my watch, to do what was necessary to bring the physical facilities of The Johns Hopkins Hospital up to snuff, with excellent programs and people. From a tangible, physical evidence basis, that was especially meaningful. It remains a very visible sign of what we were able to accomplish.”

“To have been part of [Bayview] was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a win for the city of Baltimore—no more red ink; a win for Johns Hopkins—130 acres of land on which to expand every dimension of our tripartite mission; and a win for the community, with dramatically improved facilities and services provided by Johns Hopkins faculty and highly competent, caring staff.”
on the acquisition of Baltimore City Hospitals