MAYO CLINIC HEALTH SYSTEM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
- CAO
As CAO, Chris closely partners with Dr. Varkey to lead Mayo Clinic Health System staff. His academic rank at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science includes Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration and Assistant Professor of Healthcare Systems Engineering. Chris serves on several boards, including the Vizient Upper Midwest CEO Board and the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board (Region 6).
Chris previously served in various leadership roles across Mayo Clinic, including enterprise chair of Advanced Care at Home & Practice Strategy, and associate administrator supporting the Clinical Practice Committee, hospital operations, surgical/procedural practices and ancillary services at Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Prior to joining Mayo, Chris worked for Truman Medical Centers - now University Health - in Kansas City, Missouri. A Minnesota native, Chris' healthcare administration career started in his hometown at Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital, now known as Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.
Chris received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Helzberg School of Management at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. He earned his doctorate degree at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, and completed a graduate certificate in public health from the University of Michigan. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and is a certified Six Sigma black belt through the American Society for Quality. He holds fellowship status and board certifications with the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American College of Medical Practice Executives through the Medical Group Management Association.
Chris and his wife, Katie, have four children and live in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Job Titles:
- Program Director / Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia
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As president, Dr. Varkey leads 17,000 staff serving 16 community hospitals and 50 multispecialty clinics across 39 communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Her academic rank at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science includes Professor of Medicine and Professor of Preventive Medicine.
Prior to her role as Mayo Clinic Health System president, Dr. Varkey served as CEO and president of the Yale New Haven Health Northeast Medical Group and Seton Clinical Enterprise. From 2001 to 2013, she held leadership positions at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, including associate chair of the Department of Medicine, medical director of Ask Mayo Clinic, program director of the preventive medicine fellowship and director of the quality improvement curriculum.
A nationally recognized expert in quality improvement, Dr. Varkey is past president of the American College of Medical Quality, has authored over 80 publications and is the editor of two books, including Medical Quality Management and Mayo Clinic Board Review on Preventive Medicine and Public Health. She was recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the "Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare" for 2023.
Dr. Varkey earned her M.B.B.S. from Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. She earned master's degrees in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois and in Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management from the University of Minnesota. She completed her internal medicine residency at the Yale New Haven Health Hospital of Saint Raphael and a preventive medicine fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. She has an honorary Master of Arts degree from Yale University.
Dr. Varkey and her husband, Pravin, have a young daughter and live in Rochester, Minnesota.