Sr. Mary Jean Ryan, FSM

Sr. Mary Jean Ryan, Franciscan Sister of Mary (FSM), is President and Chief Executive Officer of SSM Health Care (SSMHC), one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the United States. The system owns, manages and is affiliated with 20 acute care hospitals and two nursing homes in four states: Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. In 2002, SSM Health Care became the first health care recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement.

During her 22-year tenure, Sr. Mary Jean has emphasized three key themes: preservation of the earth’s resources; valuing ethnic and gender diversity; and commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). She is the author of “On Becoming Exceptional: SSM Health Care’s Journey to Baldrige and Beyond,” released in March 2007, and co-author of “CQI and the Renovation of an American Health Care System: A Culture Under Construction,” released in 1997. She has been privileged to share SSM Health Care’s Quality Journey through presentations to many national and international organizations.

Sr. Mary Jean has received numerous honors, including the Juran Medal from the American Society for Quality, the Life and Breath Award from the American Lung Association, the Governor’s Quality Leadership Award in Missouri (twice) and the Award of Honor presented by the American Hospital Association. She has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business in St. Louis and for the past four years has been named one of the most powerful people in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine.

Sr. Mary Jean received a Master’s Degree in Hospital and Health Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati. She is a nurse and has been a Franciscan Sister of Mary for more than 40 years.