Dr. Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA is an eclectic mix of cool and cerebral. He flies his own plane and DJ’s as a hobby. However, his day job as President of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health Systems keeps him busy. He will be discussing both his career and his leisure activities at the next JBN Speaker Series luncheon October 22, 2014, Temple Center City campus at noon. “The best part of my job is I get to interact with some of the smartest doctors and nurses. I look forward to leading this 191 year old institution into the future” said Dr. Klasko.
With the bequest of a $110 million dollars from Sidney Kimmel, the fifth largest gift ever to a medical school, Klasko has a lot of decisions to make. Klasko explained, “In addition to the money this large donation will help cast a national and international spotlight on Philadelphia. There are many options such as scholarships for minorities and recruiting world renowned scientists to act as visiting professors”.
In the near future Klasko envisions health care changing as it merge with technology. He calls it tele-medical meaning less in-office or at the hospital visits and more ‘virtual’ patient care. “The entire health care industry needs to move forward. We have to think like a start-up and utilize technology to make care more convenient and affordable to the average person” added Klasko.
Believe it or not, Klasko was once turned down from Temple’s Medical School at age 19. Not one to be daunted he eventually did graduate and went on to build a very successful OB-GYN practice in Allentown. He then became Dean of the University of South Florida Medical School and along the way earned an MBA from Wharton.
What is next for this relentless achiever? Klasko tells us he is in talks to form a partnership with Abington Memorial Hospital. He is also in the process of hiring staff for a new center for Health Care Entrepreneurship and is looking to team up with a sports analytic or a tele-health company. Not bad for the guy who almost did not become a doctor.