For someone who supervises one of the largest health care teams in Chattanooga, it’s surprising to hear Thomas Ozburn, the recently appointed CEO of Parkridge Health System, say that he never had any interest in becoming a doctor.
“You have got to be called into that profession,” says Ozburn, 49, during an interview in his office at Parkridge’s McCallie Avenue main campus. “The clinical side of medicine was just never appealing to me.”
It didn’t help that he was not a great student in chemistry, he said, a key class for physicians-to-be.
Tom Ozburn at a glance
Job: CEO of Parkridge Health SystemAge: 49Education: He earned a bachelor of science degree in health care management from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a master of health administration degree from The University of Memphis College of Health Sciences in Memphis, and a master of business administration degree from The University of Memphis business school. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.Career: A native of Chattanooga, Ozburn began his hospital career at Erlanger Health System and joined HCA in 2007, where he has been chief operating officer for hospitals in Hermitage, Tennessee and Bowling Green, Kentucky and has worked in operations with HCA Physician Services Group.Professional associations: He has served as a board member for the Tennessee Hospital Association, Healthcare Executives Forum of Middle Tennessee, Nashville Zoo, Men of Valor, Tennessee Christian Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Middle Tennessee, and Soles4Souls.
But what he did have a talent for, Ozburn believes, is business, in particular the health care business. “I seemed to have a knack for relationships,” he says.