Inova CEO Knox Singleton Announces Retirement
Knox Singleton, 69, the longtime CEO of Inova, Northern Virginia's largest private employer, announced he will be retiring July 1st, 2018, completing 35 years of growth for what has become a world-class healthcare system now serving more than two million patients a year.
"I am grateful to Inova's board for accepting my request to retire," Singleton said. "I want to move to the next chapter of my life while Inova is at its peak, fully engaged in implementing our strategic plan. This is the best time for Inova to recruit and transition to a new leader. I want to start my post-Inova life while I am able to devote my full passion after 35 years to my personal priorities of social entrepreneurship and healthcare technology. I also want to spend more time with my family, especially my seven kids."
During his tenure Singleton oversaw the evolution of Inova from a three hospital, $500 millionenterprise with 1,000 employees to a $3.5 billion healthcare system with five hospitals, a health insurance company and over a hundred ambulatory service locations and 17,000 employees. Inova today provides over $200 million annually in free services to the community and is recognized as one of the most sophisticated, successful not-for-profit health systems in the nation. With an international reputation in both patient care and research, patients from more than fifty foreign countries seek specialized care at Inova's research and patient care centers. Early in 2015, Inova announced its plan to transform the former ExxonMobil campus in Merrifield, Virginia into an advanced research and treatment center focusing on personalized medicine and genomic science.
Tony Nader, Chair of the Inova Board of Trustees, credited Singleton with advancing Inova's vision of becoming a global center for the discovery and application of genomics and bio-informatics to the care of patients. "Knox Singleton is the real builder of one of the most advanced healthcare systems and research centers serving the mid-Atlantic region. All of us owe him a debt of gratitude, admiration and best wishes for his leadership as he continues to be a vital participant in our community and the healthcare industry. Knox has left us in the perfect position to recruit the next leader. He will always be a member of the Inova family."
Asked about his time at Inova, Singleton said the most satisfying accomplishment was the shift Inova made from simply treating those who are ill to conducting cutting edge research into how the new science of genomics and precision medicine is actually applied to new treatments and prevention. "The new Applied Research Institutes in Cancer, Cardiac Care, Neurosciences and Women's and Children's services are all up and running under exceptional clinical and administrative leadership," Singleton said. "At some point, a CEO needs to take stock of what kind of leader is required to achieve the next chapter of our vision. After 35 years, I want to pass the baton to the kind of innovative, inspirational leader who will take Inova from national to global prominence in being the Future of Health." Further, Singleton noted "Inova is, at its heart, about providing excellent care to everyone in our community regardless of their ability to pay. Our hospitals are simply outstanding and make world class precision medicine accessible to everyone in the communities where our hospitals are located. The implementation of our strategic plan will take a number of years to execute and will require a commitment of time only a new leader can make. Now is the right time to recruit the next generation of leadership to take Inova further into the future of medicine."
Singleton was responsible for spearheading a number of important collaborations with universities to be located on the Inova Center for Personalized Health. During his tenure, a partnership was created with the University of Virginia to establish a regional campus of the university and nine research projects focused on predicting, preventing and treating cancer and other diseases. The Inova-Mason Proteomics Center at the Center for Personalized Health was established in partnership with George Mason University. Several Shenandoah University health profession education programs will be located in the Center.
Numerous organizations have recognized Singleton for his leadership and contributions to the region. He was named CEO of the Year in 2015 by the Washington Business Journal and received the VirginiaGovernor's award in 2004. He received the distinguished Regent's Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) in 2000 and is a recipient of the 1993 Community Care Award for Health from the Northern Virginia Community Foundation. In 1990, he was named Citizen of the Year by the Washington Post.
Inova is a global leader in personalized health, which leverages precision medicine to predict, prevent and treat disease, enabling individuals to live longer, healthier lives. Inova serves more than two million people each year throughout the Washington, DC, metro area and beyond. Inova is shaping the future of health through its integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes. Inova is home to world-class researchers, expert medical specialists and renowned scientists, who are driving innovation to improve patient care, prevent disease and promote wellness. Inova's commitment to health and wellness is further reflected in its sustainable practices.
Inova includes more than 1,700 licensed hospital beds and 17,000 employees. Inova encompasses the full array of health services, including the area's only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level IV neonatal intensive care unit. Inova is also home to nationally and internationally recognized Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI), Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI) focused on genomics research, Inova Neuroscience Institute and Inova Children's Hospital.