Herbert C. Buchanan, Jr. joins Indiana University Health as president of both IU Health/Methodist Hospital and IU Health/University Hospital beginning on Monday, July 7. Buchanan brings more than 25 years of healthcare leadership experience to the position. Buchanan comes to IU Health from Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he’s served as Chief Executive Officer since 2012. Before that, Buchanan was Chief Operating Officer for the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Prior to that, he had served in the role of VP/Operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and as VP/Operations and Process Improvement for the Huntsville Hospital System in Alabama. “Herb is a dynamic and effective leader who has an impressive track record in both establishing and achieving challenging goals,” said Dennis Murphy, Executive Vice-president and system Chief Operating Officer, IU Health. “We look forward to welcoming Herb to the IU Health team.” In his new role, Buchanan will be responsible for determining the strategic vision and priorities of IU Health’s Methodist and University hospitals, in alignment with the nationally ranked health system’s overall business strategy. Herbert Buchanan becomes the only African-American to current run of Indianapolis’ major hospitals. He also is the third African-American to hold the top leadership position at the city’s largest hospital – Methodist. Buchanan was preceded by Sam Odle. And both Olde and Buchanan’s road was paved by the legendary physician, community leader and hospital executive Dr. Frank P. Lloyd who became Indianapolis’ first African-American to head a major Indianapolis Hospital in 1981.
“I am looking forward to becoming a significant contributor to this accomplished leadership team because of the unlimited potential of IU Health,” said Buchanan, who will report to Murphy. “This leadership role affords a unique opportunity to become a part of one of the nation’s most respected and successful healthcare organizations and to drive unprecedented achievements benefiting our patients and the communities we serve.” A native of Washington, D.C.; Buchanan earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg School of Management, as well as graduate and undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
