Chris Van Gorder, FACHE

As president and CEO of Scripps Health since 2000, Chris Van Gorder has been instrumental in positioning Scripps among the nation’s foremost health care institutions. Now, with his leadership team, physicians and front-line employees he is restructuring the $3.2 billion integrated health system to meet the new landscape of health care, with a focus on cost, quality and patient experience.

Van Gorder received his master’s degree in public administration/health services administration at the University of Southern California, completed the Wharton System CEO Program at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles. In 2006, California’s governor appointed Van Gorder to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services (EMSA), where he served two terms. He also is a past chairman (2010) of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Van Gorder’s rise to health care executive has been unconventional. His journey began as a hospital patient, when as a police officer he was critically injured during a family dispute call. After a lengthy recovery, Van Gorder continued his education in health care management and rose to levels of increased responsibility. Today, he continues to serve the public as Reserve Assistant Sheriff for San Diego County.  

Van Gorder was part of medical history following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., asked a Scripps medical unit to staff a clinic for hurricane survivors in the Houston Convention Center. The request for Scripps’ assistance marked the first time the federal government asked a private health care organization for long-term support for a nationally organized disaster relief plan. The Scripps Medical Response Team (SMRT) has since provided medical support following the 2007 San Diego County wildfires; the devasting 2010 earthquake in Port au Prince, Haiti; the 2015 earthquake in remote areas of Nepal; and just last year following the destructive “Camp” Fire that destroyed all of Paradise, California. Because of the team’s experience, the Scripps Disaster Preparedness Office often provides counsel to local, state and federal disaster efforts.

Van Gorder is a past recipient of the ACHE Gold Medal Award – ACHE’s highest honor –
for his contributions to health care services and community Health.  

His first book – The Front-Line Leader: Building a High Performance Organization from the Ground Up – was published in November 2014.