Press release from Lutheran Health Network:
Mike Schatzlein to Conclude 30 Years of Service with Lutheran Health Network June 4
Lutheran Hospital CEO Joe Dorko to serve as interim network CEO
The tri-state region will soon bid farewell to a trailblazer in the areas of heart surgery, hospital administration and physician relations. Mike Schatzlein, MD, MBA, chief executive officer of Lutheran Health Network and Dupont Hospital, has announced he will be concluding his three decades of service in Fort Wayne June 4. He will begin the next chapter of his storied career at Saint Thomas Health Services in Nashville, Tenn. Lutheran Hospital CEO Joe Dorko will serve as interim CEO of Lutheran Health Network.
“I know LHN well after these 30 years, and I am confident that the leadership – the best team in healthcare – will continue the tradition of excellence that we’ve worked together to nurture,” said Schatzlein. “I will sincerely miss all the associates and physicians who continue to place the needs of the patient above all else. Even though new challenges beckon, I will always look back on my time in Fort Wayne with great fondness and am pleased to know my departure comes at a time of sustained growth for the network and measurably superior results.”
Schatzlein received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 1970 and a medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1974. The Knightstown, Ind., native arrived in Fort Wayne in 1980 after completing surgical residencies at Indiana University Medical Center and University of Michigan Medical Center. His first assignment in the Summit City was to develop an open heart surgery program at St. Joseph Hospital. Five years later, he led the Lutheran Hospital team that performed the region’s first heart transplant.
Schatzlein began a successful transition from physician to administrator in 1994 when he assumed the first of numerous leadership roles within Lutheran Health Network, including senior vice president of strategic development, COO of LHN and CEO of St. Joseph Hospital.
As the millennium drew near, Schatzlein spearheaded efforts on behalf of LHN to work with local physicians who saw the need for a hospital to serve communities in northern Allen County. Because of these efforts, he became Dupont Hospital’s first CEO and joined nearly 200 physician partners in the spring of 2001 when the facility officially opened. Schatzlein became CEO of Lutheran Health Network in 2007.
Liz, his wife of 22 years, is a broadcast journalist. Both have been dedicated Fort Wayne residents involved in numerous causes, such as the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaign that raises money and awareness for programs of the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau. Mike has also served on the boards of many local and state organizations including United Way of Allen County, Rescue Mission, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Super Shot, Fort Wayne Medical Education Program, Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and Indiana Hospital Association.
The search for Schatzlein’s replacement at LHN and Dupont will begin immediately.
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