Press release from the Lutheran Health Network:
Mike Schatzlein to Receive State’s Highest Honor at 5:30 p.m.
State Sen. Gary Dillon, R-Columbia City, will present former Lutheran Health Network CEO a Sagamore of the Wabash during a farewell dinner at Orchard Ridge
(June 17, 2010) – When it comes to sendoffs, it may be hard to top the one former Lutheran Health Network CEO Mike Schatzlein is set to receive this evening. Schatzlein will receive the rank and title of Sagamore of the Wabash during a farewell dinner hosted by board members of Lutheran Health Network and each of its member facilities. State Sen. Gary Dillon, R-Columbia City, will present the state’s highest honor during a surprise visit to Orchard Ridge Country Club at 5:30 p.m.
Schatzlein, who has served northeastern Indiana and the Lutheran Heath Network for 30 years, is relocating to Nashville, Tenn., to become president and CEO of Saint Thomas Health Services.
During his three decades in Fort Wayne, Mike Schatzlein, MD, MBA, established himself as a trailblazer in the areas of heart surgery, hospital administration and physician relations.
He 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.
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