Joe Landsman to retire after 25 years; Dr. Keith Gray to succeed
The board of directors of The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) has selected Dr. Keith Gray as president and chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2024. Dr. Gray succeeds Joseph “Joe” Landsman, Jr., who today announced his retirement after 25 years with the system.
Effective July 1, Dr. Gray will become president of UTMC with Mr. Landsman serving as CEO. When Mr. Landsman retires on April 1, 2024, Dr. Gray will become president and CEO.
In connection with the transition, Dr. James Shamiyeh who currently serves as Executive Vice President of Clinical Operations will become the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He will act as second in command to Dr. Gray, retain all existing responsibilities and add oversight of the physician enterprise to continue enhancing greater continuity of care.
"It has been the privilege of my career to lead UTMC’s growth from a $265M to a $1.4B academic health system, extending high-quality care to more East Tennesseans,” said Landsman. “I could not be prouder of the contributions the 8,000 committed physicians and team members of UTMC have made to the East Tennessee community during what will be nearly 20 years as CEO, particularly through the pandemic. Together, we have advanced our mission to serve others through healing, education, and discovery.”
He continued, “I am extraordinarily pleased that Dr. Keith Gray has been chosen as my successor. His visionary thinking and problem-solving abilities have been central to UTMC’s growth thus far and make him a natural choice to lead us going forward.”
Landsman came to UTMC in 1999 as Chief Financial Officer and was promoted to president and CEO in 2005. Prior to that, Landsman was the Executive Vice President of Zale Lipshy University Hospital in Dallas, Texas, where he also served as its Chief Financial Officer from 1995 to 1997. Landsman serves on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Hospital Association and served as its Chair from 2012 to 2013.
"On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Joe for his 25 years of dedicated leadership, 20 years of which will have been in his CEO role,” said Renda Burkhart, Board Chair. “It is hard to overstate the impact of his influence, advocacy, and service on the UTMC and Knoxville communities. We fully expect his legacy of trust, transparency, and partnership to live on in our organizational culture and are fortunate that he will continue as CEO until April 1, 2024, to ensure a seamless transition.”
Burkhart continued, “After careful deliberation, the board has unanimously agreed that Dr. Keith Gray is the right person to lead UTMC into its next chapter. His vision for what UTMC can become, his experience as both a physician and an administrator, his deep knowledge of our organization and the Knoxville community and his proven performance over 16 years at the system will make him a highly effective president and CEO.”
“I’m honored to have been chosen by the board to build on the foundation Joe and others have laid and am grateful to my family, colleagues, and mentors who have supported my journey,” said Dr. Gray. “The next phase for UTMC will include working together to expand clinical services, strengthen educational programs and make new discoveries that provide access to affordable care for more East Tennesseans.”
Dr. Gray’s and Dr. Shamiyeh’s appointments reflect UTMC’s commitment to physician leadership at the highest levels of the system.
Dr. Gray joined UTMC in 2007 as a surgical oncologist. Past roles have included Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, Chief-of-Staff, medical director of multiple service lines, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer and his current role, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Gray also co-founded the Physician Leadership Academy, of which he is a graduate.
After completing his undergraduate and medical degrees at Wake Forest University, Dr. Gray did a general surgery residency and surgical research fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a surgical oncology fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. He completed a Masters in Business Administration from the Haslam College of Business in 2014.
Dr. Gray has been perennially recognized as one of the “Top Docs” by Knoxville’s Cityview Magazine and received awards recognizing his outstanding patient care, compassion, and leadership. In the community, he is the board chair of the Emerald Youth Foundation and a trustee on the United Way of Greater Knoxville Board.
Dr. Shamiyeh joined UTMC in 2005 as a pulmonary and critical care physician before becoming the medical director of the Heart Lung Vascular Institute in 2016. In 2019, he was named Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer before promotion to his current role as Executive Vice President of Clinical Services in 2022. Dr. Shamiyeh currently oversees the Centers of Excellence, Nursing, Pharmacy, Clinical Services, Hospitalist Services, Perioperative Services, Emergency Services, Clinical Integration, Clinical Process Design, and the Operations Center.
Dr. Shamiyeh led UTMC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He earned an undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech, a medical degree from The University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency and pulmonary/critical care fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. Dr. Shamiyeh holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Master of Business Administration from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.
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