The Tufts Medical Center Board of Trustees and its parent company Wellforce have announced the appointment of Michael Tarnoff, MD, FACS as the next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Tarnoff, the Medical Center’s current Chair of the Department of Surgery, has served as interim President and CEO for the past nine months.
“We asked Mike to take over in the midst of a pandemic. We knew it wouldn’t be an easy job, even for the most experienced CEO. But Mike was exactly the right person for the position,” said Michael Dandorph, President and CEO of Wellforce. “Mike has a remarkable ability to bring teams together and has been a true visionary partner with Medical Center and System leaders alike.”
Dr. Tarnoff began his career as a general surgeon at Tufts MC in 2001 and quickly became skilled in advanced, minimally invasive abdominal surgery. He published 50 peer reviewed articles, chapters and textbooks in the areas of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery, before taking on leadership roles in the medical device industry. In 2010, he served as Corporate Chief Medical Officer and Vice-President for Medical Affairs at Covidien, and in 2015 as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President Value-Based Healthcare Partnerships for Medtronic, now the largest medical device company in the world. His responsibilities entailed overseeing medical and regulatory affairs, including monitoring safety and incubating new business models as part of value-based health care.
Dr. Tarnoff eventually returned to Tufts Medical Center full time in June of 2019, to assume the roles of Surgeon-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Surgery.
“Mike knows that the strength of any great organization is its employees. He is a hands-on leader with deep roots at Tufts Medical Center who listens and learns from all our dedicated staff and world-class clinical teams across the medical center,” said Genia Long, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Tufts Medical Center. “That level of respect and leadership is inspiring, especially when our workforce is caring for some of the sickest patients in the region.”
As the leader of Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Tarnoff has been a strong advocate of the academic mission, including medical research and education programs that train the next generation of clinicians. He also has been a vocal supporter of diversity and inclusion efforts underway across the Wellforce system.
"When I was asked to take on the Interim CEO role in the middle of the pandemic, I knew I couldn’t say no,” said Dr. Tarnoff. “Then I simply fell in love all over again with the employees and physicians of Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center, all of whom inspired me every day that I have served in this role. To see their talent and dedication in action is incredibly moving.”
Dr. Tarnoff intends to maintain a clinical practice in surgery and an active teaching role. In the next few months, his focus will be on developing talent, driving growth and bringing new innovation to benefit the patients and clinical teams of the Medical Center.
Dr. Tarnoff lives in the Boston area with his wife Barbara, two children and three step-children.
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About Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 415 bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Tufts Medical Center. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, we’re the principle teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. We offer a level one trauma center with a rooftop helipad, are the largest heart transplant center in New England and our renowned research program ranks among the top 10 percent of independent hospitals to receive federal research funding. Our physician network of 1,800 New England Quality Care Alliance doctors represents our strong commitment to health in the community. Tufts Medical Center is a founding member of Wellforce. More at www.TuftsMedicalCenter.org.
