John D. Couris

John D. Couris is President and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center, which comprises an array of organizations, including Tampa General Hospital, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit academic medical centers and research health systems, in partnership with the University of South Florida.

As a visionary leader, Couris has had continued success in building health care companies throughout the country by driving innovation, operational excellence and strategic collaborations. He is recognized for creating an organizational culture that thrives on authenticity, kindness, vulnerability and transparency, and as a champion of his team’s well-being. Couris believes that focusing on team members’ overall happiness and satisfaction drives positive outcomes for both team members and health care consumers.

Since taking the helm of Florida Health Sciences Center (Tampa General Hospital) in 2017, Couris has championed innovation. Under his leadership, the organization was the first health care provider in the state of Florida to partner with GE Healthcare to launch CareComm, a care coordination center using artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and industrial engineering to improve safety, quality and cost. Couris has helped launch TGH Ventures, a venture capital fund dedicated to driving a culture of innovation within the organization while supporting early-stage startups and direct investments. Couris also led Florida Health Sciences Center (Tampa General) and the region through the pandemic, collaborating with hospital systems statewide to improve health outcomes related to COVID-19.

Today, Couris is executing Tampa General’s largest Master Facility Plan in the hospital’s history, a $550 million capital commitment to bring the most advanced technology and innovative care through the creation of a growing medical and research district in downtown Tampa. This district, driven by Couris and inspired by renowned medical districts in the nation’s greatest cities, houses an ever-growing hub of world-class clinical care, academics, research and biotechnology anchored by Tampa General and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Before joining Florida Health Sciences Center (Tampa General), Couris served as President and CEO of Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, Florida, for eight years. There, he forged partnerships with notable institutions such as The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, creating robust service lines and elevating the hospital to a regional medical center. Couris served in various executive leadership roles at BayCare Health System for 10 years before his move to Jupiter. He began his career at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers.

Not only a nationally recognized leader in the health care industry, Couris also devotes significant time to serving his community and professional organizations. He is the Chair of the Board of The Florida Aquarium and serves on the boards of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Council of 100, the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, the New Hampton School, and the PGA TOUR Valspar Championship. In addition, he is a member of the Florida Council of 100, the Young Presidents’ Organization and many national health care associations. Recently, Couris completed his appointment as Vice Chair to the Florida Council of 100 Healthy Florida Committee and the Florida Hospital Association Political Advisory Committee.

Couris is the recipient of multiple awards, including being named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “Power 100” list of Tampa Bay’s most influential leaders for 2022 and 2023 and the Journal’s “25 People to Watch in 2022.” He was also one of Modern Healthcare’s 2022 class of Top Innovators, which recognizes leaders instituting innovation and leading transformative programs that improve care by achieving measurable results and contributing to their organization’s clinical and financial goals. Couris was recently recognized as a top health care CEO in the U.S., according to the Becker’s Hospital Review 2023 “60 Health System CEO Influencers,” and as a national health care leader with his inclusion on the Becker’s 2023 “Great Leaders in Healthcare” list.

Couris was honored with the 2022 Tampa Bay Chamber H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award, and the 2022 Dean’s Award from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. He has also been named to Florida Trend’s “Florida 500” list of most influential business leaders in the state, INFLUENCE magazine’s “150 most influential people in Florida politics” for 2022 and 2023, City & State Florida’s “Health Care Power 100” (#4 in 2022), and Florida Politics’ “Influence 100” list of most influential people in Florida politics. Couris was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame in 2023.

Couris is a graduate of Boston University and holds a Master of Science in Management from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He holds a doctorate in business administration, management sciences from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business, where he now is an Assistant Professor and Research Fellow. His dissertation examined the impact of the practice of authentic leadership on teams and organizations.

Couris is a frequent contributor to Becker’s Hospital Review among other publications. Most recently, he is the author of “Care Coordination: Untying the Gordian Knot of the American Healthcare System,” published in Modern Healthcare in April 2023. Couris is a frequent contributor to Becker’s Hospital Review, among other publications.

Couris resides in Tampa, Florida, with his wife, two children, and several beloved pets.