Our Journey to a Fully Integrated Academic Health System

Premier Pulse     March 2026 Mar 6, 2026

By Keith Bricking, MD, chief clinical officer, Premier Health

Bricking_105Our journey to becoming a fully integrated academic health system is intentionally built one institute, one leader, and one clinical priority at a time. This institute model allows us to align clinical leadership, education, research, and care delivery across the medical staff, while creating system-wide clarity, streamlined processes, and operational efficiencies that support your practice and enhance patient care.

I’m pleased to share that four institutes started off the new year with formalized leader dyads with more to be announced and formalized soon:

  • Neurosciences Institute, led by Bryan Ludwig, MD, chair and Jason Merritt, system vice president, neurosciences institute
  • Cancer (Oncology) Institute, led by Tarek Sabagh, MD, chair and Amanda Musser, system vice president, cancer institute
  • Cardiovascular Institute, led by Robert Bulow, DO, chair and Deb Kiser, system vice president, cardiovascular institute
  • Premier Care Institute, led by Mark E. Williams, MD, chair and Brian Schultz, system vice president, primary care/internal medicine institute

These institutes provide a strong foundation for coordinated program development, academic alignment, and expanded access to specialized care—ensuring that patients can receive advanced treatments close to home while you have a clear, consistent system to collaborate within.

One of the most immediate benefits you’ll notice from this academic transformation is enhanced service specific communication to the organization, expanded access to clinical trials and exploring growth of our residency/fellowship footprint. More trials mean more options for our patients, and a growing residency footprint allows us to recruit, train, and retain the next generation of physicians and APPs—strengthening the workforce and enhancing system-wide clinical excellence.

This work isn’t about speed, it’s about durability, impact, and consistency across our system.  We are building an institute structure that supports innovation, advances education, and enables you to deliver high-quality, coordinated care in your practice.

The journey is well underway. The progress is tangible, the system is more connected, and the path forward is clear. 

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