August 24, 2020 – One of the most influential people in American healthcare is joining the Medtronic Board of Directors.

Kevin Lofton comes to the Board after retiring as CEO of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the United States.

“I’m honored to join the Medtronic Board,” Lofton said. “I’ve spent my entire career working to bring quality healthcare to as many people as possible. The chance to help Medtronic improve lives around the world by leveraging healthcare technology is important work and I’m excited by the opportunity.”

Lofton served for 16 years as CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a large healthcare system that merged with Dignity Health in 2019 to create healthcare giant CommonSpirit. Lofton led the effort, which was the largest healthcare provider merger in U.S. history. CommonSpirit, with $29 billion in revenue and more than 150,000 employees, serves patients at 142 hospitals in 21 states. Previously he was CEO of Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. and CEO of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.

“Healthcare has experienced major evolutionary changes in recent years, not only from a business perspective but also in terms of regulatory and public policy,” said Omar Ishrak, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, Medtronic. “Mr. Lofton’s leadership of healthcare providers during that time was both innovative and visionary and his experience will provide our Board with a valuable perspective.”

Throughout his career, Lofton has focused on addressing disparities in healthcare and finding solutions to eliminate them. He was the founding chair of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Equity of Care Initiative and a founding board member of the Institute for Diversity. His example has led to an increase in the number of minority physicians and healthcare executives in the U.S.

“Kevin’s diverse experiences and innovative thinking will help shape the future of Medtronic and ensure we are best positioned for future growth to advance our Mission and better serve our employees, customers, and patients,” said Geoff Martha, Medtronic CEO.

Lofton grew up in the Bronx, New York, and spent summers driving 10-hour taxicab shifts in New York City. He earned a degree in management at Boston University, then took accounting classes at Harvard. While working in the Office of Admissions at Harvard Medical School, he became deeply interested in the “people-centric” nature of healthcare, and that’s how his career in the industry started.

Over the years, he’s been recognized 15 times as one of the industry’s 100 Most Influential People by Modern Healthcare, a national publication. He also serves on the boards of Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company; Rite Aid Corp., a U.S. drug store chain; and the Georgia State University (GSU) Foundation in Atlanta.  His role at Medtronic officially begins September 15. 

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