Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health, announced that he is retiring at the end of June this year. A few pictures for reflection:
January 26, 2026
“I find myself reflecting often on Loma Linda University Health’s place in history and the rather remarkable impact it has had on the entire world. Even during troubled times, with great uncertainty around many issues, the solid foundation that anchors this place is reassuring.
Within that context, I have just shared with our Loma Linda University Health board of trustees that I plan to retire at the end of June. I have been associated with Loma Linda University Health for 60 years now, from my student days to having the honor of holding various leadership positions. While I greatly cherish humility as one of our core values, let me share just a few of the strengths of Loma Linda University Health that gives me great confidence in our future.
• We now have one integrated Board of Trustees, covering all the institutions that make up Loma Linda University Health, with the sole exception of our Faculty Medical Group. They are required by California law to govern themselves, but are well represented on our boards and involved in all collective decisions.
• Campus Leadership is strong and capable of tackling the issues we confront every day. Throughout our university and its schools, our research labs, and our hospitals and clinics, each leader is committed to guiding our activities with skill and care.
• Our six Hospitals and manyClinics provide a broad range of specialty care and services to nearly two million patients each year. Our magnet-designated nursing teams set the highest standard for the delivery of compassionate, whole-person care.
• The eight professional schools of the University provide over 100 different academic programs in most health care disciplines, with over 10,000 applicants each year seeking to join LLU and be one of our 4,500 students at various levels of learning.
• We enjoy strong Alumni andCommunity support from our 55,000 graduates around the world and the millions of patients and others who have been touched by our healthcare, research, educational, and service programs.
• Our Human Resource office reviews over 100,000 job applicants each month who are seeking to join our 20,000 employees who are committed to advancing our mission.
• Our Financial team is now integrated and working on a shared software platform that ensures accurate accounting and collective decision making, a must in a $4.5 billion dollar enterprise.
• Our Risk Management system, through a strong educational program and careful review, has saved us millions by self-insuring and protecting us from various challenges.
• The Faculty Medical Group, now with over 1,200 physicians and other care providers in all disciplines, is among the best in the world and makes up one of the largest specialist groups in the country dedicated to serving our common purpose.
• Our Marketing and Communications (MarCom) team tells our remarkable stories and shares our news, both locally and nationally, in a way that has enhanced our reputation in the clinical, research, and educational worlds.
• Building on that trust, our Philanthropy team continues to nurture donor support through gifts and trusts that have provided Loma Linda University Health with nearly $1 billion in donations and trusts since 2011 through Vision 2020 and our Stronger Together campaigns.
• We are now strategically aligned on a shared Electronic HealthRecord system shared with Riverside County and SAC Health that enables efficient sharing of critical information to create a more seamless patient experience.
• We now have over 1,000 physicians in our Graduate Medical Education programs, learning critical specialist skills in nearly all disciplines of medicine. These are the faculty and specialists of tomorrow who will carry us into the future.
• Through an effective partnership with the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), we provide quality care to the large Medicaid (MediCal) population in the Inland Empire.
• Our Children’s Hospital is one of eight in California and has been the recipient of significant funding from the State of California to construct a new hospital and specialty clinics, and continues to be recognized nationally for its commitment to quality and service to our region’s children.
• SAC Health, a growing Federally Qualified Health Center network of 12 sites throughout the Inland Empire, provides attractive training opportunities for our students and residents and valuable employment for our faculty as it sees over 200,000 patient visits each year.
• Our shared Contracting Officeoversees hundreds of patient care contracts with many insurance companies and payors and ensures our revenue streams support our enterprise.
• The continued emphasis of Research Affairs, even during tough funding challenges, has been invaluable in maintaining our spirit of discovery and remarkable research achievements across the campus.
• The Global Health Institutecoordinates hundreds of scholars from abroad coming to Loma Linda University Health, and over 1,000 students, staff, and faculty spend time abroad each year, serving in many countries.
• The Institute for Community Partnerships connects our resources of people and projects with many in our surrounding areas and community organizations.
• Our Behavioral Health programs provide inpatient and outpatient services while training physicians, psychologists, and counselors to address one of our communities’ biggest needs, knowing that behavioral health is one of the pillars of whole-person care.
• East Campus Rehabilitation Services, through both surgical and therapeutic interventions, continues to receive quality awards, with expansion planned to include larger facilities.
Looking ahead, the Board of Trustees will convene a presidential search committee in the coming months. In all things, this process will be guided by prayer and a deep commitment to identifying the leader God is calling to carry forward the mission, values, and calling of this institution.
I trust you can share with me the confidence that Loma Linda University Health, for 120 years, has been guided by God and continues “To Make Man Whole” in the best sense of our motto. While I expect to remain involved in some of our global activities, community services, and philanthropy, I will watch with certainty from the sidelines as a new generation of leaders continues to nurture “This Very Place” into the future.
Sincerely,
Richard Hart, MD, DrPH
President
Loma Linda University Health”
In 2022, Richard Hart suggested that Christ calls us to celebrate Pride month. One wonders how they can ‘cherish humility as a core value’ while at the same time supporting Pride month.
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We wonder who will take this man’s place at Loma Linda. Please offer your suggestions below.
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“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1).