William C. Schoenhard Oral History Released

Contact: Brenda Stenger, bstenger@aha.org, (312) 422-2017

CHICAGO (August 9, 2018) – The Center for Hospital and Healthcare Administration History announces a new publication in the Hospital Administration Oral History series:

• William C. Schoenhard in First Person: An Oral History

Bill Schoenhard went to college during the Vietnam War and, to fulfill his military obligation, joined ROTC – which resulted in service in the U.S. Navy as a damage control officer on the USS Samuel Gompers.  Upon discharge, he enrolled in the Master of Health Administration program at Washington University in St. Louis.  His administrative residency, served at Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis, led to a job offer there and was the beginning of a long leadership career serving mostly in faith-based hospitals.  

As an early careerist, Bill Schoenhard accepted an offer from St. Mary’s Health Center in St. Louis, a Catholic hospital, which led to his long association with SSM Health Care, a Catholic multi-institutional system based in St. Louis.  While at SSM, he had the opportunity to contribute to the system’s quality improvement journey which resulted in SSM being the first health care organization to be awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  Later, he reconnected with his early military experience by serving in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In this comprehensive oral history interview, Bill Schoenhard reminisces about each step along his career path.  He shares thoughts on governance, leadership style, the Baldrige journey and the people he met over the years.  He also discusses his service in various leadership positions with the American College of Healthcare Executives including Chairman of the Board.

The full text of this new oral history interview is available at no charge on the Center website at http://www.aha.org/chhah.  Other recent oral history interviews which can be found on the website include that of John G. King, Dr. Paul Batalden, Scott Parker, Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., Sr. Mary Roch Rocklage, Dr. David Lawrence, Percy Allen and Edward A. Eckenhoff.

The Center for Hospital and Healthcare Administration History was established by the American Hospital Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives and is coordinated by the AHA Resource Center in collaboration with the Health Research & Educational Trust.  For more information about the Center and its programs, visit the website or contact Brenda Stenger, director, at (312) 422-2017.