Henry C. Wagner

Henry C. Wagner, III's position as president and CEO of Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY allowed him to grow the organization from a single medical center teaching hospital with revenues of $50 million to a regional network of 10 hospitals/outpatient centers/home care services with revenues of $1 billion.

Henry "Hank" Wagner, B.S. WVU '64; MHA Duke '66; served as president and CEO of Jewish Hospital for 32 years. The organization pioneered 75 medical firsts in Kentucky to include the first open heart surgery, first heart transplant, first lung transplant, world's first artificial heart implant, the first kidney transplant, first pancreatic transplant, first liver transplant, first re-implantation of a severed hand and the world's first successful cadaveric hand.

Wagner worked with Kentucky Governor Paul Patton and the now UofL President James Ramsey to establish the Kentucky "Bucks for Brains" Professorships. To date, over 75 endowed professorships have been created. He developed, along with pioneer heart surgeon Laman Gray, M.D., the UofL/JH Cardiovascular Innovation Institute which continues to be the major heart research center in Kentucky. For this vision and successful realization, Wagner was awarded an honorary PhD by the University of Louisville in 2010.

Wagner was active in the civic/business agenda of Louisville serving on the UofL Board of Trustees; chairing the UofL Foundation; chairing United Way, Fund for the Arts and Leadership Louisville Boards. He was founding chair for the Louisville Healthcare Enterprise Network. He also served on the Boards of the Kentucky Center for the Arts, the Chamber of Commerce and the Speed Art Museum. Wagner was honored to be named to the Kentucky Business Hall of Fame, was named to the Kentucky Institute of Medicine, named YMCA Person of the Year and received the Thurgood Marshall Award of Excellence.

Wagner was the 2003 commencement speaker for the WVU College of Business and Economics. While a student at WVU he served as president of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha. He currently serves on the WVU Medical Center National Advisory Board. He also serves on the Board of Sullivan University in Louisville, KY and is a visiting professor for the University. He credits his education and experience at WVU for the success he has enjoyed.

Wagner and his wife Donna make their home in Naples, Florida.