Tampa General Names New President

James R. Burkhart, the president and CEO  of Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, will assume the same roles at Tampa General Hospital on March 4, the governing board of the Tampa hospital announced Wednesday.

Burkhart, 58, replaces Tampa General’s retiring CEO Ron Hytoff.

Both hospitals are private not-for-profit teaching facilities with close affiliations to state universities. Both are Level 1 trauma centers and members of the Safety Net Alliance of Florida, a group of hospitals that treat large  numbers of uninsured and low-income patients.

Shands, affiliated with the University of Florida Health Science Center--Jacksonville, has 695 licensed beds, according to a press release. Tampa General, the teaching hospital for University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, is substantially larger, with 1,013 licensed beds.

In a press release, Tampa General's board chairman David A.

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Jim Burkhart

Straz Jr. said Burkhart "has the skill set and experience we wanted," and predicted a smooth transition.