John Toussaint ’78 receives Leadership and Service Award

Cornell College is pleased to recognize the achievements of John Toussaint ’78 for his lifetime of work to improve the delivery of health care in the United States by presenting him with the Leadership and Service Award.

John is one of the foremost figures in the adoption of lean principles in health care, helping providers streamline their operations and enabling them to provide better patient care. In addition, John has been a tireless advocate for continual improvements in health care delivery here and around the world.

After leaving Cornell with a degree in chemistry, John earned a medical degree from the University of Iowa. He practiced family medicine for 20 years in Wisconsin.

John is the founder and CEO emeritus of ThedaCare and CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. John is also the founding chair of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality and of the Wisconsin Health Information Organization, as well as the leader of the Partnership for Healthcare Payment Reform in Wisconsin.

John’s work on payment reform and the transparency of provider performance data has been featured in numerous professional publications. News publications such as Time and The Wall Street Journal have featured articles about his work. John has received numerous awards and citations for his work, and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2012.

John has written three books and been a featured speaker at more professional associations and conferences than we have time to list here. He has presented extensively to legislators, Medicare leaders, and government staff on the topic of health care value.

Dr. Toussaint, you have been a powerfully-positive force in health care.  On behalf of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the entire Cornell community, it is an honor to present you with the Leadership and Service Award.