BARNES-JEWISH HOSPITAL HISTORY
Our mission is to take exceptional care of people. Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH) is the result of the merger of Barnes and the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis in 1992. Barnes Hospital was founded in 1892 when Robert Barnes left a bequest of $850,000 to build "a modern general hospital for sick and injured persons, without distinction of creed" and Jewish Hospital was built in 1902 with funds raised by the St. Louis Jewish community to "afford medical and surgical care and nursing to sick or disabled persons of any creed or nationality." In 1993, they joined Christian Health Services to form BJC HealthCare, the first healthcare system to combine academic and community hospitals to serve urban, suburban and rural populations with the mission to improve the health of the people and communities we serve.
On January 31,1996, Barnes and Jewish Hospitals officially merged, combining medical staffs, streamlining operations, and forming a single board and management team. Today, Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the premier academic medical center in the region, serving as the primary teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine. In 2023, Barnes-Jewish Hospitalit was the #1 ranked hospital in Missouri and ranked on the Honor Roll of "Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report.
THE DAVID A. GEE ADMINISTRATIVE FELLOWSHIP
Our fellowship is named after Mr. David A. Gee, who served as president of the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis for more than 25 years. He began his career at Jewish Hospital in 1950 as an administrative resident. He employed a highly visible leadership approach that encouraged open communication. Several times a week he came to the cafeteria and sat a round table where staff from any department could join him to talk. He was ahead of his time writing in 1979 that “the hospital can serve as a catalyst in converting urban blight to urban prosperity.” He also advanced the profession by teaching for 25 years at the Health Administration Program at Washington University in St. Louis and served as a mentor to many future administrators. His legacy is also honored thorough the David A. Gee Meritorious Service Award to frontline clinical team members for exceptional performance.
Fellowship History
In 2002, to prepare new graduates to become leaders in academic medicine our fellowship was founded. Over twenty years it has trained 35 leaders who are serving in a variety of leadership positions including as Vice Presidents, Chief Operating Officers, Chief Executive Officers and Hospital Presidents. While many of our fellows remain at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and BJC Healthcare others are enjoying incredible careers and extending our brand at leading healthcare organizations across the country at University of Chicago Medicine, UC Health, Duke University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic and Northwestern to name a few.
Learn more about the David A. Gee Administrative Fellowship.