Lankenau Medical Center President Phillip Robinson retiring after transformative tenure leading the award-winning, acute care facility

Dynamic Main Line Health executive leaves legacy of elite cardiovascular care, new Heart Pavilion, Trauma Center and expanded emergency department, successful capital campaigns

Phillip Robinson, who has steered Lankenau Medical Center, part of Main Line Health, through a period of unprecedented growth, is retiring after 12 years as president. His tenure has seen Lankenau rise to the top echelons of medical care, including being ranked in the Top 3 in the Philadelphia region and Top 10 in Pennsylvania for best regional hospitals by U.S. News and World Report and earning numerous awards and recognitions for clinical excellence and quality care.

Lankenau Medical Center, a 371-bed teaching and research hospital and Level II Trauma Center, is one of five hospitals within the Main Line Health system that serves Philadelphia and its western suburbs. Main Line Health has engaged a national search firm to conduct the recruitment for a leader to assume Robinson’s responsibilities and continue to grow Lankenau Medical Center and Main Line Health.

“I can’t say enough about the legacy Phil leaves behind,” said Jack Lynch, president and CEO of Main Line Health. “His leadership and commitment to Main Line Health are unparalleled, and he leaves Lankenau positioned to continue providing the highest level of care for years to come due to his recruitment of countless world-renowned physicians. He is a beloved figure here, not just because of his qualities as an executive but because he genuinely cares about his team, the community and making sure our patients receive the best care.”

Robinson arrived in 2010 from his native Texas pledging to serve only on an interim basis until a new president was found. “Then 25 of our top surgeons and department chiefs unexpectedly showed up at my front door saying they needed me here at Lankenau,” Robinson said. “I couldn’t say no and I’m glad I stayed. It’s been a privilege to work with our dedicated, inspiring group of clinicians, nurses, researchers, advanced practice providers, technologists and staff members. They are wonderful, caring people, and just when I thought I had seen them at their best, I saw them rise to the challenge these last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have never been prouder.”

As a senior executive at Houston Methodist Hospital, Robinson worked with physicians such as Dr. Michael DeBakey and Dr. Stanley Crawford, pioneers in modern cardiovascular surgery. He also worked with the legendary Dr. John Ochsner in New Orleans. Robinson used those experiences in attaining his foremost achievements: the simultaneous growth of Lankenau’s top-level cardiac facilities and the quality of care for heart patients. He oversaw the Lankenau Master Plan, a $500 million renovation with construction of the 246,000-square-foot Heart Pavilion as its pillar.

His executive leadership of Lankenau Heart Institute has established Main Line Health as a destination for best-in-class cardiovascular care and research. Since its launch in 2013, Lankenau Heart Institute has more than doubled its cardiovascular surgery volume, with U.S. News and World Report ranking it among the top hospitals in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery and heart failure. Lankenau has repeatedly earned recognition from IBM Watson Health and Healthgrades as a Top 50 cardiovascular hospital.

“At every turn, Phil demonstrated a fundamental understanding of what a world-class heart institute looked like—specifically the essential human, physical and programmatic elements and the important contributions of research and education necessary to achieve that goal,” said William A. Gray, MD, who along with Basel Ramlawi, MD, serves as co-director of Lankenau Heart Institute. “He delivered unrelenting support of these critical components, which have ultimately combined to both define and drive excellence in cardiac care at the Lankenau Heart Institute.”

Robinson also oversaw the renovation and expansion of the Lankenau emergency department in 2019, which tripled in size to accommodate the area’s growing needs. During his tenure, Lankenau became a Level II Trauma Center. He also has launched plans for the construction of additional operating rooms to continue to grow Lankenau’s specialty services.

Robinson has been a force in positioning Lankenau to flourish for years to come. He led the way in raising nearly $86 million for the Lankenau Medical Center Foundation to support patient care and capital projects, including a $48 million capital campaign for the Heart Institute and seven endowed chairs at Lankenau Medical Center and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research.

Robinson says among his proudest achievements have been Lankenau’s efforts to reduce healthcare disparities. As an example, the Delema G. Deaver Wellness Farm, the first hospital-based wellness farm in the Philadelphia region, has produced and distributed more than 13,000 pounds of produce to patients in underserved communities since its opening. In 2016, Robinson represented Lankenau at the White House and received special recognition from First Lady Michelle Obama.

“Phil Robinson has been a champion of equity and a fighter for the elimination of healthcare and socioeconomic disparities,” said Barry D. Mann, MD, system medical director for health equity. “Phil recognized the broad reach of the disparate communities served by the hospital, and in every business decision he honored his commitment to serve all equitably.”

Robinson also oversaw the expansion of Lankenau’s world-class Colorectal Center. His support has promoted the creation of a multidisciplinary international rectal cancer society, with experts from four continents in the fields of radiation oncology, pathology, radiology, medical oncology and surgery gathering at Lankenau Medical Center for scientific meetings. Lankenau’s rectal cancer program is one of only 15 in the country — and the only one in the region — to be accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer as a Center of Excellence. The center was the first to acquire the single-port (SP) robot. Lankenau’s team has the largest experience in the world with SP robotic colorectal surgery. The team has authored over half of the world’s literature in the field.

“Phil has been the best administrator I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” said John Marks, MD, chief of colorectal surgery.

Robinson found himself thrust into a critical leadership role, creating an incident command center at Lankenau and partnering with Main Line Health’s COVID-19 command center, in charge of logistics including securing PPE from sources around the world, crisis staffing plans and preparation for a surge in patients. He had considerable preparation. He coauthored the book Anticipate, Respond, Recover: Healthcare Leadership and Catastrophic Events based on his extensive experience in developing and executing emergency preparedness protocols in a hospital setting, including major hurricanes and the anthrax crisis — he was the CEO of the Florida hospital treating the nation’s first anthrax patient three weeks after 9/11.

Robinson will remain in his role as president until his successor is hired and will work alongside the selected candidate to ensure a smooth leadership transition before he retires.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT PHILLIP ROBINSON

John Schwarz, President, Bryn Mawr Hospital; former Vice President of Administration, Lankenau Medical Center:

Phil has been an amazing mentor for me. In his long career, it seems he had prior experience to help frame just about every situation we confronted at Lankenau or across Main Line Health. He has great instincts and a memory most of us only wish we could have. His legacy will be long-lasting in cardiovascular services, teaching and research programs, and the growth of many of the clinical services on the Lankenau campus. Phil cared deeply about our mission to serve everyone in our communities.

Gregory Papa, Vice President, Human Resources, Main Line Health; former Director, Human Resources, Lankenau:

Phil is truly a leading healthcare strategist. He has grown and developed many successful clinical programs such as the Women’s Heart Initiative, a trauma program, a Spine Center, and a Colorectal Center just to name a few. Phil was also instrumental in expanding the healthcare services of Lankenau and Main Line Health to the residents of West Philadelphia, Conshohocken, Plymouth Meeting, Center City and the Roxborough/Manayunk areas. Phil has a passion for diversity, respect, equity and inclusion and has been a champion and a driver for all of Main Line Health’s accomplishments in this space.

Alfred W. Putnam, Jr., Chairman, Lankenau Medical Center Foundation:

Phil Robinson has been one of the most consequential and successful leaders in the long history of the institution. The primary reason is an open and attentive personality that inspires trust, loyalty and genuine affection in everyone from physicians and staff to volunteers and donors. He has run Lankenau extremely well and raised a prodigious amount of money to help ensure our ability to serve our community in the future. We are greatly in his debt.

Basel Ramlawi, MD, Chief, Cardiovascular Surgery, Main Line Health, and Co-Director, Lankenau Heart Institute:

Phil Robinson has been a true leader and advocate for excellence in patient care across Lankenau, particularly the Lankenau Heart Institute. His consistent and unwavering support for clinical growth, building excellent teams, and driving research and innovation is truly appreciated by everyone who has had the privilege of working with him.

John Marks, MD, Director, Colorectal Center, Lankenau Medical Center:

Phil’s ability to maintain a laser focus on quality, execution and administrative responsibility is unmatched. He has been unrelenting in his encouragement for us to do great things. He has been instrumental in creating a world-class facility here at Lankenau, where we are proud to boast the only vertically integrated colorectal center in the region, providing dedicated colorectal specialty units in the outpatient area, the operating rooms and postoperatively in the hospital. Phil’s vision and dedication of resources allow us to provide integrated colorectal care with specialized training to the nurses, OR staff and physicians so that together we can provide the best for our colorectal patients.”