Cedars-Sinai President Emeritus Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Thomas M. Priselac Is Recognized for Excellence in Scientific, Cultural and Nonprofit Leadership
Cedars-Sinai President and CEO Emeritus Thomas M. Priselac has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his extensive record of leadership with a nonprofit organization.
Priselac led Cedars-Sinai for more than 30 years as president and CEO and served in the same role for Cedars-Sinai Health System since its creation in 2017. During his tenure, Cedars-Sinai significantly expanded the scope and quality of its clinical, educational, research and community benefit programs.
Priselac retired in 2024 and transitioned to emeritus status in 2025. Shortly after, Cedars-Sinai established the Thomas M. Priselac Center for Innovation in Performance Improvement and the Thomas M. Priselac Administrative Fellowship to foster the next generation of healthcare leaders.
“I am honored to receive this recognition from the Academy,” Priselac said. “I share this achievement with the entire Cedars-Sinai community, including the Board of Directors, our clinical and management leaders, and the staff who made Cedars-Sinai the organization it has become.”
The Academy, chartered in 1780, was established to recognize accomplished leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research and science, and to engage them in addressing significant challenges facing the nation.
Under Priselac’s leadership, Cedars-Sinai evolved from a respected regional hospital into one of the nation’s highest-regarded academic health systems, broadening its services to reach more patients locally and internationally.
Priselac also greatly expanded Cedars-Sinai’s focus on medical research and education, leading to the creation of Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.
Throughout his tenure as president and CEO, Priselac focused on improving the health of the region’s historically marginalized communities, establishing partnerships with local community organizations to strengthen them and those they serve.
“For more than three decades, Tom dedicated his talent, passion and excellence to Cedars-Sinai, building one of the most dynamic academic medical institutions in the country,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Health System. “This noteworthy recognition from the Academy emphasizes his remarkable tenure and fierce dedication to our patients, colleagues, the Los Angeles community and beyond.”
Throughout his career, Priselac has been a leader in healthcare on the local, state and national levels. He is a past chair of the of the Association of American Medical Colleges and served as chair of the American Hospital Association. He is also a past chair of the California Hospital Association and of the Hospital Association of Southern California.
Priselac’s health policy work includes serving on the advisory board of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, the RAND Social and Economic Policy advisory board, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness.
Priselac’s civic engagements have included serving as a member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce board, the Southern California Leadership Council and the Civic Alliance. He has received numerous awards for his leadership in healthcare and his commitment to improving the health of historically marginalized groups, including the American Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award, the Charles R. Drew University Board of Trustees Medal of Honor, the National Center for Healthcare Leadership Healthcare Leadership Award and B’nai B’rith International’s National Healthcare Leadership Award.
Priselac holds the Warschaw/Law Endowed Chair in Healthcare Leadership at Cedars-Sinai and is also an adjunct professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.