Hometown Glory

Who is the most influential medical professional in Houston? National magazinehas no doubt

A scene from a Memorial Hermann operating room.
Memorial Hermann Hospital/Twitter
Dan Wolterman, here with his wife Lori at a Memorial Hermann fundraiser, was theonly Houstonian to make the top 100 list.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

During this election year, and following a period of contention in the realm of public health, the debate over health care continues to dominate the news. This week, Modern Healthcare released a list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare, ranking the big players with big impacts.

Only one Houston health professional made the 2012 list: Dan Wolterman, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann, ranked No. 15.

Topping the list was Chief Justice John Roberts, the deciding Supreme Court vote on Affordable Care Act legislation.

In his position at the helm of the largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas, which he has held for the past decade, Wolterman oversees more than 21,000 employees at 12 different hospitals.

"Without our employees doing their best daily to provide the highest level, most innovative and safest care possible, this recognition would not have been possible. So, I thank them and ask that they share this moment with me," the CEO said in a statement.

Topping the list was Chief Justice John Roberts, the deciding Supreme Court vote on Affordable Care Act legislation who upset expectations by largely upholding its constitutionality in June.

Wolterman also shares the stage with such notables as President Barack Obama (No. 4 on the list), Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (No. 5) and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (No. 13), plus state politicians, insurance industry leaders and heads of health care organizations from across the nation. The competition was first open to nominations, then narrowed to the top 300 for reader voting.

Other Texas influencers to make the list include Joel Allison, president and CEO of Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, at No. 18; Trevor Fetter of Tenet Healthcare Corporation at No. 30; and Douglas Hawthorne, CEO of Texas Health Resources in Arlington, at No. 59.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”