Rod Hochman, MD’79, CAS’79, has received the 2025 American Hospital Association (AHA) Distinguished Service Award.

Hochman, the former president and CEO of Providence Health & Services based in Renton, Washington, received the award on May 5 during a ceremony at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Hochman retired at the close of 2024 as president and CEO of Providence Health & Services after 45 years in health-care, including 17 with the Providence family of organizations. At Providence, he worked hard to expand access to care, especially to those most in need, create innovations in care delivery and patient experience, and increase quality of care.

Hochman also diligently invested in mental health and wellbeing for staff and community members alike. Today, Providence is a family of 120,000 healthcare profes-sionals serving in 51 hospitals, more than 1,000 clinics, and hundreds of programs and services across seven states.
“A servant leader who always puts patients and caregivers first, Rod has dedicated his life and career to improving access to care for the most vulnerable and making healthcare better for all,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “In addition to helping lead our field as AHA chair through the early days of the COVID pandemic, Rod has a unique ability to look into the future and stay ahead of the curve. To state it simply, Rod’s work has improved the lives of millions of Ameri-cans and has set a new standard for the hospital field.”

As AHA board chair in 2021, Hochman led through the depths of the pandemic, his training as an immunologist proving invaluable as he served as the voice of hospitals and health systems nationwide. A visionary known for outside-the-box thinking, he fostered collaboration among hospitals and health systems in search of new innovations to enhance care and the patient experience. Actively engaged with the AHA since 2008, Hochman chaired the Executive Committee, the Committee on Nominations, the Center for Health Innovation Leadership Council, and Regional Policy Board 9. He has also served on the Healthcare Advisory Council, the Health Systems Committee, the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare Board, and numerous other committees and task forces. Hochman is a member of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Dean’s Advisory Board. He and his wife Nancy (Sargent’77,’83) have established the Rod Hochman Family Clinical Skills & Simulation Center with a $10M gift. ●