Mark Timothy (Tim) Parris, Ms: A Conversation with the Editor

Abstract

Tim Parris, president of Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC), was born on August 23, 1956, in Jackson, Mississippi, where he grew up (Figure ​(Figure11). He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg in 1978 and received a master of science degree in hospital and health administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1981. After completing a hospital administrative residency at BUMC, he remained on the staff and soon became executive director of the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation. In 1985, he was awarded a White House fellowship and spent 1 year in the executive office of the president, working in the Office of Management and Budget under the Honorable James C. Miller III. After that year, he became chief operating officer of Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1990, he was offered a senior administrative position at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill and at the same time was offered a vice presidency position at BUMC. Fortunately for us, he chose the latter position, where he rapidly rose to senior vice president, executive vice president, and, in January 2000, to his present position. Tim Parris is a man of action. In his calm and decisive way, he has his finger on essentially all BUMC activities. We are fortunate to have a man of his talents managing the day-to-day operations of this complex medical center. He is also a good guy.