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Wray casts spotlight on staff, not herself
Hospital chief guided computer records task
Friday, June 12, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Photo courtesy of ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL
St. Mary's Hospital CEO Christine Wray will be named CEO of the Year at next week's Leading Edge Awards.
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Christine Wray, president and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital, will be named CEO of the Year at the annual Southern Maryland Leading Edge Awards next week, but don't expect to hear a whole lot of self-congratulation from her.
Sitting in a small conference room in the warren of tightly packed offices in the rear of the hospital last month, Wray, 51, parried every ego-seeking question with effusive praise for her staff.
How does she feel about being named the best big boss in the region?
"Very humbled. I had no clue. I do think it's a reflection of the teamwork we have here," she said.
What's her favorite accomplishment?
"I am very proud of the team approach we have, the culture we have. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished together. …I'm very proud of the quality of care we have."
But what about the adoption of computerized medical records last year at St. Mary's Hospital? It was years ahead of the technology curve. That was a pretty big deal for her, wasn't it?
"I have to applaud all of our staff. They went through a huge change."
Even though Wray is now a celebrated CEO, she said she has no plans to leave the area for a cushy big city job. She said that one of the biggest projects she has undertaken at the hospital, the proposed merger with the MedStar hospital system, is dependent on her continued work at St. Mary's.
"They want to know that I'll be here to see through this transition," Wray said.
Wray lives in Leonardtown with her husband, and she has one son.
The Leading Edge distinction is a strong endorsement of Wray, who recently endured media scrutiny for her salary and the 2007 loss of a hospital laptop computer containing sensitive patient information.
However, Wray has successfully steered the hospital through a maddeningly complex transition to electronic medical records, and the hospital's budget has stayed firmly in the black during the last year as other regional hospitals have struggled to respond to the shrinking economy.
Even thought the hospital is a nonprofit operation, "you have to be smart like a business," Wray said. However, she sees her calling as more rewarding than business.
"The work is so worthwhile," Wray said. "You really are making a difference in the community."
In addition to steering the Medstar merger, Wray said the hospital will soon embark on a new phase of construction, the Centennial Project, which will add a new office building to the campus and a tower to the hospital.
The medical professions flow through Wray's bloodline. Her grandmother was a doctor and her mother was a premed student before she had children. Wray's father, however, was a civic planner. When Wray went to college at John Hopkins University's School of Public Health, she merged the two family professions.
"I ended up pursuing health care but being a planner," Wray said, cracking a smile.
The Leading Edge Awards
CEO of the Year
Christine Wray, president and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown
Presented by the College of Southern Maryland Corporate Center.
Patuxent Partnership Member Firm of the Year
Compass Systems of Lexington Park
Presented by The Patuxent Partnership.
Calvert County Technology Company of the Year
Keep It Simple Computer Training of Prince Frederick
Presented by the Calvert County Department of Economic Development.
Charles County Technology Company of the Year
Port Tobacco Consulting of La Plata
Presented by the Charles County Technology Council.
Partnership in Education Award
Wyle Laboratories
Presented by the College of Southern Maryland.
Small Business of the Year
The Carol M. Porto Treatment
Center of Prince Frederick
Presented by the Small Business Development Center.
The Leading Edge Awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. June 17 at the Jaycees center, 3090 Crain Highway, Waldorf.
For tickets, call the College of Southern Maryland Corporate Center at 301-870-2309, ext. 7585 for Charles County; 240-725-5499, ext. 7585 for St. Mary's County or 443-550-6199, ext. 7585 for Calvert County or go to www.corporatecenter.csmd.edu.
