Health Care Leader H. Richard Nesson Dies

H. Richard Nesson, professor at the Medical School, longtime president of Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the first chief executive officer of Partners HealthCare System Inc., died on Sunday, Oct. 18, at the age of 66.

Nesson became president of Brigham and Women's Hospital in 1982 and stepped down in 1997, taking on the role of president emeritus at the hospital; chair of the Board for Partners Community HealthCare Inc., the network of community-based physicians affiliated with Partners HealthCare System Inc.; and senior consultant to Partners HealthCare System Inc. He also maintained his role as professor of medicine at the Medical School.

"Dick Nesson had exquisite skill and vision as a leader," said Joseph B. Martin, Dean of the Medical School. "During my previous tenure at Massachusetts General, as well as during this past year as Dean, I developed a tremendous respect for him as someone who made the Harvard medical community stronger. Dick showed compassion for his colleagues in the medical community as well as his neighbors in the communities of Boston; he will be deeply missed by all of us."

President Neil L. Rudenstine said, "Dick Nesson has made a significant and enduring contribution to health care in Boston and beyond. His advice and insight have been invaluable to Harvard, and in particular to me, during a time of profound change for both the Medical School and the larger health care community. Dick's energy, wisdom, and humanity will be missed by all who knew him and who know of his extraordinary service."

Nesson is credited with building the world-renowned Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston into one of the most respected health care institutions in the country.

"No one is more responsible for the stature and success of this hospital than Dick Nesson," said Jeffrey Otten, who succeeded Nesson as president in May 1997. "This news marks one of the saddest days in Brigham and Women's history. He has been at once a father figure, sage, and visionary to us all."

Beginning in 1977, as vice president of Ambulatory and Community Health Services at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Nesson oversaw the affiliations of Brigham and Women's predecessor hospitals, the Peter Bent Brigham, the Robert Breck Brigham and the Boston Hospital for Women in 1980. As president, he forged the forward-looking relationship between Brigham and Women's and Harvard Community Health Plan (HCHP).

One of his most noted achievements, however, was the announcement in December 1993, that longtime rivals Brigham and Women's and the Massachusetts General Hospital would form an integrated health care delivery system, a move later duplicated by virtually all of Boston's teaching hospitals.

Noted for his commitment to serving all members of the community, Nesson was the founder and first medical director of HCHP, now Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. After coming to Brigham and WomenÕs Hospital, he directed the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program aimed at improving outpatient services at 15 of the country's academic medical centers, including Johns Hopkins, Yale New-Haven and Vanderbilt.

Nesson also served as chairman of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, director of the Massachusetts United Way, chairman of the Harvard Medical Center AIDS Committee, and member of the Policy Advisory Committee of the Supreme Judicial Court.

Among the awards and honors bestowed upon Nesson during his career are the Maimonides Award from the Anti-Defamation League in 1988 and the Mass. Health Council award in 1997.

Nesson, a member of the Harvard College Class of Õ54, completed his medical doctorate training at Boston University School of Medicine, where he graduated cum laude in 1959.

Nesson leaves his wife, Lois F.; a son, Ted, and his wife Susan; a daughter, Sara; two sisters, Marilyn Mann of Gloucester and Lois Cohen of Glencoe, Ill.; and two grandchildren, Alexandra and Michaela.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the H. Richard Nesson, MD, Fellowship, Development Office, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 116 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02116, to support the next generation of health care professionals who share Nesson's lifelong commitment to addressing society's emerging needs through health care policy and community health outreach.

Shiva will continue on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Nesson residence.