Keynote Speaker – October 19th at 11:45am

Kevin W. Sowers, MSN, RN, FAAN

President of the Johns Hopkins Health System; Executive Vice President of Johns Hopkins Medicine

Kevin W. Sowers, M.S.N., R.N., F.A.A.N., is president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

As the second person in Johns Hopkins history to hold these dual roles, Mr. Sowers oversees the health system’s six hospitals – The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center, Suburban Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – and sets strategies that advance our mission to deliver outstanding care, train the next generation of leaders and advance research and discovery. He also serves as chair of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, which has more than 40 primary and specialty care outpatient sites throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area.

Mr. Sowers came to Johns Hopkins Medicine after 32 years with the Duke University Health System, the last eight as president and CEO of Duke University Hospital.

He joined Duke University Medical Center Hospital in 1985 as a staff nurse in oncology and held several faculty and nursing leadership positions. His numerous senior leadership posts across the Duke University Health System included chief operating officer for Duke University Hospital and interim CEO for Durham Regional Hospital. Among his senior administrative roles, Mr. Sowers oversaw consolidation of Duke’s clinical lab services, emergency and trauma services, and managed care and patient care services.  

Active in many professional and community organizations, Mr. Sowers is a member of the Vizient board of directors and the AAMC Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems administrative board. He served as chair of the AmSurg board and was a member of the North Carolina Hospital Association board of trustees and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine board of directors. He also held leadership roles with the American Heart Association, Susan G. Komen and the Oncology Nursing Society.

Sowers earned his bachelor of science degree from Capital University School of Nursing and a master of science from Duke University School of Nursing. He is an American Academy of Nursing fellow and has collaborated on numerous research efforts as well as consulted internationally. He has published extensively and speaks nationally and abroad on issues such as leadership, organizational change, mentorship and cancer care.

Sowers lives in Baltimore with his partner, Anthony Evans.