AUSTIN, Texas—Heart Hospital of Austin Chief Executive Officer, David Laird, was recently honored by Texas Tech University with the esteemed Professor John and Starr Blair Award for Excellence in Health Organization Management. Laird, who graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in business administration and finance, received the award during a luncheon on March 24. He also gave a keynote address as part of the John A. Buesseler Distinguished Lecture Series.
The award is sponsored by the endowment from the John Aure Buesseler and Cathryn Anne Hansen Buesseler Foundation and is presented each spring. The endowment, which also supports the lecture series and was established in 2000, encourages and promotes excellence at all levels of teaching, research, learning, and service in health organization management.
Dr. John A. Buesseler was the emeritus founding dean of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine and emeritus founding vice president for health sciences.
“I am so grateful for this incredible recognition,” Laird said. “The legacy and generosity of Dr. Buesseler, one of the most innovative health professionals in West Texas history, serve as excellent examples to the next generation.”
Laird also serves on the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business advisory board.
Laird has spent twenty-four years at Heart Hospital of Austin, including the last sixteen as chief executive officer. With his leadership, Heart Hospital of Austin has received numerous accolades for high-quality care, exceptional patient satisfaction, and for being a great place to work. Those accolades include IBM Watson Health’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals award, which the hospital has received twelve times, and Healthgrades ranking Heart Hospital of Austin as the No. 1 cardiac program in Texas for six consecutive years.