Lee Health board member and former board chairman Sanford “Sandy” Cohen, M.D., was named Florida Hospital Association’s (FHA) Trustee of the Year at their annual Celebration of Achievement in Quality and Service Awards. Dr. Cohen has served on the Lee Health Board of Directors since 2013 and served as chairman from 2014 to 2017.
FHA cited Dr. Cohen’s years of service within health care and education and his support of the construction of Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, the only children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami, as key factors in honoring him with this award. Dr. Cohen has increased transparency within Lee Health by pushing for better reporting of quality outcomes and has been instrumental in advancing physician-led teams such as the Physicians Leadership Council and the Clinical Collaboration Council.
Dr. Cohen earned his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1960. He served as Chair of the Pediatrics Department at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Chief of Pediatrics for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. He also served as dean and the university’s provost before retiring as a professor. Dr. Cohen served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and has an extensive history of community involvement in pediatric health care issues and research organizations.
