Tom directs the Vizient Research Institute, designed to provide independent thought leadership that contributes to a national movement toward a sustainable health care system capable of providing high quality, accessible and affordable care.

Prior to joining Vizient, Tom served as vice president for Aon Consulting, where he managed relationships with Fortune 500 clients, concentrating on employee health benefits design and actuarial services. Previously, Tom was director of planning for the nation’s largest Taft-Hartley trust fund, negotiating regional and national managed care contracts. Beginning in 1979, Tom spent eight years managing health maintenance organizations and was chief executive officer of health plans in South Carolina and Arizona.

Tom is a nationally recognized speaker in the area of health care economics, with a particular emphasis on academic medicine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.