School of Pharmacy & Health Professions 2003 Alumni Merit Award Recipient
Sr. M. Therese Gottschalk, BS PHA’60
There are two constants in her life – God and change. By putting God first, Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk has managed an incredible amount of change and responsibility.
Mary Therese Gottschalk was born in Bavaria, Germany, the second of fourteen children. Today she is the president and chief executive officer of Saint John Health System in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and president of Marian Health System, one of the largest nonprofit Catholic healthcare organizations in the United States.
Sister Gottschalk entered the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother in 1952 and came to the United States the following year, attending high school in Milwaukee. Upon graduation, her high school principal recommended she attend pharmacy school at Creighton. Sister admits to having to look up the word pharmacy to see what that meant.
She earned her bachelor of science degree in pharmacy at Creighton in 1960 and her master of science degree in hospital administration from Saint Louis University. At Saint Mary’s Hospital in Roswell, New Mexico, she gained experience as director of pharmacy and purchasing and later became chief executive officer.
From 1974 to 1999, she was president and chief executive officer of Saint John Medical Center in Tulsa, overseeing physical renovations and expansion as well as rapid advancements in technology, billing and information systems.
In 1998, her religious order joined its healthcare facilities with that of two other orders, creating the Marian Health System. With its larger size, it is better able to negotiate contracts, operate more efficiently and deliver healthcare services more economically, ultimately to better serve the poor.
Sister Gottschalk has received several awards including an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University of Oklahoma. She is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the boards of the Catholic Health Association and the American Hospital Association.
It is with pride and pleasure that Creighton University confers upon Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk the 2003 Alumni Merit Award for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.