Veteran Healthcare Leader Named FSU’s Inaugural VP and Chief Clinical Operations Officer

By Kathleen Haughney, FSU News

Florida State University President Richard McCullough has named Jeremy Slaga as the university’s first Vice President and Chief Clinical Operations Officer to help lead FSU Health.  

In this new position, Slaga, a seasoned healthcare executive, will be instrumental in shaping FSU’s health enterprise and expanding clinical opportunities and community engagement throughout the state.  

An FSU alumnus, Slaga currently serves as Chief Integration Officer for the Temple Health system, which includes six hospital campuses and more than 1,550 physicians and scientists. He will begin his new role at FSU on January 5, 2026.  

“Florida State University is committed to advancing healthcare in our community and throughout our state,” McCullough said. “Jeremy is a visionary healthcare leader with a tremendous amount of experience who will be an extraordinary partner in this endeavor, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team.” 

Slaga will report to McCullough and work closely with top administrators across the university as well as key healthcare partners throughout the region. 

“FSU Health offers an incredible opportunity to make a meaningful impact by collaborating with clinical, research and educational partners throughout the region,” Slaga said. “I am thrilled to join FSU and work alongside our colleagues across Florida as we develop a transformative network dedicated to enhancing health and healthcare for our communities.” 

In Tallahassee, the idea of an academic health center at TMH has been under discussion for more than a decade. The TMH Board of Trustees first outlined the vision in its 2008 strategic plan, and the hospital has since added multiple residency programs in internal medicine, general surgery and psychiatry. 

In 2022, the Florida Legislature and Governor supported the university with $125 million to build an academic health research center on the TMH campus. The 140,000-square-foot building is slated to open in 2026 and includes clinical research space, a family residency practice, laboratory facilities, and other resources designed to bridge the gap between academic research and patient care. 

The university also announced plans this past spring to build a hospital in Panama City Beach and has recruited new talent through joint hires with Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic, TMH, and the Andrews Institute. FSU also recently launched the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases and the Institute for Connecting Nutrition and Health (ICON-Health), both designed to help address pressing healthcare needs in our state.  

Slaga has spent 18 years working within prominent academic healthcare organizations, including Emory Healthcare, UPMC, and the Temple University Health System. This work has included strategic planning, IT optimization, procurement, and the nuances of value-based care administration. 

Slaga earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from FSU in 2002. He earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School.