Press Release

Sheppard Pratt Health System Names New President and CEO

Sheppard Pratt Health System announces today that Harsh K. Trivedi, M.D., M.B.A., will join the health system as its sixth president and chief executive officer in 125 years. Trivedi is currently chief executive officer of Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. He will officially begin his new role on July 1, 2016.

Trivedi succeeds Steven S. Sharfstein, M.D., who will step down after more than three decades with the health system, including nearly 25 years as president and CEO. Sharfstein will remain a part of the Sheppard Pratt family as president emeritus and clinical psychiatrist.

“Harsh is respected in the field both for his work in behavioral health as a psychiatrist associated with Harvard, Brown, and Vanderbilt universities, and as an administrator,” said Sharfstein. “He is absolutely the right person for the job, and we’re excited to see him bring new energy and vision to the health system.”

Of the hire, Sheppard Pratt Health System’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The Honorable J. Frederick Motz, said, “It was important to us to find someone who is a passionate clinician and relentless, forward-thinking advocate, and also possesses the business acumen to lead the health system; this is Harsh in a nutshell.”

Trivedi is a double board-certified psychiatrist and seasoned physician executive with formal business training. He is currently editor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Chair of the American Psychiatric Association Council on Healthcare Systems and Financing, and serves on the American Hospital Association Governing Council for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services. He is a thought leader regarding health care reform, integration of psychiatric services, and in the provision of high-quality patient-centered care. “Sheppard Pratt Health System is a preeminent provider of mental health services nationally. I am deeply honored to lead this venerable mission-oriented institution to serve our patients and our community.”

Trivedi earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and his Physician Executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee.

Trivedi will move to Maryland with his wife and two young children. 


About Sheppard Pratt

Sheppard Pratt is the largest private, nonprofit provider of mental health, substance use, developmental disability, special education, and social services in the country. A nationwide resource, Sheppard Pratt provides services across a comprehensive continuum of care, spanning both hospital- and community-based resources. Since its founding in 1853, Sheppard Pratt has been innovating the field through research, best practice implementation, and a focus on improving the quality of mental health care on a global level. Sheppard Pratt has been consistently recognized as a top national psychiatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years.