Joseph Horton

Professor

Department of Operations and Information Systems, Master of Healthcare Administration

Career Line, Faculty, Staff

Before beginning his career at Primary Children’s Hospital, a 290-bed pediatric center of excellence that serves five states; Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Nevada and is affiliated with the University of Utah School of Medicine, Mr.

Horton was formerly Chief Operating Officer of Cottonwood Hospital. He transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital as Chief Operating Officer in 1986 and became Chief Executive Officer in 1994.

In 2001, he fulfilled a two-year term as Chairman of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI). In 2003, he received the Hospital Executive of the Year Award from the Utah Hospital Association. On May 1, 2007, Mr. Horton was appointed Senior Vice President of Intermountain Healthcare and assumed responsibility for all of Intermountain’s 23 hospitals until his retirement in 2012. Since fall of 2010, Mr. Horton has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan, where he teaches leadership to graduate students. He joined the David Eccles School of Business as an Adjunct Professor in 2012.

Mr. Horton’s teaching focuses on healthcare leadership and ethics, which he believes has a direct impact on the present and future culture of healthcare, employee behavior, and the patient experience. He is passionate about engaging students in understanding the missions and dynamics of healthcare administration and helping them to become the best leadership version of themselves. By drawing on his extensive management background Horton has a deep understanding of the critical thinking and emotional intelligence that leaders need to develop in order to apply strategic management principles. Mr. Horton’s experience dealing with team development and management, mission, vision and values, disciplinary issues, and day to day operations places an emphasis on executing the healthcare mission at the highest level.

To read his full resume, click here.

Education
  • BA in English, University of Utah 1978
  • Master of Hospital Administration, University of Minnesota, 1981
Teaching Experience
  • Transformational Leadership class at University of Michigan since 2010
  • Principle-based Leadership, University of Utah since 2012
  • Administration and Management, University of Utah since 2012
  • Business Ethics, University of Utah since 2015
Awards & Honors
  • Hospital Executive of the Year, Utah Hospital Association, 2003
  • Leadership in Ethics Education Award, University of Utah, 2012
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