Thomas C. Shepherd, DHA, FACHE

President, Ross University

Dr. Thomas C. Shepherd has been the president of Ross University since 2004. In this position, Dr. Shepherd is responsible for the operations of the School of Medicine, located in Dominica, the School of Veterinary Medicine, located in St. Kitts, and the administrative offices in North Brunswick, NJ.

Ross University was founded in 1978 and is a provider of medical and veterinary education, offering doctor of medicine and doctor of veterinary medicine degree programs. The School of Medicine, which is located in Dominica, West Indies, opened new clinical education center in Freeport, Grand Bahama, in January 2009. The School of Veterinary Medicine is located in St. Kitts.

Dr. Shepherd spent more than 30 years in healthcare administration and established a reputation for leading organizations to record levels of performance and success. His expertise includes the areas of hospital management, healthcare reform, strategic management and development, mergers and acquisitions, and healthcare education.

Prior to joining Ross University, Dr. Shepherd was the president of Bastyr University, a Washington-based university with multiple offerings in healthcare education. Prior to Bastyr he co-founded Royale Healthcare, Inc., a hospital management company in North Carolina, to provide hospitals and health systems throughout the United States with management and consulting services. He has served in senior management roles for a variety of hospitals and healthcare systems, including Hallmark Healthcare (now Community Health Systems), American Healthcorp, Inc., and HCA.

Dr. Shepherd received a bachelor of science degree in business administration cum laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1972, a master’s degree in hospital administration from George Washington University in 1975, and a doctor of health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1999. Dr. Shepherd is currently a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on boards of various national and regional organizations, including the Collaboration for Healthcare Renewal Foundation, the Chambers of Commerce, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society.