Ardmore, OK - Ron Stout, M.D., will join the Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH) as president and CEO on June 1. Kevin Brown, who has served as president and CEO of AIH since 2013, will become chief operating officer.
Stout currently serves as Procter & Gamble’s North American medical director and global medical leader for the beauty, health, grooming and oral care business sectors. He joined the AIH board of directors in 2010 and was elected chairman in 2015. He served in that role until accepting the president and CEO position.
“I know AIH is well positioned to help lead the nation toward healthier lifestyle practices through Lifestyle Medicine themes in medical education and clinical practice,” Stout said. “With Kevin Brown’s partnership, I believe we can greatly expand our messaging and partnership network, bringing Lifestyle Medicine to millions of people.”
AIH’s mission is to improve the health and vitality of people to live more meaningful lives, and to create a world where lifestyle modification is the preferred method to prevent and overcome chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The organization has distributed more than $7 million in grants to support its goals since 2014.
Brown, a Davis, Okla., resident who helped plan the leadership transition, said he looks forward to creating a powerful partnership with Stout.
“Ron’s expertise and presence in Lifestyle Medicine will strengthen AIH’s leadership position and increase its impact in the clinical health care space. He will extend our network and engage new partners so we can help transition the Lifestyle Medicine movement into a force that impacts entire systems of care,” Brown said.
Brown joined AIH as vice president and chief financial officer in 2005 and became president and CEO in 2013. Stout and Brown will work closely with newly elected Board Chair Karen Vinyard Waddell. She is president and CEO of the Oklahoma City-based Lynn Institute for Healthcare Research and the Lynn Health Science Institute. Stout, and his wife, Pam, a registered nurse specializing in lactation education, will move from their home in Dayton, Ohio, to Ardmore this summer, Stout said.
AIH considers grant funding requests three times a year and gives preference to requests that align with its strategic priorities:
• Measurably increase the well-being of the residents of Ardmore and Carter County, Okla.
• Influence the U.S. health system to bring Lifestyle Medicine into the mainstream
• Improve health behaviors through funding programs that promote purpose, nutrition, movement, community, connectedness and sleep