Up & Comers - 2015

Jyric Sims got out of the starting blocks early in his healthcare career, earning a nursing assistant certification in high school in Baton Rouge, La. He has been running hard ever since.

As a pre-med undergraduate at Louisiana State University, he took a turn toward what he called the "broader platform" of administration during his sophomore year.

Aspirations: Becoming CEO of a complex healthcare system.

Role model: There isn't a bigger mentor in my life than my parents.

Leadership philosophy: I think in bullet points. I always play to win.

Since then, "Jyric has risen through the ranks quickly," said Dr. William Lunn, president and CEO of Tulane Health System in New Orleans. Sims is system vice president and chief operating officer at the academic medical center.

It is his eighth healthcare position. He previously served at HCA's St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. While director of operations at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, he also oversaw the construction of a cancer center in Istanbul.

Along the way, Sims has received multiple accolades that "underscore his commitment and passion for the healthcare profession, community involvement and ethical compass," Lunn said. Under Sims' leadership, a number of system performance measures have improved, including operating margin, ambulatory clinic visits and patient-satisfaction scores, Lunn said.

"I'm not just a COO of a complex healthcare organization," Sims said. "I'm the COO for every patient who comes in here."--Joseph Conn