Patricia A. Maryland, DrPH, a 1982 Pitt alumna, died October 24, 2025 at 72.
Before earning her doctorate in public health from the Department of Health Services Administration (predecessor to Health Policy and Management), Maryland earned her bachelor’s in applied mathematics from Alabama State University and a master’s in biostatistics from the University of California—Berkeley.
One of eight children, Maryland said watching her mother struggle with Type II diabetes inspired her to get into health care.
She started her career as a strategic planner at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh before holding numerous strategic planning and operations positions over a 15-year career at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Maryland was named chief operating officer of North Oakland Medical Centers in Pontiac, Mich., in 1996 and from there transitioned into several leadership roles around the Midwest, including St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services in Indianapolis, one of the flagships of the Ascension Health system. In 2005, she was named executive vice president and COO of St. Vincent Health. Under her leadership, St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital received top recognition from Anthem, Leapfrog and Consumer Choice Awards for nine years straight.
A native of Detroit, she was named president and CEO of St. John Providence Hospital in 2008 and was also Ascension’s Michigan ministry market leader before rising to president of healthcare operations and COO of Ascension Healthcare and then being named president and CEO of the system in 2017.
Throughout her career, Maryland received multiple awards for her leadership, including being named one of the nation’s Top 25 Leaders in Health Care by Modern Healthcare.
She was also a long-time member of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health’s Board of Visitors.
Maryland is survived by her husband, Samuel Tekyi-Mensah and two adult children, Yasmin Tekyi-Mensah and Dean Tekyi-Mensah.
A private funeral service will be held for her family. A public service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on November 15 at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit.
-Mike Friend