November 2, 2026
Story by Ryan Gauthier, rjgauthier@health.missouri.edu
One lesson Frank Morgan learned as a student in the Master of Health Administration program at the University of Missouri still shapes his leadership today: “Health care is truly a team sport.”
Morgan, who earned his MHA from Mizzou in 2002, was named president of Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota Campus in November 2025 after spending more than two decades with the health system. He began as an administrative fellow and advanced through leadership roles in ambulatory and hospital operations before taking the helm of the system’s 897-bed flagship hospital.
Morgan credits Mizzou’s focus on collaboration with preparing him for the realities of health care leadership.
“One of the things I valued most about the program was its emphasis on teamwork,” Morgan said. “Many of our projects in grad school required us to work in groups to solve complex, real-world challenges. That experience and preparation mirrored the environment I continue to encounter today.”
Much of his career focused on expanding the Florida health system’s ambulatory network. The addition of more than a dozen outpatient locations improved access, reduced wait times and made care more convenient for patients throughout the region.
“The most meaningful part is hearing directly from patients who tell us these services have given them valuable time back in their day while receiving outstanding care from our teams,” Morgan said. “Knowing we’ve made health care more accessible, convenient and patient-centered for our community is incredibly rewarding and something I’m very proud of.”
Morgan says the MHA program at Mizzou provided the foundation for his success as a health care leader.
“I was fortunate to learn from an outstanding faculty who challenged me to think strategically and always keep the patient at the center of every decision,” he said.
He remains particularly grateful for another lesson from his professors: pursue an administrative fellowship. He said the experience provided him with mentorship as well as exposure to executive leadership that later created opportunities to advance his career.
Now, Morgan encourages students to seek out the same kind of mentorship while continuing to earn trust through their work.
“Approach every project with the same level of energy, professionalism and attention to detail, regardless of the size of the project,” he said. “By consistently delivering exceptional results with the smaller projects, you build trust; and that creates opportunities for those more meaningful projects and roles later in your career.”