Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital Expands Board of Trustees

HOUSTON (May 31, 2005) The Board of Trustees of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital are pleased to announce the unanimous election of five new members to the Institute's Board. Recently elected were David Fine, Lee Hogan, Jodie Lee Jiles, Corbin Robertson, Jr., and Peter Traber, M.D.

The expansion of the Board was initiated when the Texas Heart Institute and the University of Texas (UT) System announced an affiliation earlier this year which called for increasing UT representation on the board. The Board of Trustees achieved this by deciding to elect two new Board members to represent UT and acknowledging that four existing Board members who are UT alumni would fulfill the affiliation requirements. Recognizing the opportunity for enhanced collaboration, the Board also added two representatives each from St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.

Messrs. Fine and Hogan represent St. Luke's. Mr. Fine is President and CEO of the St. Luke's Episcopal Health System. He accepted the post in 2004 after serving many years as the CEO of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System. Mr. Fine has nearly 30 years of experience as a hospital executive, including 18 years as chief executive officer of university hospitals, multi-hospital systems, medical groups and managed care organizations. Mr. Fine is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and was honored as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine last year.

Mr. Hogan is President of Hogan Investment, a private investment portfolio management firm. He serves as Executive Chairman of the Board for St. Luke's Episcopal Health System, Chairman of the Mayor's Taskforce on Economic Development, and Chairman of the Board of the Greater Houston Community Foundation among other civic and corporate board responsibilities. Prior to establishing his investment firm, Mr. Hogan served in executive capacities for Sustainable Forestry Management, Reliant Energy, Inc., and the Greater Houston Partnership.

Dr. Traber and Mr. Robertson represent Baylor College of Medicine on the THI Board. Dr. Traber is President and Chief Executive Officer of Baylor College of Medicine and Professor of Medicine. He has had a long career in academic medicine as well as leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Baylor, Dr. Traber served as Senior Vice President for Clinical Development and Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to that position, Dr. Traber was the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Interim Dean for the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Mr. Robertson is Chairman and CEO of Natural Resource Partners L.P. and President and CEO of Quintana Minerals Corporation.  He has a long history of involvement in civic, corporate, academic and healthcare institutions. Among his many current obligations, Mr. Robertson serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Baylor College of Medicine and is an Advisory Director for St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital System. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Medical Center, is Chairman of the Board for the Cullen Trust for Higher Education and provides leadership as a member of the Advisory Board for The University of Texas Executive Council.

Mr. Jiles represents the UT System on the THI Board. With 20 years experience in the municipal finance business, Mr. Jiles is currently Senior Vice President of First Albany Capital. He serves on the Baylor College of Medicine Board of Directors, Texas Children's Hospital Board of Directors, and the Development Board for both the University of Texas Health Science Center and the University of Texas at Austin. Governor Rick Perry appointed Mr. Jiles to the Interim Commission on Higher Education and he is an Executive Member of Commission 125 at the University of Texas. Mr. Jiles has long been involved in public education as well, and currently serves as a board member of the Center for Reform of School Systems and the Charter Schools Policy Institute. Mr. Jiles is the Chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership.

One additional UT System representative will be elected to the THI Board at a later date.

World-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Denton A. Cooley, MD, founded the Texas Heart Institute in 1962 for the study and treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Together with the Institute's clinical partner, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, it has been ranked for the past 14 years among the nation's top ten heart centers in an annual survey published by U.S.News & World Report.