MedStar s Star
Bradley S. Chambers ‘91 is taking Union Memorial Hospital to new heights
Visit Baltimore’s Union Memorial Hospital, and you’ll immediately see the people who make the place
hum: physicians, nurses, technicians,
receptionists, housekeepers and, of
course, patients.
The role of the nattily dressed man
striding down the corridor may not
be as clear to outsiders, but President
Bradley S. Chambers is a key reason
for Union Memorial’s successes.
It’s a job that requires executive acumen, resourcefulness and vision—not
to mention stamina.
20 towson SUMMER 2011
On a typical day Chambers arrives at
his office at 7: 30 a.m. During the course
of the day, he will meet with various
physicians and key leaders, and support
employee recognition events. His workday usually ends around 6 p.m.
After work he may put in additional hours on behalf of one of many
nonprofit organizations—including
the American Cancer Society and Big
Brothers and Big Sisters of Central
Maryland—with which he’s involved.
It’s a full day for the president of a
now-thriving hospital deeply rooted
in Baltimore history. Founded in 1854
as the Union Protestant Infirmary, the
20-bed facility was dedicated to caring
for the “sick, the poor and the infirm.”
Renamed Union Memorial Hospital in
1920, it has since grown to comprise
301 beds and 2,500 employees, including 600 physicians. Union Memorial is
part of MedStar Health, a nonprofit,
community-based healthcare organization in the Baltimore/Washington
region.
But Chambers didn’t set out to
become a much-liked and admired
healthcare executive. The Baltimore
native and McDonogh School graduate
majored in political science at Towson
and contemplated going to law school
after graduation.
In his final semester, he had a life-altering meeting with his academic
adviser.
“He told me that the Baltimore County
Department of Health was looking for
a student intern,” Chambers recalls.
“He thought it would be good to have
an internship on my resume.”
Chambers heeded the counsel and
soon found himself employed in the
health department’s Biostatistics Divi-
sion. As the weeks passed, he discov-
ered an affinity for data analysis. “I was
crunching numbers.” he says. “And I
found it fascinating.”
