Beth Israel Lahey Health CEO Kevin Tabb to step down in 2027 after long tenure

Leadership transition announced with a one-year timeline

Beth Israel Lahey Health President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Tabb, MD, has notified the system’s board that he intends to step down in about a year, setting in motion a leadership transition at one of New England’s largest healthcare organizations. The announcement was made on March 4, 2026, with the organization indicating that a successor search will begin and that Tabb will remain in his role during the transition period.

The planned timetable places the departure in 2027, following a tenure that spans more than 14 years leading Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and its broader system predecessor, and subsequent leadership of the combined Beth Israel Lahey Health organization after its 2019 formation.

A system shaped by consolidation and expansion

Beth Israel Lahey Health was created through the 2019 combination of the Beth Israel and Lahey systems, bringing together a network that includes academic medical centers, community hospitals, physician groups, and outpatient services. Over the last decade, the organization has expanded its footprint across Massachusetts and into neighboring states through affiliations and acquisitions, reflecting a broader trend in U.S. healthcare toward consolidation, scale, and integrated care delivery.

The transition comes as Massachusetts hospital systems continue to navigate persistent financial pressures—rising labor costs, capacity constraints, and shifting patient demand toward outpatient settings—alongside heightened regulatory scrutiny of market concentration and healthcare spending growth.

Major strategic moves during Tabb’s tenure

During Tabb’s leadership, the system pursued a series of strategic initiatives that reshaped its competitive position in the Boston region. Among the most consequential was the 2023 announcement that Dana-Farber Cancer Institute would end its longstanding clinical partnership with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and pursue development of a new cancer hospital in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, part of Beth Israel Lahey Health. The plan represented a significant realignment in the region’s cancer care landscape and remains one of the most closely watched healthcare construction and partnership efforts in the state.

• 2011: Tabb became president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
• 2019: Beth Israel and Lahey systems combined to form Beth Israel Lahey Health.
• 2023: Dana-Farber and Beth Israel Deaconess announced plans to partner on a new cancer hospital.
• March 4, 2026: Tabb announced plans to step down in about a year.

What happens next

The board is expected to oversee a search process that evaluates internal and external candidates. With the CEO remaining in place for roughly a year, the organization will have a defined runway to address continuity for major ongoing projects, operational performance, and strategic planning.

The health system has indicated that a successor search will be undertaken while Tabb continues to lead during the transition.

No successor has been publicly named as of the March 4 announcement.