As its current CEO George Hernández steps down, University Health on Tuesday named its new President and CEO, Edward Banos, who will assume the position on July 1, according to a press release from University Health.
Banos, University Health’s current COO and executive VP, was chosen after a five-month national recruitment process, which began when Hernández announced his retirement last year. Banos had been a key part of Hernández’s leadership team, according to the board of trustees for the Bexar County local health system, which has two hospitals and more than 30 clinic and outpatient locations.
Before joining University Health in 2015, Banos was CEO of Duke Lifepoint Upper Peninsula Health System in Michigan. He also served as COO, then later as CEO of Superior Health Partners in Marquette, Michigan.
He was also COO of Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, and has held roles at Tenet Health Corporation in hospitals across Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas, garnering more than 30 years of executive health care leadership experience before assuming his new role as CEO of University Health in San Antonio.
Banos is tasked with leading University Health’s planned expansion, adding two new community hospitals and two multi-specialty clinics in the coming years.
“Ed has a deep understanding of our organization, a passion for our mission and the vision to take University Health to even greater heights,” Hernández said in a prepared statement. “I am leaving our mission and our future in excellent hands.”
Banos will oversee the openings of new hospitals on the South and Northeast Sides, including the new Palo Alto Hospital and Retama Hospital, expected to open in 2027. The new clinics will also open on the South Side and East Side by early 2026, according to University Health.
Banos is a member of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and has served on the board of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the South Texas Crisis Collaborative.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Records Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and earned his master’s degree in Health Service Administration from Armstrong Atlantic State University, now known as Georgia Southern University.
In a statement, Banos said he is grateful for the board’s confidence and for the opportunity to serve patients in San Antonio.
“University Health is a special organization and it will be my great honor to lead this dedicated, compassionate and highly skilled team,” he said. “I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to be mentored by George over the past nine years, and deeply committed to the unique mission and deeply-rooted values of University Health.”
Bexar County Hospital District Board of Managers Chair James Adams said that Banos has been a “key member of George’s leadership team,” so placing him as CEO will help make sure set projects remain on schedule.
