In his own words: Bob Rowland, Saint Mary's vice president

Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about Saint Mary's.

Bob Rowland: Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center brings together more than 2,200 employees, 850 physicians and 300 volunteers all committed to the vision and mission begun by the Dominican Sisters over a century ago.

NNBW: What role do you play in the company?

Rowland: I am responsible for the development and management of Saint Mary's Medical Group, Saint Mary's Urgent Care Centers, and creating affiliation opportunities with physicians seeking alignment with Saint Mary's.

NNBW: How did you get into this profession?

Rowland: I found a mentor as a teenager who was administrator of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic.

NNBW: What is something no one knows about your job?

Rowland: Working with the best quality physicians can be fun! They are actually good people.

NNBW: If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?

Rowland: I started out on a track to be a surgeon, but after working four years in surgical research and the emergency room during college, I was more interested in how health care is managed that in being a provider of care.

NNBW: How do you spend your time away from the office?

Rowland: Golf, skiing, visits with grandchildren, and consumption of wine (all types, all vintages, all price points).

NNBW: Do you have a favorite vacation memory?

Rowland: Sunrise, Golf Academy at Kapalua, just me and Cher, the love of my life.

NNBW: Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?

Rowland: Show up on time, all the time. It's 90 percent of success.

NNBW: What is the quirkiest or oddest job you've ever had?

Rowland: Transplanting dogs' kidneys. When I was 17 and in high school, I wanted to be a surgeon. After graduating from high school I took a year off and worked as a technician in a surgical research lab at Stanford School of Medicine. Our small team did canine transplants to learn the technique and how to control rejection. I was trained to take part in the surgery itself as well as nursing our four-legged patients back to health. I was there for the first human transplant at Stanford in 1964, and pushed the kidney from donor to recipient operating room. Never been as nervous about a single task before or since.

My experience in the surgery lab led me to a job as a surgical technician in the emergency room at Stanford. I worked there for over five years and concluded that I was more interested in how healthcare was organized and managed than in being a provider doing essentially the same thing every day. Doing a college project, I met the CEO of the Palo Alto Clinic who introduced me to the profession of medical group management. He took a real interest in me, and I ended up doing a number of projects with him while going to the School of Business.

That firmed up my commitment to a career in health care management, and I've spent over 40 years at it so far.

NNBW: What person, living or dead, would you most like to have dinner with, and why?

Rowland: Table for four with Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed. Would ask "What two or three things are most important for a person to be a force for good in the world?"

NNBW:What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Rowland: "Bob, you'll go a long way if you learn to say 'fantastic' instead of 'bull .'"

NNBW: What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?

Rowland: Like most: Building a network of providers who care first about their patients. Like least: Dealing with folks who are afraid of change.

NNBW: What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?

Rowland: A kind and generous man.

The basics

Name: Bob Rowland, VP for physician integration, Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center and executive director, Saint Mary's Medical Group

How long have you been in this job? Six months

How long in the profession? 40 years

Education: BA, Stanford University, and MBA Stanford University

Best book you've read? "The Deptford Trilogy" by Robertson Davies

What's on your iPod? Paul Simon, Lyle Lovett, Dixie Chicks, Beck, Jimmy Buffet, Black Eyed Peas

The best movie ever? "Godfather" series