Teri Lash-Ritter, M.D., Named President of Cleveland Clinic’s South Submarket

Cleveland Clinic has named Teri Lash-Ritter, M.D., MBA, FAAFP, as president of Akron General and Lodi hospitals, and president of the South Submarket of Cleveland Clinic’s Northeast Ohio Market effective Feb. 1.

Dr. Lash-Ritter will lead the strategic coordination of care for the South Submarket, which includes Akron General, Lodi, Medina, Mercy and Union hospitals, three health and wellness centers, and many family health centers and outpatient facilities. She will manage the daily needs at hospital and outpatient locations with a focus on quality, safety and providing the best possible experience for patients and caregivers.

“Dr. Lash-Ritter is a gifted clinician and a remarkable leader, and we are excited to have her guide this growing region for Cleveland Clinic,” said Jorge A. Guzman, M.D., MBA, President, Cleveland Clinic Northeast Ohio Market. “She has been an important leader at Akron General since it became part of the Cleveland Clinic health system nearly 10 years ago. In her new role, she will help ensure that our physicians and caregivers are best able to serve our communities in the South Submarket.”

Dr. Lash-Ritter has been the Chief Medical Officer at Akron General and Lodi hospitals since 2019. Before that she was the Associate Chief Experience Officer for Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals and the Associate Chief Experience Officer for Akron General. She is a board-certified family medicine physician. She joined Cleveland Clinic in 2011, practicing urgent care medicine at the Wooster Family Health Center. She later served as the Medical Director for Cleveland Clinic Urgent and Express Care Clinics, Chagrin Falls Family Health Center, and Madison Medical Office Building.

She has a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of Akron. After practicing as a registered dietitian for five years, she returned to school and earned a medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University. She completed her residency at Aultman Family Medicine Residency Program. In 2017, she earned an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Lash-Ritter is a faculty member in the Akron General Center for Family Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. She is certified in travel health through the International Society of Travel Medicine and has led numerous medical mission teams in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Dr. Lash-Ritter replaces Brian Harte, M.D., MHM, who recently was named President of the East Submarket of the Northeast Ohio Market and President of Hillcrest and Mentor hospitals.