For Dr. Peter Tan of Citrus Hills, retirement has been the door to many new paths.
His latest accomplishment is to be elected chair of the board of trustees of HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville.
Tan retired as a colonel in the Dental Corps of the Army Reserve after 36 years, including serving as the highest-ranking dental corps officer in the Office of the Surgeon General and Pentagon. He was the second in command of the Pacific Regional Dental Command, as well as of the Europe Regional Dental Command. He commanded the 185th Dental Company and the 7301 Medical Training Support Battalion.
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He is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
Among his retirement achievements include serving as a civilian aide to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, president of the Military Officer Association of Citrus County, and as a director for the Association for the United States Army, Suncoast Chapter.
He is the first resident of Citrus County to serve as a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. He said he believes he also is the first person from Citrus County to be chair of the Oak Hill hospital board.
Don Taylor, board president of the Economic Development Authority for Citrus County, also serves on the Oak Hill board.
As Tan put it, “I’m honored to culminate my 30 years in my surgical profession to add to the guidance of a terrific hospital.”
He said although the trustees are not involved in the day-to-day operations of the hospital, they do advise the administration and staff. Both administrators and staff members serve on the board, as do lay members with expertise in areas of value to the hospital.
Trustees are appointed to champion various areas of the medical center. Tan’s areas are medical credentialing and patient experience.
Trustees are “to provide the vision,” Tan said.
The 350-bed Oak Hill hospital recently completed a $20 million expansion of its emergency room, doubling its size, according to Katie Stacy, the hospital’s director of communications and community engagement. The hospital also is spending $10.7 million to add a third catheterization lab to help heart patients, as well as to renovate two labs.
It is the only hospital in Hernando County providing open heart surgery. Its graduate medical education program trains 161 doctors a year in specialties ranging from anesthesiology to podiatric medicine. It offers a fellowship in geriatric medicine.
Tan said he is “very humbled” about his new chairmanship. “It’s nothing I pursued,” he said.
Yet, this appointment is not such new territory for Tan. He’s served previously as board chair of 10 organizations on the local, state, and national levels, including as president of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology and of its Anesthesia Research Foundation.
Tan also is president and CEO of TANARM, a consulting firm involved with leadership development, health care management, emergency and disaster management, public health consulting, and military/defense work. And he is a partner in Academic Innovation Partners Inc., a consulting group that encourages the application of academic research to real-world problems.
He’s taught for the Army, the University of Maryland and other schools, and had a private practice in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Now he’s sought as a keynote speaker at health care conferences, military and community events.
He’s successfully blended military and civilian life during his career and said he’s found the two often complement each other.
He jokes the Army can provide training in any field, except, perhaps, hairdressing.
Tan said that from an early age, his parents and teachers “fostered a mentality that if there’s an opportunity to learn, go for it.”
Tan initially graduated from dental school but then pursued surgical, as well as anesthesia education in medical school.
He holds a black belt in South Korean hapkido and a black belt in taekwondo. He’s a SCUBA dive master and a skier and golfer, among other pursuits.
“I have a passion for continuing education,” he said.
His advice to others seeking a robust life is, “Life doesn’t stand still. It’s full of adventure and you should grasp everything you can. Whatever is offered, consider taking it. It won’t be offered again. Learn and become a better person from it,” he said.
Although Tan has had many opportunities and most have led to additional opportunities, he has faced both sunshine and shade over the years.
He said he couldn’t have led the life he’s experienced without the help and devotion of his late wife, Grace, who passed away last January.
“I miss her dearly,” he said. “She was a part of this.”
Similarly, his family supported him throughout the years, as did his military and medical staff, and schools’ educational support staff.
He’s found that the past year has been “a very reflective year,” he said.
The accolades and awards that have come to him “all have been just an honor,” he said.
