It is with deep sadness that the College of Public Health shares the news of the passing of Professor Emeritus Stephen F. Loebs, former associate dean and chair of the graduate program in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy.
Loebs was a “great supporter, mentor and friend” said longtime friend Julie Robbins, adjunct clinical professor and former director of the Master of Health Administration Program.
“Steve really saw the potential in people… he got personally invested in his students, in their careers, and was thrilled for their success,” said Robbins, who first met Loebs as a graduate student.
Loebs was instrumental in developing the MHA program’s strong sense of community and creating a culture of alumni involvement and giving back, Robbins said.
Dean Paula Song said Loebs demonstrated an infectious enthusiasm for faculty and students, seeing the positive in everyone. When Ohio State announced she’d been named dean earlier this year, he was one of the first to call.
“It was so good to hear his voice again after so many years with that same level of enthusiasm for me and Ohio State,” Song said.
It was this genuine investment in the well-being of others that set Loebs apart, said friend Bill Cleverley, a health care leader and professor emeritus in the College of Public Health.
“Steve always expressed compassion and concern for our students, not just for their careers, but for their personal lives as well – 20 years after graduation Steve could tell you how each and every graduate was doing both professionally and personally,” he said.
Loebs served as chair of the graduate program in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy from 1980 to 2002 and was associate dean of the College of Public Health from 1995 to 2002, shaping the college, its faculty and students in ways that are still making a difference. Through a generous gift from alumni and friends, the endowed Stephen F. Loebs Professorship in Health Services Management and Policy was established in 2001.
“Steve Loebs was the faculty member who had the greatest impact on growing and shaping the MHA program into national prominence and the HSMP Alumni Society would not have thrived without Steve’s energy and leadership,” Cleverley said.
A respected scholar, Loebs’s research and publications focused on health insurance organization and health management education, and he was the principal investigator of an influential study of health care costs and cost containment strategies in Ohio.
“He was passionate about health policy and research and trying to make the U.S. health care better,” said close friend Janet Porter, ’75 BS, ’77 MHA.
Loebs believed he was strengthening the health care system by supporting graduates who would be successful leaders and took great joy in teaching and helping graduates launch and develop meaningful careers, Porter said, adding that he was especially supportive of women in the program.
His dedication to excellence is reflected in the MHA program’s stellar national reputation, Porter said.
Professor Emerita Sharon Schweikhart said her colleague and friend was a positive influence on every student and their career trajectory.
“Steve truly had a larger-than-life presence. During my career, I’ve met so many people, both from OSU and the health care management community, who had a story to share about how Steve supported or encouraged them at a key moment in their lives. It’s really a remarkable legacy,” she said.
In 2000, Loebs received the Filerman Prize for Educational Leadership, awarded by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to health care management education.
He received a PhD in medical care organization, an MA in political science and an MHA in hospital administration from the University of Michigan. He earned an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College.
