RICHARD H. HART ’70, DrPH: Reflecting on Hart's Legacy Upon His Retirement
Richard H. Hart ’70, DrPH, president of LLUH, retired June 2026, following a distinguished career marked by faithful leadership, vision, and unwavering dedication to the mission. His relationship with the university spans more than 60 years from his early days as a student to his service as an organizational leader. His impact on this institution will never be forgotten.
Hart: The Sibling
I try not to brag about my brother too much. It doesn’t seem right. But let me mention a few things about which I can be proud.
Dick, as we know him, was born to a poor first-year medical student’s family attending the College of Medical Evangelists, later known as Loma Linda University, in Loma Linda, California.
In his childhood, he survived at least three life-altering or even life-threatening experiences. While he was in the third grade at our small Seventh-day Adventist Church school, on one occasion, he was struck by a small piece of shrapnel from a .22-caliber rifle shell that was accidentally thrown into our basement fireplace. It could have blinded him. About two years later, he was seriously injured when a Kentucky farmer crossed the road right in front of us. He still has several scars on his forehead and just above his left eye. Several years later, our entire family was miraculously preserved from an airplane accident that resulted from a mechanic’s error when working on our private plane. God surely was preserving this young man for an important life ahead.
Richard early on became popular as a class president at Upper Columbia Academy, and the following year was elected associated student body president. He was known from his childhood for being quite mischievous. Fortunately, it never got him into serious trouble.
After completing his MD and an MPH degree at Loma Linda, he enrolled in the DrPH program at Johns Hopkins University, one of the most recognized public health programs worldwide.
He then chose to start a career in international health by taking an assignment at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College in Moshi, Tanzania. While on assignment from there, he was dropped off to do his work at one hospital while the pilot traveled on to another location and died in an accident on the way, leaving Richard temporarily stranded at a very rural hospital.
Richard has become quite well known for his phenomenal ability to remember names, locations, and details of the many hospital programs around the world during his years as founder and president of Adventist Health International, a position that he still holds.
I don’t need to mention his abilities as a teacher, administrator, problem-solver, and initiator of many major programs while serving as department head, dean, university leader, and later president of Loma Linda University. During those years, he negotiated numerous grants and loans from the government and established the Social Action Community (SAC)Health Services, now recognized by the government as a leading educational health center in the nation. He has organized and raised money for the building of several major expansions on the campus of Loma Linda, including the new hospital, the Centennial Complex, and the new Pediatric Specialties Clinic, and he is currently raising money for a major enlargement in the School of Nursing and other programs on campus.
He has left an indelible mark on Loma Linda University.
— Kenneth W. Hart ’69
Co-Founder of SAC Clinic
Hart: The Mentor
It was January 3, 2013. I was in my final year of training at Johns Hopkins, wrapping up my nine years there for medical school, pediatric residency, Master of Public Health, and preventive medicine. I opened my email that morning, and there in my inbox was an email titled “RE Missionary Service.” It was from Dr. Hart. He introduced himself as the president of Adventist Health International and shared that he got my information from Norma Nashed, who knew about my desire to serve as a medical missionary. Thus began my interaction with Dr. Hart, who has been my direct supervisor and mentor for close to 13 years.
Dr. Hart convinced me (along with God and a few other God-appointed people) to move across the country to Loma Linda to be part of the mission “to make man whole,” and he has been an inspiration to me ever since. I had planned to go abroad as a medical missionary as soon as all my training was completed, but Dr. Hart, a true missionary in every aspect, reminded me that San Bernardino and the Loma Linda campus were just as important mission fields. We often overlook opportunities to serve as missionaries at home because we mistakenly think that only international sites are mission fields. Yet, wherever God places us can be a mission field to shine His light and to connect others to Him.
Ever the connector, Dr. Hart got me involved with the Institute for Health Policy and Leadership (IHPL), which was just starting out at that time, and introduced me to Dr. Gerald Winslow, another wonderful kindred spirit, mentor, and the founding director of IHPL. Through my role with IHPL, I have had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Hart.
His depth of knowledge, work ethic, and passion for improving the lives of vulnerable members of our community—both at home and abroad—have been awe-inspiring. It always amazes me how he remembers everyone’s personal stories and situations despite his meeting and knowing so many people.
From Dr. Hart, I have learned various historical facts and have enjoyed his anecdotes about Loma Linda University Health (LLUH). I have always been impressed by his memory and by his knowledge of the institution he has led for so long.
He must get a ton of emails every day. Yet despite competing demand on his time, he has responded quickly to my requests. Such availability testifies to his dedication and work ethic. I have received email responses from him from airports abroad and at late evening or early morning hours, making me wonder if he ever sleeps.
What inspires me the most about Dr. Hart, though, is his passion for improving the lives of vulnerable members of our community and his holistic perspective focused on missions, which has assured me that I am working at the right place. Every time I walk into Social Action Community (SAC) Health to teach pediatric residents and care for our community’s children in clinic, I am reminded of its origin and its mission. As a medical student, Dr. Hart had the vision to provide care for medically underserved and helped found SAC Health, which has grown monumentally since then. Dr. Hart is truly a visionary, and his legacy will have a lasting impact.
I am grateful for this stalwart advocate for the vulnerable and lifelong missionary. I am grateful that he sent me that email on that morning in 2013 and ultimately convinced me to join the LLUH team to further the “teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ.” I am grateful that he has witnessed various seasons of my life, attending my wedding to Paul, whom I would not have met if I had not moved out to Loma Linda, and watching our son Timothy grow over the years. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Hart and learn from someone who models the core values of LLUH—compassion, excellence, humility, integrity, justice, teamwork, and wholeness. I am grateful for his mentorship and inspiration.
As Dr. Hart hands over the reins as the president of LLUH, I know that his work is not done. Our God will continue to use him to better the lives of His children. His retirement is exactly that: putting on new tires for the next journey ahead. So as he ventures out on his next journey as a lifelong missionary, I pray that our Heavenly Father will continue to direct his steps (Proverbs 3:5,6), prosper him (Jeremiah 29:11), and keep him healthy (3 John 1:2).
— Wonha Iris Kim, MD-FAC
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Prev. Med
Hart: The Inspiration
The Alumni Association of the School of Medicine of Loma Linda University extends its heartfelt gratitude to Richard H. Hart ’70, DrPH, as he retires from Loma Linda University Health after decades of leadership.
Hart has devoted his life to advancing the institution’s mission of whole person care. The many programs developed under his leadership extend beyond the hallways of Loma Linda and have made a difference in healthcare, healthcare education, research, and global service. He has guided the institution with humility, vision, and a deep trust in God’s leading.
The Alumni Association has been privileged to recognize Hart’s extraordinary contributions over the years. He received the Honored Alumnus Award in 1994, the Alumni in Mission Service (AIMS) Award in 2008, and was named Alumnus of the Year in 2012. This recognition reflects his lifelong commitment to service and mission.
Hart’s leadership has inspired generations who trained at Loma Linda and went on to pursue lives of purpose. Thank you, Dr. Hart, for your remarkable example. The Alumni Association wishes you, Judy, and your family God’s richest blessings.
— Calvin Chuang, MBA, MSML
Alumni Association Executive Director
Hart: The Missionary Mentor
It was 1997, and my future wife, Belen Lohr ’01, and I were beginning medical school at Loma Linda School of Medicine. We had both dreamed of becoming missionary doctors in a remote, underserved part of the world. In fact, we met on a mission trip in Tanzania, East Africa, and we were the only two students in our class to sign up for the Deferred Mission Appointee (DMA) program. When we met with Elder Roth, the Loma Linda University General Conference liaison, we learned that very few mission fields in the world could afford a DMA, since the local organization was responsible for paying half of our loan repayment. For most mission hospitals, especially in the developing world, that was financially impossible.
Aware of this challenge, among many others, Richard Hart ’70, DrPH, founded Adventist Health International in 1995. Within a few years, he identified a donor source that helped cover the 50% of loan repayment that local mission hospitals could not afford. This opened the door for dozens of Loma Linda University School of Medicine graduates over the past 26 years and has impacted hundreds of thousands of patients around the world.
After serving five years in Nigeria, we found ourselves expecting our third child. Because of concerns about having a newborn in West Africa, the region of the world with the highest infant mortality from malaria, we asked the General Conference for a one-year sabbatical. At that time, such a request was uncommon, and we were encouraged instead to return permanently to the United States.
We reached out to Dr. Hart, and he connected us with another mission opportunity in Honduras, Central America. For the next two years, we served at Valle de Angeles Hospital before returning to the United States and, at Dr. Hart’s encouragement, joining the faculty at Loma Linda University Health to help inspire the next generation of missionary physicians.
Dr. Hart never failed to stay connected with us while we served abroad. He always replied to emails, no matter what time of day or night we sent them. From conversations with other missionary families, I know he offered that same personal attention to many others. That kind of support, from someone who had already carried so many responsibilities, was deeply felt by those of us trying to adapt to new cultures, new healthcare systems, and new relationships around the world.
Dr. Hart’s impact on worldwide medical missionary work will only be fully known in heaven when we meet the multitudes who were blessed through his faithful service and direct contribution to this sacred work.
— Jason L. Lohr ’01
Chief Executive Officer at SAC Health System
Hart: The Preventive Medicine Trailblazer
In 1977–78, Dr. Richard H. Hart returned to the LLU campus from his doctor of public health and preventive medicine residency training at Johns Hopkins University. His style of innovation was new to the existing school of public health leadership.
He navigated several leadership transitions and eventually was appointed as the chair of the preventive medicine department, LLU Medical Center (1986). Surrounded by his academic team, he opened a new public health and preventive medicine residency program using funds from an HRSA award (1978), a much-needed addiction medicine community clinic (1983), an addiction medicine fellowship (1989), and an occupational medicine residency program (1994).
This rapid growth of preventive medicine services extended to the Loma Linda Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which expanded into the largest VA-based preventive medicine resident clinic in the U.S. One VA resident research project resulted in FDA approval of bupropion (Zyban) for the treatment of nicotine dependence that benefited millions of people worldwide.
Dr. Hart’s ambitious vision and support of his academic leadership team disseminated the LLU version of “Whole Person Care” that drew national attention as models of medical training excellence from all of these training programs under the department of preventive medicine over the last 40 years.
— Linda HYDER Ferry ’79-B, MPH
Associate Prof. Schools of Medicine & Public Health
Hart: The Leader
Loma Linda University has had many memorable leaders over its storied history. Its leaders initially built it with meager funds and little more than a dream. They have shepherded it through difficult shifts in national cultures and values, and shielded it from countless perils. Each has left their own imprint upon it. Dr. Hart is no exception.
Dr. Hart leaves behind a legacy many will envy. He has presided over the construction of new buildings, expansion of course offerings, and increased global impact. Dr. Hart’s contributions to Loma Linda University cannot be overstated. However, his greatest contributions were made silently, and I suspect recognized by few. His quiet, calm demeanor, gentle nature, and inclination to kindness set the tone on campus in ways that are impossible to achieve through any other means. It is a legacy of true Christian service provided generously with the utmost respect for all peoples and perspectives. His optimism is unrivaled and his sense of humor comforting. His leadership style stands in stark contrast to the bombastic, ever-present, and arrogant personas that have become all too common in the media today. Dr. Hart will be greatly missed and long remembered.
— Paul C. Herrmann ’00, PhD
Provost, Loma Linda University
Hart: The Administrator
On behalf of the physicians and other clinicians of Loma Linda University Faculty Medical Group, I would like to extend our deep and sincere appreciation to Dr. Richard Hart for his extraordinary years of dedicated leadership and faithful service to Loma Linda University Health. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Hart has provided steady vision, unwavering integrity, and a deep commitment to the mission of continuing the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ. He has consistently advocated not only for our medical group and our hospital partners but also for the entire LLU Health family, consistently recognizing that exceptional patient care, outstanding education, innovative research, and compassionate service are inseparable and interdependent parts of our shared mission. His leadership has helped guide our institution through periods of growth, change, and challenge with wisdom, humility, and grace. Those of us who have had the privilege of working alongside him have always valued his accessibility, thoughtful Christ-centered counsel, support for the underserved and marginalized, and his genuine respect for the contributions of physicians and all members of the healthcare team. Dr. Hart leaves a legacy that will continue to influence our organization for years to come. We thank him for his remarkable service and celebrate his accomplishments. We know our Lord will continue to bless him and his family as they begin this new chapter of life and ministry.
— Ricardo l. Peverini ’84
President, LLU Faculty Medical Group
Published in the Summer 2026 ALUMNI JOURNAL.
