Dr. Stephan Spann reflects on his global career
As a Baylor College of Medicine alumnus, Stephan Spann, M.D., ’75, MBA, has a story that resonates deeply—a journey grounded in excellence, service and an unwavering commitment to the College’s values. From practicing family medicine in rural America to serving in leadership at Baylor to establishing a new medical school at the University of Houston, Dr. Spann exemplifies how Baylor alumni are not only brilliant physicians, but visionary leaders who use their circles of influence to help patients while serving their communities.
Dr. Spann wanted to be a doctor from the time he was six years old due to a serious accident that left him in the hospital for three weeks. Being surrounded by doctors and nurses sparked a lifelong passion for medicine, problem-solving and physician-patient relationships. When it came time to apply for medical school, there was a clear choice.
“I thought Baylor College of Medicine was the best medical school in the state,” Dr. Spann said. “It was and is still a great place to receive clinical training. I loved my time in medical school.”
From the beginning, his intent was to become a primary care physician serving rural communities, a dream that he followed to North Carolina. He quickly realized that solving the problem of improving health required a more holistic approach.
“I figured out that I had to do more than take care of individual patients,” Dr. Spann said. “I had to think about the community. I realized that if I train young people, then that broadens my sphere of influence. That’s how I decided to become a full-time academic physician.”
In 1997, Dr. Spann returned to his beloved alma mater as a full-time faculty member and chair of the newly established Department of Family and Community Medicine, an opportunity that combined his passions: patient care, teaching and academic leadership. That commitment to mentorship would see him train two generations of physicians and become a hallmark of his career.
While he is a self-proclaimed “doctor at heart,” Dr. Spann has astute leadership skills he uses to give back. After earning an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Spann served Baylor as senior vice president and dean of Clinical Affairs from 2008 to 2010. The experience would prove formative and empower him to widen his circle of influence from the lecture halls and clinics of Baylor to those of institutions across the world.
His unique blend of expertise led him to the United Arab Emirates, where Dr. Spann served as chief medical officer of Tawam Hospital, a 460-bed teaching hospital managed by Johns Hopkins Medicine International. His global impact also included helping to establish pioneering family medicine programs all over Latin and South America, and he has trained individuals who are now physicians and medical leaders across several continents.
All of these experiences led him to the next level in his career—founding dean of the University of Houston’s Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. In this role, Dr. Spann built a curriculum that aimed to address the ongoing national primary care physician shortage, which is particularly pronounced in rural and underserved areas of Texas.
Now retired, Dr. Spann reflects upon his legacy of compassion and collaboration. He encourages current medical students and young alumni to remember that physicians heal through relationships and that empathy goes a long way toward improving patient outcomes. To his fellow alumni from the Class of 1975, he expresses his excitement to see them at the 2025 Baylor College of Medicine Alumni Reunion, May 1-3.
“I remember many of them,” he said. I’m just really proud of them. I admire them and their successes and everything they’ve accomplished. Let’s celebrate.”
To register for Alumni Reunion, click here.
