Ryan Podvin

Mary Free Bed
Brilliant Best Supporting Man 

A patient of Mary Free Bed after a spinal cord injury in 2010, Ryan knows firsthand the challenges and value of exceptional rehabilitation care. After graduating from Mary Free Bed and relearning how to walk, Ryan attended Grand Valley State University with a new passion for healthcare. He joined Mary Free Bed in 2012 and soon leveraged an analyst role into a management position, building a team to steward the system’s rapid growth. He credits Mary Free Bed for not only the excellent care that enabled him to return to a productive life, but for believing in a former patient enough to make a CFO out of him! “About 80% of my colleagues—as in many healthcare organizations—are women,” says Ryan. “They’re innovative business experts, compassionate caregivers and lead by example in everything they do. I often say my role is simply to support them, because they’re doing the real work of taking care of patients.”