Alvarez & Marsal
Managing Director
CLASS OF 1977
Keith Ghezzi, M.D., is an emergency medicine physician turned management consultant who is passionate about his profession. "Being a physician allows you to touch hearts and minds in a unique way," he says. "The links you create are something you never forget."
Ghezzi, the first person in his family to attend college, took full advantage of his experience at Washington & Jefferson College. One of his most inspiring mentors was Dr. Dennis Trelka, professor of biology, who taught Ghezzi that the greatest lesson a doctor can learn is respect for the dignity of all patients. "He was tough on us," he recalls. "But Trelka also taught us to do our very best." Ghezzi's friendships, his brothers in Alpha Tau Omega, and his mentors made an indelible mark on his life.
Upon graduation from W&J, Ghezzi obtained a medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, completed residencies at Georgetown and George Washington Universities, and spent two years in rural West Virginia offering his services to underserved populations in the public health service. Later, he returned to George Washington's emergency department as a faculty member. Intrigued by the business of medicine, Ghezzi went on to earn a master's degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. Combining this degree with his impressive knowledge of medicine, Ghezzi became a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, a restructuring and performance improvement firm. In this role, Ghezzi essentially is a "doctor for hospitals." his job is to examine institutions' challenges and then to help create more efficient operations by saving failing hospitals and systems, assisting groups of physicians, and guiding mergers within the healthcare industry.
Having succeeded in both medicine and business, Ghezzi still strives to gain new and enriching life experiences. One of his proudest personal accomplishments was when he served as a trip physician and helped lead 25 people on a trek up to base camp on Mt. Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world. "You need to force yourself out of your comfort zone and take the risks that allow you to grow," he advises.
