National Hospital Publication Tabs Parrish Medical Center CEO George Mikitarian for Fourth Time as One of “Community Hospital CEOs to Know”

TITUSVILLE, FL (July 30, 2026)—A leading hospital and health care publication has for the fourth consecutive year named Parrish Medical Center President and CEO George Mikitarian, DHA, FACHE, as one of the nation’s top “Community Hospital CEOs to Know.”

Becker’s Hospital Review, a national publication focusing on health care news and analysis, previously cited Mikitarian as one of its “Community Hospital CEOs to Know.” According to Becker's, the leaders selected are "community stewards, strategic visionaries and patient advocates…Simultaneously, they are shaping the cultures that attract and retain talented caregivers, building the long-term strategies that position their hospitals for growth, and maintaining the financial discipline that keeps high-quality, cost-effective care within reach for their communities.” In June 2026 Becker’s also recognized Parrish Medical Center (PMC) as a Top 100 Community Hospital.

Community hospitals “are often the unsung heroes in healthcare, and CEOs are tasked with managing the delivery of coordinated and affordable community care,” Becker’s writes.

"George Mikitarian has earned national recognition from Becker’s Hospital Review multiple times because of the benefits his vision and leadership bring to the patients and families served by PMC,” said Robert Jordan, Chairman, Parrish Medical Center Board of Directors.

“Someone doesn’t become exceptional because they decide they want to be exceptional,” Jordan added. “They focus on a goal and devote their energy and passion to fulfilling that goal. For George Mikitarian, the goal is health care excellence, and however excellent it was today, to make it better tomorrow. The result is that he, and Parrish, are so often cited as being in the leading ranks of American hospitals.”

Since 2001, when Dr. Mikitarian became Parrish president and CEO, he has led Parrish through significant local and national economic and market disruptions. Among these challenges, according to PYA, a highly-cited national accounting firm, were “macroeconomic shocks” to the Brevard County healthcare economy.

Said PYA, “The first was the Great Recession of 2009 that followed the US housing market implosion that hit Florida particularly hard. The second was the end of NASA’s space shuttle program in 2011, resulting in over 20,000 job losses that are still being recouped to this day. Third, and most important, was the pandemic, which impacted health system demand in ways never previously experienced by the industry.”

While contending with those challenges, under Dr. Mikitarian’s leadership and through the work of its staff and volunteers (called Care Partners), Parrish has frequently been recognized for patient care quality, patient safety, and patient experience in the hospital.

Among Dr. Mikitarian’s professional honors are: Citizen of the Year by Florida Today/Gannett; Junior Achievement Spirit of Achievement Award; United Way of Brevard County Chairman’s Circle Award; Leadership Brevard’s Community Leadership National Award and their Rodney S. Ketcham Leadership Icon Award; Business Leader of the Year by Space Coast Business Magazine; and earning the Boy Scouts of America’s Golden Eagle and Silver Beaver awards.

Becker's Hospital Review editorial team developed this list based on nominations and editorial research. Leaders cannot pay for inclusion on the list. For more information visit beckershospitalreview.com, 240 Community Hospital CEOs to Know | 2026, 207 Community Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know | 2025, 160 Community Hospital CEOs to Know | 2024 and 107 Community Hospital CEOs to Know | 2023.