Terri Hanlon-Bremer, nurse of 39 years and the first woman to be named TriHealth's CEO, never had any ambition to go into medicine.
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Hanlon-Bremer, a 2026 Enquirer Woman of the Year, dreamed of becoming an ambassador for the U.S. Embassy in Paris. She even studied French for four years and planned to major in foreign affairs at the University of Cincinnati.
But the notoriously studious Hanlon-Bremer found herself struggling during her first year of college, forcing her to take a step back and ask herself what she really wanted to do.
She was in the University of Cincinnati library studying when she overheard a group of nursing students talking about patient care and making an impact.
"I'd always said that that's kind
of divine intervention," Hanlon-Bremer said.
By her second year of undergrad, she was a nursing student at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing.
But life wasn't done pushing her toward medicine.
When Hanlon-Bremer was 21 years old, a full-time nursing student with a job, her mother died from a brain tumor. As the youngest of six siblings, she stepped up.
"I learned early on how to care for the family in her absence and in her illness."
Hanlon-Bremer graduated nursing school in 1987 and has kept an active nursing license ever since, and while she is no longer working directly with patients at their bedside, her family remains influential in the work she does around prevention as TriHealth's leader.
In 1993, she lost her father to a heart attack. A year after that, her brother died from colon cancer.
Her father, grandfather and uncle all died in their 50s from heart attacks, and two of her younger brothers also had heart attacks − all cases that Hanlon-Bremer described as "preventable."
"My family history is one of illness and death," she said.
Rather than accept that history, Hanlon-Bremer uses her role at TriHealth to ensure Cincinnati residents have access to the care they need to prevent the same conditions that plagued her family, including screenings and specialized treatment to prevent acute conditions from becoming chronic.
In 2024, under her leadership, TriHealth's population health initiatives screened for colorectal cancer − the disease that killed Hanlon-Bremer's brother − at a rate above 84%, almost 30% more than the industry average, according to the organization's annual report. And the hospital system managed and controlled patient blood pressure almost 14% better than the industry average.
"Terry keeps her 'why' at the center of everything she does – a guiding beacon that shapes both her leadership and her life," said Alyson Poling, executive director of Cincinnati's American Heart Association. "She understands on a deeply personal level how critical access to quality healthcare can be."
Hanlon-Bremer was named president of the board of directors for Cincinnati's American Heart Association in July 2026, for the work she's done in improving cardiovascular health in the community, Poling said.
And while she has experienced barriers during her health care career − including sexual harassment and growing mistrust in health care professionals − Hanlon-Bremer isn't backing down.
"People can either be afraid of what's coming down the pathway, or they can embrace it. I tend to be the latter," she said. "I think we have the privilege and the opportunity to embrace that challenge and really help define how health care can be better for all."
About Terri Hanlon-Bremer:
Birthplace: Cincinnati.
Current residence: Cincinnati.
Family: Husband, Dave; daughter, Paige and son-in-law, Brad; granddaughter, Annika and grandson, Barrett.
Education: University of Cincinnati.
Occupation: Nurse; president and CEO of TriHealth.
What she says:
What inspires you to give back?
"First and foremost are my grandchildren because I see their future, and I know that, as I do my career, it's really not just for the now, but it is for the future generations. The efforts and energies that we're putting forward are going to make Cincinnati a better place to live.
"What inspires me is really the team at TriHealth. We have such incredibly compassionate individuals.
"People that work in health care really don't view it as a job. They view it as a calling. They're putting their life on the line, they're sacrificing their families, things for themselves, to give to others."
What need in the community would you like to see addressed?
"I think we have a health disparity issue in our community. We have residents that live in certain ZIP codes that don't have the same life expectancy as others that live in a different ZIP code. And that's just not right.
"We have to figure out as a health system, and not just us, but all health systems – how do we ensure we have access to care for all people?"
Who most influenced or inspired you to care about others?
"Probably the most powerful influence was my grandmother and mother. They were both very strong, faith-based women who believed in the power of family and the power of health."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: For TriHealth CEO Terri Hanlon-Bremer, prevention is personal
