Prior to moving to Tucson, Whelan spent his entire life in the midwest, mostly the Chicago area.  Professionally, he is an academic physician executive who most recently served as Professor at Loyola’s Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, with 20+ years teaching residents & students.  Whelan has held several leadership positions in academic medical centers and in a large national health system.  He previously was the president of Loyola University Medical Center, where he was responsible for the 550 bed hospital and 25 ambulatory clinic sites with 700 employed physicians and 4,500 employees.  Prior to becoming president, Whelan served as senior vice president and chief medical officer.  His background also includes multiple leadership and clinical roles at Loyola and the University of Chicago Medicine.