From Downstate to D.C.: Dr. Brian McNeil Named RWJF/NAM Health Policy Fellow
By Office of the President | Jun 3, 2025
With great pride, we announce a prestigious national honor for Downstate’s Brian McNeil, M.D., MBA, FACS, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Vice Chair of Urology. Dr. McNeil has been
selected as one of only eight health professionals across the United States to serve
as a 2025–2026 Health Policy Fellow through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the most competitive and influential health policy fellowships in the country.
Since 1973, the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program has provided mid-career health professionals with hands-on policy experience in Washington, D.C., placing them at the center of national decision-making. Fellows serve as advisors in federal agencies or congressional offices, helping shape health-related legislation and administrative priorities that impact the U.S. healthcare system. The program attracts physician-leaders with strong clinical expertise and a demonstrated capacity to understand, navigate, and influence complex health systems.
As part of the fellowship, Dr. McNeil will take a sabbatical from Downstate to serve in the nation’s capital, where he will collaborate with senior federal policymakers, legislators, and health administrators on pressing national issues—including access to care, delivery reform, and the integration of clinical and community health systems.
At Downstate, Dr. McNeil has served as a clinical leader, medical educator, and trusted advisor to hospital leadership. His work spans urologic surgery, health systems strategy, and physician development. His selection underscores Downstate’s commitment to training the next generation of physicians and improving care delivery in urban, high-need communities. Dr. McNeil’s appointment positions Downstate in direct dialogue with the policymakers shaping the future of American healthcare.
This fellowship places Dr. McNeil in a national arena at a time of significant policy transitions. His work will help shape healthcare frameworks that affect millions—spanning hospital infrastructure, access to specialty care, research funding, and clinical workforce planning. He brings to this role a deep commitment to patient-centered care, disciplined leadership, and a dedication to public service.
Dr. McNeil was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar (PLS) in 2023, among a diverse network of leaders working toward meaningful change in the United States and globally while learning about leadership through the lens of the leadership experiences of Presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, and members of their respective administrations.
Dr. McNeil serves on the Board of Directors of the Urology Care Foundation, the official foundation of the American Urological Association. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Weeksville Heritage Center, a historic site and cultural center in Brooklyn dedicated to preserving the history of one of America’s first free Black communities.
Dr. McNeil earned a B.S. in Biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta and his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his urology residency at Loyola University Medical Center, a clinical fellowship in urologic-oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, following research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute and James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. McNeil on this well-deserved honor. His appointment represents both a personal achievement and a moment of institutional pride for Downstate. We look forward to his continued contributions on the national stage and to the leadership he will bring back to Brooklyn upon completing this prestigious fellowship.
Read the full RWJF press release here.