SUNY Board Appoints Dr. John F. Williams as President of Downstate Medical Center
Aug 1, 2012
New York City – The State University of New York Board of Trustees today appointed
Dr. John F. Williams president of Downstate Medical Center for a term that begins
on or about August 20, 2012, and ends August 20, 2014. Dr. Williams is currently Senior
Vice President of Verras Health Care International.
Dr. Williams will succeed Dr. Ian Taylor, who has assumed the role of Officer-in-Charge
since the resignation of Dr. John LaRosa in June 2012. Dr. Taylor will resume his
post as Downstate's Senior Vice President for Biomedical Education and Research and
Dean of the College of Medicine.
SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman H. Carl McCall and Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher thanked
Dr. Taylor for his service and commended Dr. LaRosa on an esteemed 13-year tenure
at Downstate.
“On behalf of the Board, it is my great honor to welcome Dr. Williams to the SUNY
family,” said Chairman McCall. “With his extensive experience at The George Washington
University and its own medical center, Dr. Williams is precisely the person we have
been looking for to lead Downstate through its financial restructuring while maintaining
its impeccable service to the Brooklyn community and all of New York State.”
“Dr. Williams brings vast experience, intricate knowledge, and proven leadership to
SUNY and to Downstate Medical Center,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “As a major supplier
of the state’s health care professionals, Downstate fulfills critical academic and
health care needs in New York, and Dr. Williams’ appointment as president will go
a long way toward ensuring that those needs continue to be met.”
“I look forward to joining the Downstate team and I am grateful to Chancellor Zimpher
and the SUNY Board for their confidence in my ability to lead such an acclaimed and
important healthcare institution,” said Dr. Williams.
About Dr. John F. Williams
Dr. Williams presently serves as Senior Vice President of Verras Health Care International.
Dr. William’s has served in various capacities at George Washington University and
its medical center since 1997.
He was senior vice provost and vice president for Health Affairs at the medical center
from June 2010 to January 2011; and vice president for Health Affairs and Bloedorn
professor of Administrative Medicine from November 1997 to December 2011.
At The George Washington University, he served as university provost and vice president
for Health Affairs, from January 2003 to July 2010; and dean of the School of Medicine
and Health Sciences from August 1999 to June 2003.
Dr. Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Boston University in
1970, a Master of Science at The London School of Economics and Political Science
in 1973, a Master of Public Health from Yale University in 1975, and Doctorates of
Medicine (1979) and Education (1996) from The George Washington University.
As president of Downstate Medical Center, Dr. Williams will receive an annual state
salary of $350,000, and annual compensation from other Downstate affiliated organizations
in the amount of $300,000. Downstate Medical Center will also either provide Dr. Williams
with temporary housing or cover his actual and reasonable housing costs, not to exceed
$80,000 annually, and provide him with use of a campus vehicle as needed.
### About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers
(AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY
AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for
the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at
Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s
exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With
a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate
offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community. UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis
for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond
its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions,
including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions,
School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation
through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and
BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.