Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, has been named the country’s most influential healthcare leader by Modern Healthcare magazine.
The publication announced its annual list of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” in its Dec. 5 issue.
Modern Healthcare’s ranking is determined by peers and the publication’s editors based on leadership and impact. This is the 16th year the Northport resident has appeared on the top 100 list. He ranked second nationally in 2020 and third last year.
“The past year had been one in which disrupters turned into major players and industry leaders raised their voices to effect change within their organizations and the broader community,” said Mary Ellen Podmolik, editor of Modern Healthcare. “Our 2022 ranking of the ‘100 Most Influential People in Healthcare’ recognizes these individuals who are transforming a major sector of the nation’s economy and are focused on improving care and payment models.”
Dowling led Northwell Health through the early days of the Covid-19 epidemic. “This remarkable recognition truly is a reflection of the collaboration and work ethic elicited by thousands of Northwell team members who deliver compassionate care to our patients each and every day,” Dowling said. “Of course, our daily focus is on our sickest patients.
“But to serve our broader community, we also look at health trends both looming on the horizon and lurking under the cover of darkness. That’s why we’ve taken a stand against gun violence. That’s why we’ve opened Northwell’s Center for Maternal Health to reduce maternal mortality, especially among black Americans.”
Northwell also launched its Center for Gun Violence Prevention in 2020. Guns are now the No. 1 cause of death among Americans 19 and younger.