Michael J. Dowling

Michael J. Dowling is president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health.

Dowling grew up in Knockaderry, Limerick, Ireland. He earned his undergraduate degree from University College, Cork (UCC), Ireland, and his master's degree from Fordham University. He also has honorary doctorates from Hofstra University and Dowling College. He played hurling with Limerick and won a National League medal and a Fitzgibbon Cup medal with UCC.

Before his public service career, Dowling was a professor of social policy and assistant dean at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services and director of the Fordham campus in Westchester County. Afterwards, Dowling served in New York State government for 12 years, including seven years as state director of Health, Education and Human Services and deputy secretary to former governor Mario Cuomo. He was also commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services.

Before joining Northwell Health in 1995, he was a senior vice president at Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield (part of Anthem). Prior to becoming president and CEO of Northwell Health on January 1, 2002, Dowling was the health system’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Dowling has received the 2012 B'nai B'rith National Healthcare Award, the 2011 Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award from the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL), the 2011 CEO Information Technology Award from Modern Healthcare magazine and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, the National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee,the Ellis Island Medal of Honor,the Distinguished Public Service Award from the State University of New York’s Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, an Outstanding Public Service Award from the Mental Health Association of New York State, an Outstanding Public Service Award from the Mental Health Association of Nassau County, the Alfred E. Smith Award from the American Society for Public Administration and the Gold Medal from the American Irish Historical Society.

Dowling is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and chairman of the North American Board of the Smurfit School of Business at University College Dublin, Ireland. He also serves as a board member of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and board member and Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. Dowling is also past chairman and current board member of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership, the Greater New York Hospital Association, the Healthcare Association of New York State and the League of Voluntary Hospitals of New York.