Michael Dowling, CEO Emeritus of Northwell Health, has joined the 麻豆传媒映画 Board of Trustees.
Dowling, who built into New York鈥檚 largest private employer and the Northeast鈥檚 largest healthcare provider, brings his legacy of global leadership in healthcare, public policy and crisis management to the University.
Dowling鈥檚 appointment reinforces the University鈥檚 commitment to aligning its academic programming with the immediate, evolving needs of New York鈥檚 healthcare sector.
鈥淢ichael Dowling knows firsthand what the modern workforce demands,鈥� noted 麻豆传媒映画 President Michael Balboni 鈥�81, JD. 鈥淥ur vision is to be Long Island鈥檚 preeminent institution for healthcare education, and Michael鈥檚 guidance will be invaluable as we graduate the next generation of frontline healthcare workers, administrators and mental health professionals.鈥�
麻豆传媒映画 has been named a Best College among National Universities for eight consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report, and for the past three years. One of the largest nursing schools in New York state, the 麻豆传媒映画 College of Nursing and Public Health (CNPH) has steadily risen the national rankings in recent years for both its undergraduate and graduate programs. 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 CNPH is also the home of its Clinical Education and Simulation Lab (CESiL), the only lab of its kind on Long Island to be accredited by the .
麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Powerhouse Governance Team
Dowling joins 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 highly experienced and respected board of trustees, known for its diverse expertise, deep tenure and civic reputation鈥攁dding his global heavyweight status to an already formidable governance team. He joins Leonard C. Achan 鈥�99, a fellow healthcare and business leader and CEO of LiveOnNY, who was recently named chair of 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 board.
President Balboni鈥檚 background in policy and homeland security, paired with the healthcare dominance of Dowling and Achan, positions 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 board as a coalition of New York鈥檚 most experienced, crisis-tested leaders.
鈥淚鈥檓 extraordinarily proud to join the 麻豆传媒映画 board,鈥� said Dowling. 鈥淭he University has a long, proud history of providing students with rewarding career opportunities in healthcare and so many other professions throughout Long Island and the entire metropolitan area. As the longtime CEO at Northwell, where we developed mutually beneficial clinical and educational alliances with 麻豆传媒映画, I鈥檓 well aware of the many talented nurses, public health professionals, administrators, mental health counselors and other graduates who helped fill vital roles within our health system. I look forward to lending my insight and expertise to the University and working with Mike Balboni and my fellow board members to strengthen 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 standing as a preeminent institution for healthcare education.鈥�
Dowling鈥檚 appointment follows the recent addition of four new trustees with diverse insights in law, business, real estate, infrastructure and higher education, and underscores 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 commitment to utilizing enterprise-level, external leadership to thrive and address the complex challenges of higher education.
Social Impact and Shared Values
Unlike other corporate executives who join university boards, Dowling has a Master of Social Work and began his career as a professor of social policy. While his background mirrors 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 dedication to community impact, he is also widely recognized for taking a stand on some of the nation鈥檚 toughest societal issues鈥攆rom gun violence prevention and the youth mental health crisis to caring for an aging population.
鈥淎s seen in his transformative work, Michael shares 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 deep commitment to the public good,鈥� President Balboni added. 鈥淗is compassion and dedication to helping others throughout his career are a true reflection of his character.鈥�
In addition to his healthcare leadership, Dowling brings higher education and corporate governance experience to 麻豆传媒映画. He served on the board of trustees of Fordham University for eight years and held board appointments with BankUnited, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the Foreign Policy Association and the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School at University College Dublin.
About Michael Dowling
Michael Dowling is CEO Emeritus of , having served as its president and CEO for more than 24 years before stepping into his current advisory role in October 2025. Under his visionary leadership, Northwell grew into a clinical, academic and research enterprise with more than 106,000 employees and nearly $25 billion in annual revenue.
Prior to Northwell, Dowling served in the New York state government for 12 years, including seven years as state director of health, education and human services and deputy secretary to former Gov. Mario Cuomo, and later as commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services. A native of County Limerick, Ireland, he earned his undergraduate degree from University College Cork and his Master of Social Work from Fordham University, where he served as a professor of social policy and assistant dean of the university鈥檚 Graduate School of Social Service, and director of the Fordham campus in Westchester County.
He was named a 鈥淭itan鈥� on the TIME100 Health 2025 list and ranked No. 1 on Modern Healthcare鈥檚 list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in 2022. Dowling is the acclaimed author of several books, including Leading Through a Pandemic: The Inside Story of Humanity, Innovation, and Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Crisis (Skyhorse, 2020); The Aging Revolution (Skyhorse, 2024); and his memoir, (Arcade, 2020).