KNOCKADERRY native Michael Dowling has been named as the most influential healthcare leader in the United States, and it’s not his first time to be in the reckoning for the title.
The hardworking Northwell Healthcare chief executive and Presidential advisor has featured on the prestigious most influential list no fewer than 16 times.
US healthcare industry publication Modern Healthcare recently listed the Limerick man in top position on its annual 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare list.
Dowling is in famous company on the list, ranking above US President Joe Biden, CVS Health President Karen Lynch, Cost Plus Drug Company owner Mark Cuban (of Shark Tank fame), and US Department of Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.
“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,” said Dowling of the achievement.
The County Limerick man is a previous recipient of a Distinguished Service Award from President Michael D Higgins for contributions to the fields of business and education. The annual awards, established in 2012, recognise the outstanding achievements of Irish diaspora.
Dowling is the current CEO of Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York State, catering to 23 hospitals and 800 outpatient facilities statewide, and caring for more than two million people annually.
Prior to his career in the US, Dowling earned an undergraduate degree from University College Cork. He also holds honorary doctorates from Dowling College, New York, and Hofstra University, New York, as well as a Master’s degree from Fordham University, also in New York.
He also held the position of Professor of Social Policy at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services.
In a previous life, Dowling won National League and Fitzgibbon Cup hurling medals with both Limerick and UCC.
The prolific Limerick man also published a book in 2020, Leading Through the Pandemic, about his work with Northwell on the frontlines facing the Covid-19 pandemic.
