Toasting to a Healthy Westchester Wine Dinner

Michael Dowling is one of healthcare’s most influential voices, taking a stand on societal issues such as gun violence and immigration that many health system CEOs shy away from. As president and CEO of Northwell Health, he leads a clinical, academic and research enterprise with a workforce of more than 83,000 and annual revenue of $16.5 billion. Northwell is the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State, caring for more than two million people annually through a vast network of more than 890 outpatient facilities, including 220 primary care practices, 52 urgent care centers, home care, rehabilitation and end-of-life programs, and 21 hospital.

Mr. Dowling’s leadership has been invaluable to Northwell’s consistent expansion and prominence. In 2020, he successfully navigated the health system through the first COVID-19 epicenter in the US, detailing his experiences in Leading Through a Pandemic: The Inside Story of Humanity, Innovation, and Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Crisis. Overall, Northwell has treated more than 350,000 COVID patients, and the health system utilized a strong innovative culture to expand hospital bed capacity (adding 2,000 beds in two weeks), 3D-print nasal swabs for COVID testing, convert bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines into mechanical ventilators and take advantage of its large, integrated health system to “load balance” and transport 810 patients from overrun hospitals to those that had bed capacity. Northwell also kept employees safe, investing in critical personal protective equipment to help those working the front lines, one of whom—Sandra Lindsay—was the first person in the US to receive the historic COVID vaccine in December 2020.

Prior to becoming president and CEO in 2002, Mr. Dowling was the health system’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. Before joining Northwell Health in 1995, he was a senior vice president at Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Mr. 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 the governor. He was also commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services.

Before his public service career, Mr. 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.

Mr. Dowling has been honored with many awards over the years. In 2020, he received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad, which recognizes individuals for their contributions to Ireland and to Irish communities abroad, presented by the President of Ireland. He has received an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and is a board member of the Foreign Policy Association. In 2017, he was selected as the Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City; received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for Irish Abroad and was inducted to the Irish America Hall of Fame. He also has received the 2012 B’nai B’rith National Healthcare Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the 2011 Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award from the National Center for Healthcare Leadership and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. In 2020, Mr. Dowling received the Deming Cup from the Columbia School of Business.

In 2011, Modern Healthcare magazine awarded Mr. Dowling with the CEO Information Technology Award. He also was ranked first in Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare list in 2022, a list on which he has appeared 16 times.

Additional awards include the National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee, 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, the Gold Medal from the American Irish Historical Society and the Foreign Policy Association Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed by the organization. He was also ranked No. 44 among large company CEOs in the US and was the nation’s top-ranking health care/hospital CEO on Glassdoor’s Top CEOs in 2019 list.

Mr. Dowling is past chair of the Healthcare Institute and the current chair of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences and the North American Board of the Smurfit School of Business at University College, Dublin, Ireland. He also serves as a board member of the Long Island Association. He is past chair and a current board member of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL), the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and the League of Voluntary Hospitals of New York. Mr. Dowling was an instructor at the Center for Continuing Professional Education at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mr. Dowling grew up in 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 Queen’s University Belfast, University College Dublin, Hofstra University, Dowling College and Fordham University.

Rita recognized early in her career that when it comes to healthcare, a one-size approach does not fit all. She undertook the challenge of transforming United Hebrew from its modest beginnings to a one-of-a-kind campus of senior services: United Hebrew Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, Willow Towers Assisted Living, Soundview and Meadow Lane Senior Apartments, a Certified Home Health Agency, and Willow Gardens Memory Care, Westchester’s first assisted living residence dedicated to caring for those with memory impairment.

Rita has made it her mission to inspire her staff to bring out the best in themselves and others. As a result, United Hebrew has one of the lowest staff turnover rates in New York State and is able to provide a consistency of care that is unparalleled. Creating a compassionate environment where people want to work in turn creates a nurturing environment where people want to live. She has made United Hebrew a valuable community resource for information and services on eldercare and aging.

Rita joined United Hebrew in 1976. She was named Chief Executive Officer in 1994, and in 2007, assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer. She has received numerous awards for her work:

Rita was named a 2023 McKnight’s Pinnacle Award recipient, among a class of top industry veterans who have set new standards, driven change and inspired others in senior care. In 2022, Rita was named a Crain’s New York Notable Leader in Healthcare. She was recognized as a Westchester Magazine Healthcare Hero and Westchester County Business Journal C-Suite Executive Award winner in 2021. She was named a McKnight’s Woman of Distinction and received the Iona College Women of Achievement Award in 2020.

Previous honors include being selected for a Leadership Award of the American Jewish Congress; Distinguished Leadership Award from the American College of Healthcare Administrators; The Brother Arthur A. Loftus Award for Outstanding Achievement from Iona College; and the Westchester County Golden Harvest Jim Curran Leadership Award, which recognizes service and leadership in enhancing the quality of life for the elderly.

Rita also served as the first woman president of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, and was named by the group as both a Woman of Excellence and Corporate Professional of the Year. Rita is a member and fellow of the American College of Health Care Administrators and a Licensed New York State Nursing Home Administrator. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Iona College.