After more than two decades at the helm, Northwell President and CEO Michael Dowling is planning to retire this fall.
Dowling will transition to CEO emeritus starting Oct. 1 and will continue to advise the health system while focusing on teaching and writing, Northwell said Wednesday. He will be succeeded by Dr. John D’Angelo, executive vice president of Northwell’s central region and a 25-year veteran of the organization.
The change of command comes as Northwell Health has solidified itself as the region’s largest hospital system. The New Hyde Park-based organization completed a merger with Nuvance Health last week, expanding its footprint to 28 inpatient hospitals, 1,050 ambulatory clinics and 73 urgent care centers in New York and Connecticut. Northwell has gradually grown its reach in and outside of the city, serving more than 2 million patients each year.
Dowling oversaw the bulk of that growth. After a 12-year stint as a top health adviser to former Gov. Mario Cuomo, Dowling began his tenure at Northwell in 1995, serving as the chief operating officer of North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, which was then a standalone hospital. Dowling became CEO in late 2001, shortly after North Shore University Hospital merged with Long Island Jewish Medical Center to become what’s now known as Northwell Health. The system has expanded from a few hospitals on Long Island to 28 hospitals across two states, and now employs 104,000 workers in the region.
During his 23 years on the job, Dowling has invested in biomedical research to expand the Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research as well as Northwell’s Zucker School of Medicine and Hofstra School of Nursing. He has also invested in efforts to combat gun violence, mobilizing hospital CEOs nationwide to help elevate firearm safety into a public health issue.
Dowling said in a statement that he’s had the “extraordinary privilege to lead Northwell through a period of unprecedented growth and clinical transformation,” enabling the team to improve the lives of tens of millions of patients.
“I look forward to partnering with Dr. D’Angelo in the coming months to help ensure a seamless transition to what will be an exciting new chapter in the 33-year history of Northwell,” Dowling said in the statement.
D’Angelo, an emergency physician by training, was named Northwell’s incoming CEO after a nationwide search and unanimous vote by the board of trustees, the health system said. He will take over the health system after spending more than three years overseeing six hospitals in western Nassau County and Queens.
