Donna Lynne Appointed to Key Leadership Role at CUIMC

Donna Lynne, DrPH, has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), and Chief Executive Officer, ColumbiaDoctors, effective Jan. 15, 2019.

In this dual leadership role, Dr. Lynne will oversee all aspects of CUIMC’s operations, including Information Technology, Facilities, Human Resources, Communications, and Government & Community Affairs. She also will serve as the chief executive for ColumbiaDoctors, the faculty practice organization that includes the nearly 2,000 physicians who are on the faculty of the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, as well as dentists on the faculty of the College of Dental Medicine and nurse practitioners on the faculty of the School of Nursing. 

Dr. Lynne currently serves as Lieutenant Governor and Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the State of Colorado. As COO, she works closely with the Governor and Cabinet to drive better performance, accountability, and transparency throughout state government operations. Before assuming her roles in Colorado state government, Dr. Lynne served as the executive vice president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and as group president responsible for its Colorado, Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii regions–overseeing an $8 billion budget, 1.4 million members, and 16,000 employees. Dr. Lynne also spent 20 years working in various positions in New York City government, including First Deputy Commissioner at the Office of Labor Relations, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations, and Senior Vice President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of New Hampshire, a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University, and a Doctor of Public Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, where she has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health since 2005. In 2014, Dr. Lynne received an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Denver, and in 2017 an honorary Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Colorado Mountain College. 

“There are few health care executives in the nation who possess the remarkable depth of experience that Dr. Lynne brings to this key leadership role,” said Lee Goldman, MD, Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and Chief Executive of Columbia University Irving Medical Center.  “We are delighted to welcome her to Columbia.”