Senior Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and CEO of ColumbiaDoctors
Dear Colleagues:
I am pleased to announce that James McKiernan, MD, chair of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Department of Urology and urologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, has agreed to serve as Senior Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and CEO of ColumbiaDoctors, beginning January 1, 2023. We are fortunate that a faculty colleague with Dr. McKiernan’s broad experience, devotion to Columbia, and principled approach to our missions will lead ColumbiaDoctors at this pivotal moment.
The Senior Vice Dean role is the centerpiece of the new ColumbiaDoctors governance structure announced in September to support the growth of the faculty practice and meet the future needs of clinicians and patients. Dr. McKiernan will be responsible for engaging departmental and divisional clinical leadership in strategic planning for ColumbiaDoctors. He also will ensure that our partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian is aligned to achieve shared institutional goals. A priority for Dr. McKiernan will be to manage the growth of our regional network to produce greater patient accessibility and a more equitable health care system.
Jim brings a wealth of assets to meet these challenges, starting with his deep Columbia roots. After attending the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and completing residencies here in surgery and urology, Jim steadily progressed to ever-larger responsibilities at VP&S, serving as division chief in urological oncology, director of medical education in urology, and, for the past decade, department chair. His expertise in urologic oncology is widely sought by high-risk patients with bladder and kidney cancers requiring surgical therapy. Next year he will take on the role of president-elect of the American Board of Urology. As founder of VP&S’s Academy of Clinical Excellence, he has worked with the leaders of each of the medical school’s 18 clinical departments. For the many grateful patients and admiring colleagues who know firsthand Jim’s values and his leadership ability, none of this is surprising. As department chair, he has created a culture of mutual respect, collaboration, and committed mentorship, while consistently advancing diversity and equity within the department and beyond.
Dr. McKiernan will remain as chair of the Department of Urology until the search we are commencing for his successor is completed. The department has thrived under Dr. McKiernan in the quality of faculty recruits, the excellence of its clinical care, and the growth of its NIH research funding.
Finally, on behalf of the patients, clinicians, and staff who have benefited from his leadership as president of ColumbiaDoctors for the past nine years, I want to express my gratitude to George A. (Jack) Cioffi, MD. From overseeing the opening of the multispecialty practices on 51st Street and in Tarrytown, to implementing Epic, our standardized electronic record system, and supporting the rapid growth of patient visits and telemedicine, Dr. Cioffi has been a remarkable steward of our faculty practice. One sometimes overlooked mark of an effective leader is the ability to guide a successful transition to a successor, and, in this respect, I am personally grateful for Jack’s partnership since I arrived at the medical center. ColumbiaDoctors is a far, far stronger organization than the one he took over, and now he will continue as chair of the Board of Governors along with his clinical practice, research, and chairmanship of the VP&S Department of Ophthalmology.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Cioffi, congratulating Dr. McKiernan, and wishing the best to the outstanding clinicians and staff of ColumbiaDoctors who provide a brand of multidisciplinary care that patients around the world recognize to be without peer.
All my best,
Katrina Armstrong, MD
Dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University