Neil R. Powe
Neil R. Powe, MD, MPH, MBA, an internist, epidemiologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University, will join San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) as the new chief of medical services in March 2009.
At that time, he will also take on the role of Constance B. Wofsy Distinguished Professor and vice chair of medicine at UCSF.
Powe’s appointment at SFGH marks the culmination of a search that began in February 2008, when then Chief of Medical Services Talmadge King Jr., MD, was appointed chair of UCSF’s Department of Medicine.
Powe will be the hospital’s administrative leader, guiding the research, education and patient care activities of 112 full-time faculty and approximately 500 staff.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Powe take this leadership position at UCSF,” King said. “Neil is a highly respected internist and epidemiologist who has influenced national policy regarding the care for patients.”
An expert in chronic kidney disease, Powe led the recently completed Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for End-Stage Renal Disease (CHOICE) study, a national study that examined how dialysis care practice influences health outcomes and costs. In addition, he led the End-Stage Renal Disease Quality (EQUAL) study, which is one of the largest multicenter, prospective cohort studies of incident dialysis patients ever conducted in the United States. Powe is also the principal investigator of several National Institutes of Health grants.
“Neil’s work at the population level has reached millions of patients,” King said. “His accomplishments have led to changes in how we treat patients with end-stage renal disease, how we prevent the misuse of treatments, and the identification of methods to examine the effectiveness of various technologies.”
Hospital CEO Gene O’Connell called Powe a “wonderful addition” to the leadership team at SFGH, and said his background and skills will especially benefit the hospital’s Center for Vulnerable Populations, which seeks to eliminate disparities in the incidence and treatment of chronic diseases.
At Johns Hopkins, Powe is one of just 28 faculty members to hold the title of University Distinguished Service Professor in the School of Medicine.
He also serves as director of Johns Hopkins’ Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, which focuses on diseases and conditions that place a substantial burden on public health and resources.
Powe has long been a champion of diversity in medical research. He has worked nationally with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to identify and recruit promising minority faculty members, fellows and medical school students to pursue their clinical research training at Johns Hopkins.
At the Welch Center, he oversees several programs for aspiring researchers, including the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Scholars Program and the Johns Hopkins Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Program.
He is the author of more than 300 articles and the recipient of numerous national awards, including the 2004 Garabed Eknoyan Award from the National Kidney Foundation and the Society of General Internal Medicine’s 2005 John M. Eisenberg National Award for Career Achievement in Research.
In honor of his contributions to medicine, health care and public health, Powe has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, among other organizations.
After graduating from Princeton University, the Philadelphia native received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He later received an MPH degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and an MBA degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Powe completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar. He joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins in 1986 and was promoted to professor in 1998.
