U-M Health Board

Domenico Grasso, PhD, is the interim president of the University of Michigan. He holds a PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Michigan. 

David C. Miller, MD, MPH is the chief executive officer of Michigan Medicine and executive vice president for medical affairs for University of Michigan. As CEO, Dr. Miller leads Michigan Medicine to advance clinical care, accelerate discovery, expand interdisciplinary education and enhance community engagement. This work is anchored in the institution’s mission to advance health to serve Michigan and the world.

Dr. Miller previously served as the executive vice dean for clinical affairs for the University of Michigan Medical School and president of U-M Health, overseeing all aspects of strategic, operational, clinical, cultural, and financial performance for U-M Health, a clinical enterprise with close to 20,000 employees and caring for more than 1.3 million patients. During his tenure, U-M Health and Michigan Medicine have been recognized as one of the nation’s best hospitals in more specialties than any other Michigan hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report. He has been instrumental in enhancing quality, safety and patient experience and expanding access to health care services across Michigan through operations and strategic partnerships. Dr. Miller also spearheaded Michigan Medicine’s response to COVID-19.

Prior to his role as U-M Health president, Dr. Miller served as Chief Clinical Officer for University Hospital and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center from 2018 through 2020. He is also a Professor in the Department of Urology and maintains a clinical practice that focuses on the diagnosis and management of patients with prostate cancer. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Miller served as Director of the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC) from 2011 through 2020, a coalition of more than 40 urology practices improving urological care in Michigan.

Julie Kristin Ishak serves as the Chief Nurse and Operations Executive for Michigan Medicine’s academic medical center. In this role, she provides unified leadership for clinical operations and professional nursing practice across U‑M Health, leveraging more than two decades of nursing and operational expertise.

Dr. Ishak previously served as Chief Nurse Executive for U‑M Health and, before that, as Chief Nursing Officer for Ambulatory Care, where she advanced access to care, strengthened nursing practice, and expanded virtual care capabilities. Her prior leadership experience includes roles at Ascension Michigan, notably as Vice President for the neuroscience service line, where she led strategic growth and achieved comprehensive stroke accreditation. She has also directed nursing services across critical care, renal, women’s health, and respiratory care.

She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Science in Nursing from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Detroit Mercy. A board‑certified Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Dr. Ishak also holds executive nursing certifications and is a graduate of the Inforum Women’s Executive Leadership Academy and the Integrative Healing Arts program.

Dr. Ishak is actively involved in professional organizations such as the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing, the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She regularly presents on topics such as care transformation, revenue enhancement strategies, and the evolving roles in nursing.

As interim EVPCFO at the University of Michigan, Bobby Hewlett is one of three executive vice presidents reporting directly to the university president. In this capacity, he is the president’s principal advisor on financial strategy and management. His responsibilities encompass oversight of the university’s investment office, finance and accounting, enterprise strategic risk management, staff ombuds, facilities and campus operations, campus sustainability, human resources, and shared services.

Hewlett was named interim EVPCFO in November 2025, building on 14 years of prior service at U-M. Before this appointment, he served as vice president for finance, leading the entire Finance organization for Business & Finance. In that role, he oversaw purchasing, procurement, accounting, payroll, external audited financial statements, internal controls, sponsored programs, real estate, tax management, treasury functions—including cash and debt management and insurance—financial planning and analysis, and enterprise strategic risk management.

Prior to his role as vice president for finance, Hewlett was controller for Michigan Medicine’s integrated financial operations where he was responsible for the financial oversight of the U-M Hospitals, Health Centers and Medical Group, the U-M Medical School, a shared administrative services division, Michigan Health Corporation, and U-M Health Corporation—the legal entity enabling Michigan Medicine’s partnerships, including UMH-West and UMH-Sparrow. Hewlett has also served on the Michigan Dialysis Services board, the Chelsea Community Hospital board finance committee, and the governance committee for the pediatric joint venture with Trinity Health–Oakland.

Before joining U-M in 2011, Hewlett worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he assisted clients with financial statement filings with the SEC, debt issuances, domestic tax provision analyses, and business unit integrations.

Hewlett earned both his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his master’s degree in accounting, each awarded with high distinction, from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at U-M. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Michigan and completed the GE Healthcare / Health Management Academy Finance Fellowship.

Kedrick D. Adkins, Jr., is the former Chief Financial Officer for the Mayo Clinic, where he was directly responsible for Contracting and Payer Relations; Enterprise Revenue Cycle; Finance in Arizona, Florida and the Midwest; Financial and Accounting Services; Mayo Clinic Ventures; Supply Chain Management; and Treasury. Prior to the Mayo Clinic, Kedrick served seven years as president of Integrated Services for Trinity Health, providing oversight of the complete span of finance, treasury, information technology, supply chain management, operations, performance leadership, insurance and risk management, integration services, and payer and product innovation across the 10 states in which Trinity Health operated. Prior to that, Kedrick spent 30 years at Accenture, a global management consulting firm, where he held roles as global managing partner for the Health Care Practice, global chief diversity officer and country managing director, U.S. Operations.

Kedrick holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting and a B.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Joan Budden began her career at Priority Health in 2009 as chief marketing officer and was named president and CEO in 2016. During her tenure, she championed many innovative strategies, products and programs to ensure everyone has access to affordable care. She has more than 30 years of experience in the health insurance industry and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in public administration from Wayne State University.

Under Budden’s leadership, Priority Health grew significantly to become the third-largest provider-sponsored health plan in the country. Doubling its size over the past decade, the plan now serves a million members each year.

Michigan Women Forward recently selected Budden as a recipient of its 2020 Woman of Achievement and Courage Award. She was one of three women leaders recognized statewide by the organization dedicated to mentoring and investing in women entrepreneurs across Michigan. Her other accolades include being a Detroit 500 honoree in 2018 and 2019, Notable Women in Healthcare by Crain’s Detroit in 2018, an Inforum Inner Circle Honoree and ATHENA Award Winner by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce in 2017 and one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan by Crain’s Business Detroit in 2016.

Victor J. Dzau, MD, is the former President of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), previously the Institute of Medicine (IOM). His term as President ended on June 30, 2026. 

Dr. Dzau serves as Vice Chair of the National Research Council. Dr. Dzau is Chancellor Emeritus and James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Duke University and the past President and CEO of the Duke University Health System. Previously, Dr. Dzau was the Hershey Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine and Chairman of Medicine at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as Bloomfield Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University.

Dr. Dzau is an internationally acclaimed physician scientist and leader whose work has improved health and medicine in the United States and globally. His seminal work in cardiovascular medicine and genetics laid the foundation for the development of the class of lifesaving drugs known as ACE inhibitors, used globally to treat hypertension and heart failure. Dr. Dzau pioneered gene therapy for vascular disease and was the first to introduce DNA decoy molecules in humans in vivo. His pioneering research in cardiac regeneration led to the Paracrine Hypothesis of stem cell action and his recent strategy of direct cardiac reprogramming using microRNA. He maintains an active NIH-funded research laboratory.

Dr. Dzau is a leader in health and heath policy. At the NAM, he has led important initiatives such as Vital Directions for Health and Health Care, the Action Collaborative on Countering the US Opioid Epidemic, and the Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.

Among Dr. Dzau's many honors and recognitions are the Max Delbreck Medal from Charite, Humboldt and Max Planck, Germany, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the Henry Freisen International Prize. In 2019, he was named an Honorary Citizen of Singapore- the highest level of honor bestowed to a foreign citizen conferred by the President of Singapore. He has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, UK Academy of Medical Sciences, the Japan Academy, Mexican Academy of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Engineering and Academia Sinica. He has received 16 honorary doctorates.

Tiffany Ford is the President and CEO of the University of Michigan Credit Union. Ford joined the University of Michigan Credit Union in 2011. Under her leadership, the University of Michigan Credit Union has grown significantly in membership and asset size. The Credit Union has also won multiple local and national awards for talent development and products and

services. Prior to joining the University of Michigan Credit Union Ford served in senior management for over 11 years at Michigan State University Federal Credit Union. Ford served as Assistant Vice President of Internal Audit, Vice President of Contact Center, Vice President of Finance and Executive Vice President.

Prior to her financial institution experience, Ford began her career as a staff auditor for public accounting firm Plante Moran. Ford is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Michigan State University and a Master’s of Business Administration degree from Michigan State University.

Ford has earned the Michigan Ross Distinguished Leader Executive Certificate through the University of Michigan and has completed the Harvard Business School Women in Business Executive Education Program. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Tiffany and her husband reside in Metropolitan Detroit with their three children. Ford is an active volunteer in her community and serves on the Board of Word In Action Christian Center International. Ford is a Board Member of Credit Union Executive Society (CUES), Ann Arbor Spark, and Culture Source.

Ford also serves as a member of the Michigan Medicine Advisory Group. Ford previously served as a Board member of the University Musical Society.

Ford served on the Michigan Credit Union League Committee who worked with the State of Michigan to update the Michigan Credit Union Act. Ford was named Professional of the Year by the Michigan Credit Union League.

Dr. Johns currently serves as Professor in the Schools of Medicine and Public Health at Emory University. He is Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Emeritus at Emory University, and President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board Emeritus of Emory Healthcare – positions he held at Emory from 1996 to 2007. He also served as Emory’s Chancellor from 2007 to 2012. Prior to coming to Emory, Dr. Johns was Vice President of the Medical Faculty and Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He also served as interim Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Michigan from June 2014 thru February 2015.

Dr. Johns received his bachelor's degree from Wayne State University and graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan Medical School. After completing his residency training in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Michigan, he joined the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army and was assistant chief of the Otolaryngology Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 1977, he joined the Department of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he rose to the rank of Professor. In 1984, Dr. Johns was recruited to Johns Hopkins as professor and chair of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Dawn Kleindorfer, MD, serves as Robert W. Brear Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. She previously served as Director of Vascular Neurology and Associate Dean for Faculty Development at the University of Cincinnati, where she was recruited after completing her fellowship.

Dr. Kleindorfer received a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University, then attended medical school at Washington University in St. Louis (1997). She completed her residency in Neurology at the University of Michigan (where she also served as Chief Resident) and a fellowship in vascular neurology at the University of Cincinnati. She is board certified in Neurology and Vascular Neurology.

Learn more about Dr. Kleindorfer by viewing her profile on the U-M Medical School website

Peter McCanna is chief executive officer (CEO) at Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not- for-profit health system in Texas. The system’s integrated delivery network includes Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform, MyBSWHealth.

Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,100 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care, as well as an array of virtual and in-home services.

As CEO, McCanna leads the health system’s transformation to deliver experiences that go beyond customers’ traditional expectations of healthcare. Before becoming CEO, he served as Baylor Scott & White’s president, where he advanced clinical alignment, accelerated the development of its digital health strategy and expanded academic affiliations to help address the critical need for clinicians in Texas. 

Previously, McCanna served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Northwestern Medicine. During his tenure, operating revenue, quality, patient experience and employee engagement exceeded targets. He was instrumental in Northwestern’s expansion as it maintained its AA+ bond rating.

McCanna has nearly 35 years of experience in healthcare management and consulting. Prior to joining Northwestern, he served as chief financial officer (CFO) at Presbyterian Healthcare Services in New Mexico and CFO at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver. Earlier in his career, he worked for Denver Health and as a healthcare consultant for The Lewin Group.

He currently serves on the Board of Governors of Catholic Extension. McCanna holds a master’s degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Mark Prince is the Charles J. Krause MD Collegiate Professor of Otolaryngology and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. After completing a degree in chemical engineering at the Technical University of Nova Scotia and earning his Medical Degree at Dalhousie University Medical School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Prince went on to serve with the Canadian Armed Forces as a medical officer where he received specialized training in hyperbaric and diving medicine. Dr. Prince returned to Dalhousie University and completed a residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, followed by a two-year fellowship in advanced head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstructive surgery at the University of Michigan.

In 1998, Dr. Prince accepted an appointment at Dalhousie as an Assistant Professor and served as their Otolaryngology Residency Director before joining the University of Michigan faculty in 2000. He also served as the Chief of the Section of Otolaryngology at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center from 2000 until 2014; he continues to serve there as an active part time staff member.

Dr. Prince is the author of over 160 scientific papers and several book chapters. His research laboratory published the first report of the identification of cancer stem cells in head and neck squamous cell cancer, and continues to conduct research in this exciting field. Dr. Prince also remains actively engaged in resident and medical student education, serving as the Otolaryngology department's Residency Program Director until 2016 and as the Associate Chair for Education from 2009-2016. He also served as the Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education until 2018 and continues to co-lead a collaborative education initiative with the ENT department at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi Ghana.

Bob is Co-Founder and Chairman of Bright Health Group, a technology enabled, value-based healthcare company that organizes and operates networks of affiliate care providers to be successful at managing population risk.  Before co-founding Bright Health in 2015, Bob advised private equity and venture capital firms on healthcare.   From 1986 to 2009, Bob held executive positions at United Health Group, becoming CEO of United Healthcare in 2000. 

Bob serves on the boards of Radiology Partners and Connections Health Solutions.  Radiology Partners is a national radiology practice transforming radiology for radiologists, radiology practices, hospitals, health systems, patients, and families.  Connections Health Solutions creates positive, lasting change in communities by providing immediate access to person-centered behavioral healthcare by improving clinical outcomes.

Bob earned his bachelors and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan.  He currently serves as Chair of the University of Michigan School of Public Health Dean’s Advisory Board.

Fionnuala Walsh, PhD, is a recognized thought leader in the quality industry, often speaking about sustainable, integrated quality systems and the importance of maintaining a quality culture. A native of Ireland, Walsh earned a bachelor's degree and doctoral degree in chemistry from University College Dublin. Prior to her time with Eli Lilly and Company, she was awarded an industrial postdoctoral fellowship with BMS in Puerto Rico and worked at a startup company manufacturing clinic material. She joined Lilly's Kinsale, Ireland, manufacturing site in 1988 as a technical services chemist. After numerous positions there, she moved into a role as global quality leader at the Lilly Corporate Center in Indianapolis in 2002. In January 2003, Walsh was named executive director of quality for U.S. drug product and Lilly Technology Center operations. In July 2005, she was named vice president of global quality operations, and, in June 2007, she was named senior vice president of global quality.

A proven leader with a distinguished record of leadership, research excellence, and commitment to medical education, Thomas J. Wang, M.D., became the 18th dean in the history of the University of Michigan Medical School on Sept. 15, 2025. He also is the Josiah Macy, Jr. Professor, and a professor with tenure in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Learn more about Dr. Wang by viewing his leadership profile on michiganmedicine.org