A. EUGENE WASHINGTON was named chancellor for health affairs at Duke University, as well as president and chief executive officer of the Duke University Health System, effective April 1.
Washington currently serves as vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, as well as CEO of the UCLA Health System, where he is also a distinguished professor of gynecology and health policy and holds the Gerald S. Levey, M.D. Endowed Chair.
At Duke, he will succeed Victor Dzau, who stepped down as the university’s senior medical officer to become president of the Institute of Medicine.
Washington helped spearhead efforts to change clinical practice and policy guidelines for prenatal genetics, cervical cancer screening and prevention, and reproduction-related infections. In November, he received the David E. Rogers Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for his “major contributions to improving the health and health care of the American people.” His work also has been recognized with the Outstanding Service Medal from the U.S. Public Health Service and election to the IOM and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Prior to joining UCLA in February 2010, Washington served as executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, San Francisco, where he oversaw the research enterprise and steered strategic planning. He co-founded a research center that studied medical effectiveness for diverse populations and co-founded the UCSF-Stanford Evidence-based Practice Center.
Earlier at UCSF, he chaired the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences for eight years. Prior to joining the UCSF faculty, Washington worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He is the founding chair of the board of governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which established the Eugene Washington Engagement Award, which supports active integration of patient, stakeholder and research communities during the research process.
