Many people want to lead though very few know what it takes to do so successfully. This is something Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling hopes to change. Speaking before an audience of students, staff and faculty at St. Joseph’s University, New York, Dowling delivered a presentation on unlocking one’s potential as well as the essential traits possessed by effective leaders.
The common hour event held on the University’s Long Island Campus on March 27 was kicked off by SJNY President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., who introduced Dowling before a packed room in the McGann Conference Center.
Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling spoke before a packed room in the McGann Conference Room on SJNY’s Long Island Campus.
Throughout his presentation, Dowling engaged his audience with his captivating story of perseverance and keen sense of humor, while offering advice on how to overcome life’s challenges and take risks when warranted.
Additionally, he spoke on the importance of competition and knowing how to accept a loss just as gracefully as a victory, recounting his time as an athlete.
“If there’s no competition, you don’t get good. It’s the same in business. It’s the same in academia. You get good because the competition is as good as you if not better,” he said.
One of the most prominent voices in health care, Dowling comes from humble beginnings. Born in Ireland to a working-class family, Dowling took the risk of leaving everything he knew behind to pursue his education, working and studying in England before eventually moving to the U.S. to complete his education.
Another piece of advice he imparted was the idea that there is no such thing as a bad job. Every job is an opportunity to go new places, meet new people and learn new skills, Dowling told the audience. Before the health care sector, Dowling worked in various industries from construction to state politics.
Michael Dowling (center) speaks with SJNY President Dr. Donald R. Boomgaarden (right) and Heather E. Barry, Ph.D., provost and VP for academic affairs (left).
He emphasized that even though he wasn’t 100 percent confident when taking on new roles, the fear of failure never prevented him from seeing things through.
“When a door opens, you have to be willing to walk through it in order to know what’s on the other side,” he advised his audience. “If you’re not scared then you’re not human.”
Throughout his journey, Dowling’s competitive spirit and willingness to take risks led him to leadership positions where he learned the importance of compromise and being an individual that others would want to follow.
When Dowling joined Northwell Health (then Northshore University Hospital), the organization had one location. Today, Northwell is the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State, with a workforce of more than 89,000 and annual revenue of $19.7 billion.
Dowling has helped establish Northwell’s network of 21 hospitals and more than 945 outpatient facilities, home care, rehabilitation and end-of-life services.
Closing out the presentation, he encouraged SJNY students to have patience, think long term and keep their family, friends and loved ones close.
“Look at things in a very positive way. Look out for the future. It’s a beautiful world out there despite some ups and down. Leadership is about managing the present, selectively forgetting the past and creating the future,” he concluded.
Northwell Leadership at SJNY’s Brooklyn Campus
In addition to Dowling’s visit, Northwell Health leadership spoke with faculty, students and staff at SJNY’s Brooklyn Campus on March 6 at “Artificial Intelligence in Health Care: Raising Health with AI: The Future is Now.”
Northwell’s Sophy Lu Barbieri, senior vice president and chief information officer, and Matt Kurth, deputy chief people officer, discussed AI health care, touching on several topics of interest to nursing students, computer science students and others interested in AI within the health care sector.
Matt Kurth, deputy chief people officer, and Sophy Lu Barbieri, SVP and chief information officer, spoke about AI in health care at SJNY’s Brooklyn Campus on March 6.
Lu Barbieri and Kurth’s presentation looked at aspects of health care—from patients to staffing—and how AI can have an impact in the future. At the beginning, Lu Barbieri reminded the audience that AI has already been in use across health care. While generative AI, like ChatGPT, is grabbing headlines, other AI, namely machine learning and robotic technologies in research and diagnostics, has been around for decades.
Kurth believes that AI is a valuable tool, but emphasized that human interaction remains critical, especially in human resources. For instance, when a team of 80 recruiters at an organization the size of Northwell Health needs to assess 750K job applications a year, AI can save time by selecting candidates, but it still can’t find the best fit for your company culture. That last step involves human interaction, Kurth said.
“AI technology isn’t human. It doesn’t understand nuance,” he asserted. “We are so far away from taking people out of the equation.”
The evening presentation held in the Tuohy Hall auditorium in Brooklyn was organized by the Department of Health Care Administration’s Dr. Omesha Paschal, assistant teaching professor.
