David Skorton, MD, will retire as president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges on June 30, 2027, according to a Sept. 15 news release shared with Becker’s.
The timing marks the end of his contract, which the AAMC board of directors voted unanimously to extend in June 2023. Dr. Skorton took the role in July 2019, months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, he guided the association’s national response through engagement with senior government officials, media appearances and the development of a road map for the country’s pandemic approach, according to the release. Early in his tenure, he oversaw a strategic planning process that established a new mission and vision for the association.
“David’s leadership through some of the most defining moments in our nation’s history has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Michael Waldrum, MD, chair of the AAMC board, said in the release. “He will be leaving the AAMC an even stronger association than when he arrived.”
Before joining the AAMC, Dr. Skorton served as the 13th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and as president of Cornell University and the University of Iowa. He was a faculty member for more than two decades and co-founded and co-directed the University of Iowa Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic.
The AAMC board is leading the search for his successor.
