Northwell Health announced a major shift in its leadership May 14.
Longtime President and CEO Michael Dowling plans to step down in October after more than 23 years with a seasoned Northwell executive named to succeed him.
Mr. Dowling will transition from president and CEO of the 28-hospital system to become CEO emeritus of the system, effective Oct. 1. In this advisory role, he will continue advancing key public health initiatives while focusing on teaching and writing. John D’Angelo, MD, currently executive vice president of Northwell’s central region and a 25-year veteran of the organization, will assume the role of president and CEO.
The leadership change marks a new chapter for one of healthcare’s most influential organizations and a remarkable era defined by Mr. Dowling’s visionary leadership.
Mr. Dowling’s story reads like the American dream. Raised in a thatched-roof cottage of mud and stone in rural Knockaderry, Ireland, he immigrated to New York as a teenager, working as a janitor and on the docks to pay for his education at Fordham University. He held senior roles in health insurance administration and served under Governor Mario Cuomo, overseeing all healthcare initiatives for the state of New York.
His time with Northwell began in 1995 as COO of North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. — then a single hospital. From the start, he brought bold ideas. “While working in Albany, I had come to believe that large, integrated health systems, able to serve any and all patient needs, would be the way care would be delivered in the future,” he wrote in his 2020 memoir, noting the absence of a system like Kaiser Permanente in the Northeast back in the 1990s.
He became president and CEO of the then North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in late 2001. Under his leadership — and now as Northwell Health — the system has grown exponentially into one of the nation’s largest, completing more than 20 mergers, many involving financially struggling hospitals and health systems. Today, Northwell is New York’s largest private employer, with 104,000 employees caring for more than 2 million people each year across 28 hospitals and over 100,000 outpatient settings.
Education has been a central focus for Mr. Dowling and Northwell, as evidenced by the system’s expansion to upskill and develop talent upstream. Mr. Dowling’s tenure saw the establishment of innovative medical education through the Zucker School of Medicine, the Hofstra-Northwell School of Nursing and Northwell’s Center for Learning and Innovation, each growing the next generation of healthcare professionals. Its Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is home to 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff who pioneer breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain science, mental health, autoimmunity and bioelectronic medicine.
“It has been an extraordinary privilege to lead Northwell through a period of unprecedented growth and clinical transformation that has enabled our team members to make a meaningful difference and improve the lives of the tens of millions of patients and families who we’ve cared for over the last 25 years,” Mr. Dowling said.
Despite the scale and complexity of the system, Mr. Dowling is known for his bold, human and no-excuses approach to leadership. He is known to be as down-to-earth as he is visionary.
Every Monday, he joins new employee orientation, speaking and hosting open Q&A sessions over 2.5 hours to answer candid questions about Northwell’s mission and work. He starts most weekdays at 6 a.m. over breakfast with employees in local diners. He backs employee innovation with meaningful investment — $1.3 million in 2025 for three employee-led projects — and champions unconventional solutions to classic healthcare problems. When patients complained about disappointing food, for example, Northwell responded by bringing in Michelin-starred chefs to lead its culinary program.
Nationally, Mr. Dowling has embraced his platform as a healthcare leader willing to speak with both optimism and candor. He has called on CEOs to treat gun violence as a public health issue, championed decency and civility in leadership, defied oversimplification of healthcare challenges, spoken openly about responsible budgeting and investment strategies, and urged bolder action to address the nation’s aging population and persistent workforce shortages. One of his most ambitious initiatives is the creation of Northwell’s new healthcare high school, set to open in September — a bold effort to build the future healthcare workforce from the ground up.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected to succeed Michael Dowling as Northwell President and CEO,” Dr. D’Angelo said about his predecessor. “I am committed to build on his unparalleled legacy and vision that grew Northwell from a Long Island based health system into a regional and national healthcare leader.”
Dr. D’Angelo, who will formally take the helm this fall, was selected after a national search and received unanimous approval from Northwell’s board. A physician leader with three decades of experience in emergency medicine, he currently oversees a Northwell region serving 2.8 million residents across western Nassau County and Queens, including six hospitals, more than 270 ambulatory practice locations, and a team of 24,000 employees.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. D’Angelo held a critical role and orchestrated the system’s operational response. He previously served as senior vice president of Northwell’s Emergency Medicine service line, where he managed 18 emergency departments and a network of 60+ urgent care centers, serving 1.5 million patients annually.
“In Dr. D’Angelo, the Board of Trustees has selected a tremendous leader who will lead Northwell to greater heights,” Mr. Dowling said. “John is someone who understands and champions Northwell’s unique and differentiated culture and his clinical and operational acumen coupled with skills as a decisive and collaborative leader will enable Northwell to raise the bar on the quality of care we deliver to the communities we serve in New York and Connecticut. I look forward to partnering with Dr. D’Angelo in the coming months to help ensure a seamless transition to what will be an exciting new chapter in the 33-year history of Northwell.”
Like his predecessor, Dr. D’Angelo views healthcare as a calling.
“Every minute of every day we have an opportunity to change someone’s life for the better, and I look forward to leading our more than 100,000 team members who contribute to this critically important mission,” Dr. D’Angelo said. “Together, we will continue advancing better health for all.”
