Dr. Elnahal began his tenure as president of Oregon Health & Science University in August 2025, bringing deep expertise in health care delivery within large, integrated health systems. He previously served as undersecretary for health at the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he led the nation’s largest health system of nearly 400,000 professionals serving 9 million veterans. Earlier in his career, Dr. Elnahal was president and CEO of University Hospital in Newark, N.J., the state’s only public hospital and principal academic medical center for Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. There, he guided the institution through the Covid-19 pandemic, positioning it as a model for urban and regional response.
