Since becoming president and CEOof UMass Memorial over 10 years ago, Dr. Dickson has earned a reputation as a problem solver, change agent, and servant leader for the organization. He inherited the system after it suffered a $55 million operating loss in 2013, but was able to bring it back to financial stability quickly, reporting a $54 million surplus in fiscal year 2014. Since 2013, Dr. Dickson has led the system in implementing over 100,000 ideas from frontline staff. His 30-plus years as a practicing emergency medicine physician have helped him understand patients and caregivers in a unique way, and Dr. Dickson has continued to work emergency department shifts even after becoming CEO, a responsibility he maintained throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, he was the inaugural recipient of the Boston Business Journal’s Innovators in Healthcare Award for chief executive leadership, and was named on Worcester Business Journal’s Power 50 list.
