Washington, DC, July 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Today, Steven L. Kanter, MD, begins his tenure serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) and its international arm, AAHCI. A distinguished physician and specialist in medical informatics, Dr. Kanter brings a deep understanding and appreciation of academic medicine and the health professions as he assumes his new role leading the association and its members.
“I am excited to be at the helm of AAHC and AAHCI. It is a wonderful opportunity to serve the academic health community and I look forward to working with our members as we navigate the ever-changing healthcare landscape,” noted Dr. Kanter. “It is an honor to lead this global organization.”
Dr. Kanter comes to AAHC from his previous position as Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas (UMKC). During his time as Dean, Dr. Kanter led a successful effort to form a new academic health center in Kansas City, Missouri. He brought together 12 of Kansas City’s leading healthcare institutions to align more closely as a new UMKC Health Sciences District. His distinguished academic career includes serving as Vice Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM), where he devoted significant time and effort to cultivating international collaborations, including leading a team that established a new medical school in Kazakhstan.
He succeeds Steven A. Wartman, MD, PhD, MACP, who retired as AAHC President and CEO in 2018 after serving 13 years in that position.
Dr. Kanter has served in faculty appointments at UMKC, UPSOM, and at Texas A&M University College of Medicine. At UMKC, he also served as Executive Director of UMKC Health Sciences District and held the Merl and Muriel Hicklin/Missouri Endowed Chair in Medicine. He is a widely recognized researcher, author of numerous publications, and speaker. He has chaired various national committees, is a member of multiple professional societies, and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
AAHC is a non-profit association dedicated to advancing health and well-being through the vigorous leadership of academic health centers in health professions education, biomedical and health services research, and healthcare delivery. The association represents around 150 institutions globally.