Alex Chiu, MD, will join UW Medicine on Jan. 1, 2025, as the executive vice dean, UW School of Medicine and senior vice president for Medical Affairs, University of Washington (EVD/SVPMA). He will also be appointed as a professor within the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and practice clinically at UW Medical Center.
The EVD/SVPMA role is a restructuring and consolidation of the previous positions of UW Medicine chief business officer/vice president for medical affairs, and the UW School of Medicine executive vice dean for clinical affairs. In the role, Chiu will be an integral member of the UW Medicine senior management team and provide executive leadership for the UW School of Medicine under the guidance of Tim Dellit, MD, CEO of UW Medicine, and the Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Dean of the UW School of Medicine. Chiu will oversee the School of Medicine vice deans and work with the department chairs to coordinate activities across the School of Medicine’s classroom, research and clinical learning environments.
“I am delighted that Dr. Chiu is joining the UW Medicine community,” says Dellit. “He brings with him a breadth of clinical, administrative and leadership experience, including a focus on digital innovation and health equity. In this important new role, he will provide executive leadership that supports the vision, mission and values of UW Medicine while fostering the seamless integration of our School of Medicine and clinical environments as a member of our senior leadership team.”
Chiu recently served as professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and founding scientific executive director of the Digital Health Co/Lab at the University of Kansas. Prior to his role at the University of Kansas, he was the founding chair of the Department of Otolaryngology and former chair of the Academic Medical Council at Banner Health/the University of Arizona. Chiu also worked at Stanford University Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
In addition, Chiu has been a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion. He led a multi-institutional consortium of 15 otolaryngology departments across the country to study and address otolaryngology health inequities. Chiu incorporated consortium learnings regarding health disparities and social determinants of health into medical curriculum and resident education. By championing mentorship programs and leading initiatives related to succession planning, Chiu helped improve gender representation within otolaryngology leadership.
“I am excited to join the UW Medicine community,” says Chiu. “I have a passion for innovation and try to incorporate that into a leadership style that also aspires to be transparent, accountable and collaborative. It is truly an exciting time at UW Medicine, and I can’t wait to work with the exceptional leadership and creative faculty.”
