Barbara L. Bass, MD, FACS, Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), and Chief Executive Officer of The GW Medical Faculty Associates (GW MFA) has appointed William Borden, MD, to serve as interim Chair of the Department of Medicine. Borden currently serves as the GW MFA’s Chief Quality and Population Health Officer and holds an appointment as professor of Medicine and of Health Policy and Management. In addition to these duties, over the last 14 months he has been a steadfast and dedicated leader in our organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A practicing cardiologist, Borden leads the Medical Faculty Associates’ quality improvement, patient safety, and population health programs, including the accountable care organization.
“With a track record of success in leading major initiatives, I know that Dr. Borden will bring terrific leadership and expertise to this new role which will be invaluable in this rapidly changing health care environment. I am thrilled that he is willing to take on this critically important position during this time of transition at the GW MFA and the SMHS,” said Dean Bass.
A nationally recognized scholar in the management of patients with lipid disorders, Borden is also a national leader in health care quality implementation science and health care policy. Borden has previously served as a Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as a Medical Officer at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within HHS.
Borden has published highly cited works on patient centered outcomes, value-based purchasing, and other timely research in leading journals, including JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, Circulation, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and has served as associate editor of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
“His administrative expertise, calm temperament, and engaging personality, coupled with his academic and scholarly achievements, make Dr. Borden the right person to serve in this position. I am very pleased that he is willing to expand his portfolio and take on the important duties of the interim Chair role in the Department of Medicine. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Dr. Borden on important initiatives at the MFA and the School,” said Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, Professor and Lewis B. Saltz Chair of the Department of Surgery, and Chief Physician Executive of the GW MFA.
Borden currently serves as the Chair of the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Council and on the American College of Cardiology’s Population Health Management Task Force. He is a member of the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network’s Care Transformation Forum of national Chief Medical Officer-level leaders.
“I am honored to take on this new role. My time at GW has been incredibly rewarding as I’ve worked together with my superb colleagues from the Department of Medicine and beyond, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we’ve worked so hard to keep our healthcare workers and patients safe. I have enjoyed that partnership and I know that it will continue as we all move forward together,” said Borden. “I am very grateful to Dr. Wasserman for the leadership and mentorship he has provided me over the last nearly seven years as I have served under him in the department.”
Borden will assume the role of interim Chair of the Department of Medicine effective July 1, 2021. A national search for a permanent chair will be initiated at a later date.
On June 30, 2021, Alan Wasserman, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and the Eugene Meyer Professor of Medicine, will transition to an academic advisory position at GW SMHS which will engage his abundant experience and talent as an educator, clinician, mentor, and leader to advance select programs to serve the faculty and students of SMHS. Wasserman has led the department of Medicine for over two decades. He has overseen the growth and development of the Department, which is home to many acclaimed academic physicians who are leaders in their disciplines. During his tenure as Chair, Wasserman has built outstanding educational programs for our medical students, residents, and fellows.
“Dr. Wasserman has been an outstanding colleague, clinician, and leader at SMHS and the GW MFA for more than 40 years. During his 24 years serving as the Chair of Medicine, the department has flourished. We are grateful to him for his commitment to his students, residents, faculty, and the organization in continually fostering excellence in education, clinical care, and research across the department. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Dr. Wasserman, accessing his abundant talent and experience, as he transitions to his new role at SMHS,” said Dean Bass.
