*** UPDATE: One of the finalists for OHSU president has withdrawn their candidacy, and the 3:30 presentation has been canceled. The name of the candidate presenting at 7:30 a.m. will be added to this announcement at 5:30 a.m., Thursday, June 5 ***
Media Alert
WHAT: After an extensive and competitive search process, two finalists are being considered to serve as OHSU’s next president. Each candidate will give a virtual presentation to the OHSU community Thursday, June 5, and members of the public are invited.
Employees and learners across the university have submitted questions in advance, to ensure both candidates have an opportunity to address the same questions. The finalists will not take questions during their presentations.
The name of each candidate will be released two hours prior to their respective presentations and will be added to this announcement on OHSU News.
All candidates for the position were reviewed and interviewed by a 25-member search committee comprising leaders from across OHSU’s health care, research and education missions, community organizations and labor unions. Gov. Tina Kotek submitted the names of four committee members with backgrounds in behavioral health, academia and public service.
WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, June 5, 2025
Presentation by Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A. – 7:30 a.m.
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Webex: https://ohsu.webex.com/ohsu/j.php?MTID=m85ff9876a5db3ea397f9769b0e8798b1
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Webinar number: 2867 782 2894
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Webinar password: TQuUPgxC232 (87887492 when dialing from a phone or video system)
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Phone: +1-503-388-9555; access code: 286 813 90615
DETAILS:
Following is a biosketch of Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A.:
Dr. Shereef Elnahal was most recently appointed by President Joseph R. Biden to serve as Under Secretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and confirmed by the United States Senate with a bipartisan vote. In this role, he led a $149 billion health system alongside a team of nearly 400,000 professionals in 170 medical centers, delivering care to 9 million enrolled Veterans.
As Under Secretary, Elnahal oversaw the VA’s health care implementation of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT Act), which marked the largest expansion of Veterans’ health care eligibility in a generation. To implement this law, Dr. Elnahal grew VA’s workforce, and ultimately reduced new patient wait times in primary care and mental health, expanded infrastructure, and trained employees nationwide to serve Veterans with toxic exposures.
Dr. Elnahal also led VA’s academic and research missions by supporting VA’s researchers, with a focus on toxic exposures, mental health, and psychedelic-assisted therapy for Veterans with PTSD. He oversaw the VA’s education mission, expanded training slots and supported more than 122,000 health professions trainees across 60 clinical disciplines, and served on the National Academy of Medicine’s Leadership Consortium.
Prior to his role as Under Secretary, Elnahal served as President and CEO of University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, the principal academic medical center of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He led the hospital through the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw improvements in quality and patient safety against national benchmarks like the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. He also turned around University Hospital financially, from a starting point with significant operating losses. These improvements led Fitch to upgrade University Hospital's bond rating to investment grade, reflecting the hospital's strengthened financial position.
Previously, Elnahal served as commissioner of health for the New Jersey Department of Health, where he oversaw four state psychiatric hospitals. During his tenure, Elnahal worked to improve infant and maternal health outcomes, reduce health disparities, and make strides in curbing the opioid epidemic.
From 2016-18, Elnahal served as the VA’s Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Quality, Safety and Value. In this role, he co-founded the VHA Innovation Ecosystem, a program that continues to foster the spread of innovation and best practices that improve Veteran care across the nation.
Dr. Elnahal received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and his M.B.A. with Distinction from Harvard Business School. He was a resident in radiation oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he also did a fellowship in patient safety at the Armstrong Institute. Dr. Elnahal was also appointed by President Obama to the 2015-16 class of White House Fellows.