Eugene Washington

A. Eugene Washington (born 1951) is an American physician, clinical investigator, and administrator. He served as the chancellor for health affairs at Duke University, and the president and chief executive officer of the Duke University Health System, from 2015 to 2023. His research considers gynaecology, health disparities, and public health policy. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 1997 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014.

Early life and education Washington is from Houston. His father was a minister, his mother was a homemaker, and he was the youngest of five children. He grew up during segregation in the South of the United States. He was a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. He joined the medical school at UCSF as a medical student in 1972, before completing his residency at Stanford University. Washington earned a master's degree in medicine at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 1978. Washington was a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Master of Public Health.

Research and career After graduating, Washington joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His career in medicine and health policy began at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in New York. Washington completed a residency in Preventive Medicine at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 1979.

University of California, San Francisco In 1989 Washington joined the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1996, Washington became Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. In 1997 Washington was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and later served on their governing council. He led several projects at UCSF, including the implementation of a ten-point diversity initiative. In 2002, he was honored with UCSF's Chancellor Award for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership, an award for "outstanding commitment and service to the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion". He established the Medical Effectiveness Research Centre for Diverse Populations, which looked to promote health and prevent disease in ethnically diverse populations. He worked with colleagues at Stanford University to lead an evidence-based practice centre. Washington worked at the UCSF School of Medicine until 2009.

UCLA Health Washington was made vice chancellor and dean at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2009. There he worked as professor of gynaecology and health policy.

Clinical Effectiveness Research and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Washington served as the founding chair of the board of governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), authorised by the Affordable Care Act to research clinical effectiveness. In the fall of 2016, Washington initiated Healthy Duke, a program to improve the health and wellness of Duke's students, faculty, and staff. Washington helped found the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy. Washington stepped down from his executive roles at Duke University on June 30, 2023. Washington remained chancellor emeritus at Duke University.

Washington has been a member of the National Academy of Medicine since 1997 and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences since 2014, and a former member of the Scientific Management Review Board for the NIH. He was a Chair of the California Healthcare Foundation, and the California Wellness Foundation. He is a trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Awards and honors

Washington was awarded the Alumnus of the Year from the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco in 1999, and University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health (2014). He was awarded the 2014 Association of American Medical Colleges David E. Rogers Award for his, "major contributions to improving the health and health care of the American people." That year he was also elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. and Alumni Award of Merit, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2019. Washington is an Honorary Doctor of Science, Howard University in 2023.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) award 'Eugene Washington' legacy prizes each year, which distribute up to $25 million ($250,000 per award) in recognition of Washington's efforts.

Personal life Washington is married to Marie Washington, with whom he has three children.

Selected publications