Nationally Known Physician to Lead Northeast Texas Population Health Initiative

TYLER — Nationally known physician Dr. David Lakey is joining UT Health Northeast in Tyler and The University of Texas System. In a first-ever joint appointment, Dr. Kirk Calhoun, President of UT Health Northeast, announced Wednesday, that Dr. Lakey will serve as Senior Vice President for Population Health at UT Health Northeast and as Associate Vice Chancellor for the UT System. Both appointments will focus on population health with the goal of improving health outcomes statewide. Dr. Lakey is an expert on disease prevention and family and community health services, environmental and consumer safety, as well as infectious disease outbreaks and bioterrorism preparedness. Dr. Lakey will be leaving his post as Texas Health Commissioner, where he helped lead the state’s response to the first U.S. case of Ebola.

“We know our region of the state has a great need for expertise in addressing some of our most challenging health issues, and I can think of no other individual better qualified or as passionate about public health than David Lakey to take on this new initiative to improve the health of Northeast Texans,” said Dr. Calhoun.

Lakey will focus his efforts on improving the health outcomes of Northeast Texas. Compared to other regions of the state, Northeast Texas faces significant public health challenges that have led to higher disease and premature death rates. In addition to Northeast Texas population health initiatives, Dr. Lakey will also work to improve population health statewide.

“Dr. Lakey is uniquely positioned to lead a statewide effort in improving the health of Texans, given his distinguished service as the commissioner of the Department of State Health Services,” said Dr. Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs with The University of Texas System. “In partnership with our six health institutions and two new medical schools, Dr. Lakey will guide initiatives that can reduce the excessive burden of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in our communities and promote better health for all Texans.”

Lakey served as commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) since 2007, responsible for one of the state’s largest agencies with a staff of 12,000 and an annual budget of $3.3 billion. From 1998 through 2006, he was on the medical faculty of UT Health Northeast as Chief of Infectious Disease and Medical Director over the Center for Pulmonary and Infectious Disease Control and the Public Health Laboratory of East Texas. Additionally, he served as the Associate Director for Biosecurity and Infectious Disease with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s renowned School of Public Health from 2004-2006.

Lakey will be the recipient of a prestigious Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention (STAR) award in the amount of $1 million from the UT System to support the development and staff recruitment for this new population health initiative. Additionally, he will be named to the Isadore Roosth Distinguished Professorship by UT Health Northeast. He will assume his new duties on February 1.