David Jan Skorton is an American physician and academic. He has been president and chief executive officer of the
Association of American Medical Colleges
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that was established in 1876. It represents medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an i ...
(AAMC) since July 15, 2019.
Prior to the AAMC, he led the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
, the national research museums of the United States, as its 13th Secretary from July 2015 to June 2019. A
cardiologist
Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular ...
, he was president of
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
from 2006 to 2015. Before arriving at Cornell, he served as president of the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
, where he had been a longtime professor and then vice president. He began his career as a professor of medicine and engineering.
Education
Skorton studied at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
before transferring to
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
in 1970 and an
M.D.
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...
in 1974.
He completed his medical
residency
Residency may refer to:
* Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place
** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship
* Residency (medicine), a stage of postgra ...
and fellowship in
cardiology
Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...
at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
, where he also served as chief medical resident.
University of Iowa
Skorton began his career in
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
in 1980, when he became an instructor at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
. In 1981, he was named an assistant professor in internal medicine, and in 1982 he became an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering.
While at the University of Iowa, he also served as vice president for research and vice president for external relations. Skorton was selected to serve the state as the 19th president of the university.
He was appointed by the Board of Regents on January 5, 2003, and he served until 2006.
Cornell University
![Dr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Dr._David_J._Skorton.jpg)
Skorton was named as the 12th president of
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
on January 21, 2006. He stayed at the University of Iowa for the duration of the 2006 spring semester and officially assumed the Cornell presidency on July 1, 2006.
His inauguration occurred on September 7, 2006. In celebration of the occasion, the
Cornell Dairy unveiled a new flavor of
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
, "Banana-Berry Skorton."
In 2014 Cornell announced that he would be departing to join the Smithsonian Institution, with his final day as president being June 30, 2015.
Skorton has been cited as one factor in increased donations to the university.
During his tenure as president, Cornell's capital campaign raised over $4 billion in six years' time.
According to Cornell University, Skorton's base salary as president was $686,683 for 2009–2010. While president, Skorton maintained two academic appointments, as a professor of
internal medicine and
pediatrics at
Weill Cornell Medical College
The Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University is Cornell University's biomedical research unit and medical school located in Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York.
Weill Cornell Medicine is affiliated with N ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and as a professor in
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...
at the
College of Engineering
Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education ( bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations tha ...
on Cornell's
Ithaca
Ithaca most commonly refers to:
*Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey''
*Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca
*Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
Ithaca, Ithaka ...
campus.
Education reform
Skorton chaired the Business-Higher Education Forum and the Task Force on Diversifying the New York State Economy through Industry-Higher Education Partnerships.
He established a University Diversity Council at Cornell University in 2006 and presently serves as its co-chair.
He also writes monthly guest columns for the independent student newspaper, ''
The Cornell Daily Sun
''The Cornell Daily Sun'' is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees.
''The Sun'' features coverage of the university and its environs as well as stories from the Associa ...
'', a bi-monthly column for the Cornell Alumni Magazine, and blogs for Forbes.com and the Huffington Post.
Skorton also spearheaded the Reimagining Cornell initiative.
Cornell NYC Tech
In 2011, Skorton led Cornell's effort to build a new applied sciences campus in New York City, in response to a competition designed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to boost the city's technology startup sector. In partnership with the
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Cornell was selected as the competition's winner on December 19, 2011.
In exchange for free land and $100 million for infrastructure upgrades, Cornell promised to invest over $2 billion in the new campus, called Cornell NYC Tech, over the next three decades.
Construction of the campus began in 2014 on the site of the Goldwater Hospital Campus on Roosevelt Island.
On May 21, 2012, Skorton appeared at Google's New York headquarters to announce that the tech company would donate up to 58,000 square feet of space to house
Cornell NYC Tech
Cornell Tech is a technology, business, law, and design campus of Cornell University located on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan, New York City. It includes the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, a joint academic venture between Cornell and the Tec ...
until the campus opened on Roosevelt Island in 2017.
Immigration reform
Skorton was a proponent of
immigration reform
Immigration reform is change to the current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, ''reform'' means "to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses". In the political sense, "immigration ...
, testifying on behalf of the
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
before the
Senate Judiciary Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...
's Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security in support of the
DREAM Act
The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, is a United States legislative proposal to grant temporary conditional residency, with the right to work, to illegal immigrants who entered the United States a ...
and specifically to allow more skilled immigrants to live and work in the United States.
Higher education finances
Skorton argued that preserving college affordability must be a major priority of universities and Congress. Cornell substantially increased need-based financial aid under his tenure to off-set tuition increases.
Greek life and hazing
Skorton took national public positions on
fraternity hazing and
suicide prevention. Skorton pledged to end hazing in the
fraternity and sorority
Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America.
Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...
system, and wrote an op-ed on the topic in ''The New York Times''.
Suicide prevention
In 2010, Skorton responded to three student suicides by speaking out nationally for
suicide prevention, as well as authorizing the construction of barriers on the bridges over
Cornell's gorges and increasing resources for counseling on campus. Skorton also spoke out about the continued importance of the humanities to society. The barriers were removed in favor of nets that were installed under each major bridge - a historically common place for suicides at Cornell.
Gun violence
Skorton joined eight other University presidents in signing a statement addressing gun violence in January 2013. The document called for the United States to "confront its culture of violence, particularly violence perpetrated by guns".
Smithsonian Institution
Skorton became the 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution on July 1, 2015.
During his tenure the Smithsonian opened the
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...
, its first new facility on the
National Mall since the opening of the
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers.
The museum has three ...
in 2004.
He was elected a member of the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 2017.
In December 2018, the Smithsonian announced that Skorton would be leaving his position in June 2019 to become president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Lonnie Bunch
Lonnie G. Bunch III (born November 18, 1952) is an American educator and historian. Bunch is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the first African American and first historian to serve as head of the Smithsonian. He has spent ...
, director of the African American History Museum, succeeded Skorton and became the 14th Secretary on June 16, 2019.
Association of American Medical Colleges
David Skorton is president and CEO of the
Association of American Medical Colleges
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that was established in 1876. It represents medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an i ...
(AAMC), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
When he assumed the presidency of the AAMC, Skorton said he would focus on three challenges: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); mental health and substance use disorders; and access and affordability of care.
In November 2019, he wrote an op-ed for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' that called for the Supreme Court to consider the negative effects that would result from deporting the approximately 27,000 healthcare workers with
DACA
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, colloquially referred to as DACA, is a United States immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the United States after being brought to the country as children to receive a ...
status. This was just before the Supreme Court began its DACA hearings.
In June 2020, when the Supreme Court ruled that DACA could not be ended, Skorton praised the decision, stating that the AAMC was appreciative that the ruling allowed those healthcare workers to continue providing care throughout the U.S.
In January 2020, he issued a call to action to medical schools as the first step in an initiative to improve equity in pay, promotion, and other areas for women.
In December 2019, the AAMC released data that showed that, for the first time in history, women comprise the majority of enrolled medical students in the U.S. at 50.5%.
In response to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of structural racism on people in vulnerable communities, Skorton argued that there is a need for a national standardized system for the collection of race and ethnicity data related to the pandemic. He and David Acosta, chief diversity and inclusion officer at the AAMC, released a statement that the coronavirus pandemic “laid bare” the racial health inequalities that lead to health disparities, poor health outcomes, and lower life expectancy seen in black communities.
Coronavirus response
After less than a year in office, Skorton was responsible for leading the AAMC's 171 medical schools and over 400 teaching hospitals and systems through the initial phases of the coronavirus pandemic.
In July 2020, Skorton joined other executives at the AAMC in issuing a statement in support of
Dr. Anthony Fauci
Anthony Stephen Fauci (; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the president ...
, the top federal infectious disease official. Later that month, Skorton oversaw the release of a proposed plan to reset the U.S.’s response to the pandemic. The plan consisted of nine immediate actions, such as increasing production of key supplies and establishing national criteria for stay-at-home orders; and two longer-term actions, including broadening health insurance. In August 2020, Skorton released a statement that the AAMC was alarmed at changes to the CDC’s testing guidelines for individuals not showing symptoms of the disease.
Other work
In 2020, Skorton was named a volunteer member of the
Joe Biden presidential transition
The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7, 2020 and ended on January 20, 2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions, which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week o ...
Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the arts and humanities. Skorton is an avid musician. He once worked as a professional jazz and R&B performer in the Chicago area. He began playing saxophone at age 9 and also plays the flute. He was also co-host of a weekly program, "As Night Falls - Latin Jazz," on KSUI FM, the University of Iowa's public radio station.
Honors
* In 2010, Skorton was elected as a member of the
National Academy of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Eng ...
.
* In 2011, Skorton was elected as a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
.
* In 2015, Skorton was awarded the Arts and Sciences Advocacy Award from the
Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences.
* In 2017, Skorton was elected as a member of
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
.
* Skorton is also a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Selected publications
* Truesdell SC, Skorton DJ, Lauer RM. Life insurance for children with cardiovascular disease. Pediatrics 1986; 77:687-91.
* Collins SM, Skorton DJ, editors. Cardiac Imaging and Image Processing. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986.
* Thedens DR, Skorton DJ, Fleagle SR. Methods of graph searching for border detection in image sequences with applications to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. IEEE Trans Med Imaging 1995; 14:42-55.
* Skorton DJ, editor-in-chief, Brundage BH, Schelbert HR, Wolf GL, eds., Braunwald E, consulting ed. Marcus Cardiac Imaging. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1996.
* Skorton DJ and Davisson R. No Foreign Exchange Devalues Our Universities. The Wall Street Journal: Manager's Journal, August 2, 2005, p. B2.
* Skorton DJ, chair. Task Force on Diversifying the New York State Economy through Industry-Higher Education Partnerships Final Report: Prepared for Governor David A. Paterson. December 14, 2009
References
External links
Cornell biographySmithsonian biographyAssociation of American Medical Colleges biography*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skorton, David J.
1949 births
American cardiologists
Living people
Northwestern University alumni
Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution
Presidents of Cornell University
Presidents of the University of Iowa
Feinberg School of Medicine alumni
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Members of the American Philosophical Society
Members of the National Academy of Medicine
American academic administrators