New President and Chief Executive Officer Named For University of Maryland Medical Center

August 04, 2020

Following an extensive national search, Bert W. O’Malley, Jr., MD has been appointed as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), the flagship academic hospital for the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and an anchor institution in Baltimore City. 

For Dr. O’Malley, a practicing otorhinolaryngologist (a physician who specializes in treating ear, nose, throat, face, head and neck conditions), the appointment represents a homecoming. He served in multiple leadership positions at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center from 1999 2003, including as Professor of Surgery and Chief of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery as well as Associate Director of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). 

The co-inventor and developer of a series of novel robotic surgical procedures called Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS), Dr. O’Malley brings clinical expertise in the area of skull base surgery, robotic surgery and head and neck cancer. TORS was a critical development in Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) surgery, allowing surgeons better access to the areas of the throat for the removal of cancers and benign lesions via a minimally invasive robotic approach, and providing patients with a faster and easier recovery and improved swallowing results compared to alternative treatments. Dr. O’Malley also co-founded the first human robotics head and neck surgery as well as skull base surgery program in the world and was Co-Principal Investigator of the first Institutional Review Board-approved human clinical trial for robotic surgery in his specialty. In addition, he served as Co-PI of the clinical trials that led to US Food and Drug Administration approval for TORS procedures in 2009 and 2014. 

Dr. O’Malley is scheduled to join UMMC in early November, and he will have clinical responsibilities at UMMC and UMGCCC in addition to his administrative and leadership roles. Once he arrives, Alison Brown, MPH, will continue to serve as the president of the UMMC Midtown Campus. 

“Dr. O’Malley’s depth and breadth as not only an accomplished health care executive within academic health systems but also a renowned surgeon makes him an ideal leader for our flagship academic medical center as we work toward raising the national profile of both UMMC and the University of Maryland Medical System,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of UMMS. 

“UMMC is an outstanding academic medical center and I was immediately drawn to the high level of engagement and enthusiasm among the staff and faculty,” Dr. O’Malley said. “The culture of teamwork, respect, integrity, and inclusion has established a strong foundation from which to truly transform health care delivery in Maryland and beyond. Additionally, the opportunity to partner and collaborate with the University of Maryland School of Medicine is both exciting and paramount to mission success. In a way, it is like I am coming home as I previously served as a UM SOM faculty leader and am looking forward to working with many former colleagues.” 

Louise Michaux Gonzales, Esq., Chair of the UMMC Board of Directors, said, “the search committee remarked that his leadership style, energy, passion and approach to building relationships truly set Dr. O’Malley apart as a transformational leader that will help take our academic health center to the next level in partnership with our colleagues from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.” 

At the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Dr. O’Malley serves as Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Director of the Penn Specialty Network and Physician Executive of Penn Specialty Physicians, and has built physician networks among independent specialty physicians with Penn Medicine. He is also the Gabriel Tucker Professor and Chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and holds joint appointments in the Departments of Neurosurgery, Radiation Oncology, the Abramson Cancer Center and the School of Dental Medicine. Dr. O’Malley began his academic faculty career at Johns Hopkins University in 1995 where he rose to Associate Professor and Director of Gene and Molecular Therapy in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.