UNT System Regents Name Sole Finalist For Health Science Center Presidency

DALLAS, June 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of North Texas System (UNTS) Board of Regents today named Michael R. Williams, DO, MD, MBA, as the sole finalist for the Presidency of the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) in Fort Worth.

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UNT System Chancellor Lee F. Jackson recommended Dr. Williams to the Board after receiving a unanimous recommendation from a Presidential Search Advisory Committee comprised of campus, system, and community leaders.  Under state law, university governing boards must name finalists for a presidency at least 21 days before making a permanent appointment.

Dr. Williams currently serves as Interim President of UNTHSC, having been named to that position in December 2012.  A Fort Worth native, Dr. Williams previously served five years as CEO of Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas, where he had been in private anesthesiology medical practice for 14 years.  He also worked 11 years in private medical practice in Dallas and has led a number of successful entrepreneurial ventures.  

Dr. Williams was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2011 to the UNT System Board of Regents, a position he resigned to accept the appointment as Interim President of UNTHSC.  U.S. News and World Report recently appointed him to a prestigious advisory committee helping design a national "Hospital of Tomorrow" conference that will be held in Washington, D.C., later this year.  Dr. Williams is the only healthcare leader from Texas serving on that advisory group.

He is a 1981 graduate of UNTHSC with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO) from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, one of five schools and colleges now part of the UNT Health Science Center.  Dr. Williams earned his bachelor's degree from Texas Wesleyan University; a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Ross University; a Master of Business Administration from Duke University; and a Master's Degree in Health Care Management from Harvard University.

"Dr. Williams is an extraordinary and accomplished product of the institution he now will lead.  He returns to his hometown in Fort Worth with a proven commitment to quality healthcare and innovation," Chancellor Jackson said. "Over the past six months in his interim assignment he has demonstrated a strong commitment and keen grasp of the issues and opportunities ahead of the UNT Health Science Center."

Jack Wall, Chairman of the UNT System Board of Regents and co-chairman of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, said "Dr. Williams is passionate about customer satisfaction and quality, which will touch every aspect of the Health Science Center's three-part mission of education, research, and patient care.  He also brings a business acumen that is critical to driving change and progress across the institution."

Dr. Williams is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in anesthesiology and critical care medicine and is a member of the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Texas Hospital Association, American College of Physician Executives, American College of Health Care Executives, and is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians.

About UNT Health Science Center
UNT Health Science Center is a graduate university housed on a 33-acre campus located in Fort Worth's Cultural District.  The university includes the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Health, the School of Health Professions, which includes the departments of Physician Assistant Studies and Physical Therapy, and the UNT System College of Pharmacy. 

UNT Health, the clinical enterprise of the Health Science Center, sees patients from across Tarrant County, with physicians and health providers representing most every medical specialty.  Dedicated to education, research, patient care and service, the UNT Health Science Center began when the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine accepted its first students in 1970.  With the establishment of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 1993, the name was changed to the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.  In 1999, UNTHSC joined UNT's Denton and Dallas campuses to form the UNT System.

SOURCE The University of North Texas System