Citation
Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP
Doctor of Humane Letters
You are a national leader in academic medicine, public health, and health policy, and an articulate voice on the need for greater diversity in health care and medical education.
As president and chief executive officer of Meharry Medical College, in Nashville, Tennessee, you direct the nation’s largest private, historically Black academic health center dedicated to educating physicians, dentists, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals.
Your belief that sound health policy must be grounded in the experience of the people it represents has found concrete expression in a new national health policy center. Funded by a $9 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, you plan to create a more inclusive pool of experts trained to conduct research and design solutions to America’s health challenges.
Your views on the need to reshape national health policy are also being heard in Washington, where you met with President Barack Obama’s transition team to discuss ways to improve the delivery of healthcare to underserved communities and expand opportunities for health education to all.
Previously, you were at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and also at Ben Taub General Hospital where you were named 2004 Physician of the Year. When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck, you helped mobilize and coordinate medical care for the hundreds of evacuees entering Houston.
For your leadership in medicine, education, and public health, and for your devotion to the expansion of health care to diverse populations in need, the State University of New York is pleased to bestow upon you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
