Michelle A. Gourdine

Dr. Michelle Gourdine is Chief Medical Officer (interim) and Senior Vice President, Population Health and Primary Care for the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). As Chief Medical Officer, she works in collaboration with the Chief Medical Officers and other colleagues across the health system's 13 hospitals to advance patient safety, quality, and patient experience. Dr. Gourdine leads the development of an integrated, systemwide population health strategy to advance the health and improve the quality of life for the patients and communities UMMS serves. Dr. Gourdine is at the forefront of systemwide efforts to advance health equity. She oversees system physician recruitment, and led the development of a Primary Care strategic plan for UM Capital Region Health, UMMS' newest member. Dr. Gourdine is a member of UMMS Unified Command, responsible for coordinating and executing the system's COVID-19 response.

Dr. Gourdine is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and a Senior Associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is Secretary of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, and serves as Chair of the Committee on Education Policy and Student Life. Dr. Gourdine is former President of the Board of Directors of Maryland Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, and is a former member of he Maryland Health Benefits Exchange Board.

Dr. Gourdine's career in medicine and public health leadership spans over 20 years. She served as Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) from 2005 - 2008. As the principal public health administrator and Chief Public Health Physician in Maryland, her leadership responsibilities included implementing healthcare delivery services, establishing public health policy, regulations and legislative initiatives, and developing strategies to reduce health disparities. Dr. Gourdine supervised a staff of 6000, including Maryland's 23 local health departments, and was responsible for an annual budget of over $1.2 billion.

Dr. Gourdine's public health career began in Baltimore County, Maryland where she served as Health Officer from 1995 - 2005. She supervised a staff of nearly five hundred with an annual budget of almost $40 million. One of her most significant contributions to healthcare delivery was the creation of the Partner's Health Improvement Program, an innovative collaboration among two hospitals, Kaiser Permanente, and the Baltimore County Department of Health to offer comprehensive health coverage to Baltimore County's "working poor"--low income, uninsured residents who did not qualify for Medicaid or other public assistance.

Dr. Gourdine is the founder of Michelle Gourdine and Associates LLC, an award-winning consulting firm dedicated to empowering people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. She is also a nationally-sought-after speaker and author of the book, Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness (Yale University Press).

A graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Gourdine was a resident in the Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and practiced community-based Pediatrics from 1991 - 1995. Dr. Gourdine is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. She was one of forty national scholars selected to participate in the Public Health Leadership Institute. The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School Public Health awarded Dr. Gourdine the 2001 Public Health Service Award. She was also named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women in 2001, 2003 and 2005 and named Woman of the Year by Baltimore County in 2002. Michelle Gourdine and Associates was the recipient of the 2013 Top 100 MBE Award.