S Bruce Dowton MB BS MD FACMG FRACP

Professor Dowton is a senior international medical executive, having held a range of positions in university, healthcare and consulting organizations. He currently serves as the Principal
of Dowton Consulting International, Inc. while concurrently holding positions as a Pediatrician at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics,
Harvard Medical School.

Prior to his current role, Professor Dowton held a variety of leadership roles at Harvard Medical International and subsequently Partners Harvard Medical International over five years, most recently as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In addition to his management and leadership activities at HMI/PHMI, Professor Dowton led teams in projects such as:

• developing a national chronic disease strategy for an emerging North African country;
• guiding development of medical schools and university governance in Saudi Arabia, UAE and a former Soviet Union country;
• integrating health and higher education planning for a satellite CBD in an Australian capital city;
• planning clinical programs in hospitals aspiring to emerge as regional leaders;
• reviewing a national health system in the Caribbean.

From 1998 to 2005, he served as the Dean of the University of New South Wales Medical School (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. During his tenure as dean, UNSW implemented new educational programs, planned major new facilities, strengthened graduate-student education, doubled the amount of income from research developed strong ties with the health system. He served as an independent director on several leading Australian health care organizations.

From 1986 to 1998, Dr. Dowton held several positions at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis. Notably, he was Director of the Division of Medical Genetics at St Louis Children's Hospital, leading a revitalization of the clinical, research, and education dimensions of the Division. By his departure in late 1997, the Division was one of the largest clinical services in the U.S., with a full complement of clinical diagnostic laboratories and a robust fellowship program. Serving as Associate Dean and Associate Vice Chancellor of Washington University, he led many significant developments in educational programs for medical students, graduate medical education, and continuing medical education programs.

Dr. Dowton has extensive experience working with government agencies and the corporate sector including credit offset and corporate philanthropy. As Chair of the Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools (CDAMS), he led a major organizational repositioning to ensure that CDAMS emerged as the peak body representing medical schools in Australia. Between 2002 -2004, Dr. Dowton, at the invitation of the NSW State Health Minister, established and chaired the Medical Education and Training Council, a body chartered to completely reorganize oversight of postgraduate clinical education programs across some 60 hospitals. He also led the development of an innovative national system to engage medical schools in Australia with regional and rural communities, and oversaw the implementation of comprehensive national educational strategies to address indigenous health concerns. In St Louis, he was the PI of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute funded initiative fostering outreach of science education to inner city high schools.

Dr. Dowton holds medical degrees and a research doctorate (in cell biology) from the University of Sydney and is trained as a clinical geneticist. He has published articles on a wide range of topic in peer-reviewed publications, and has held Visiting Professorial / External Examiner appointments at several universities including the University of Edinburgh, Columbia University in New York, the University of Tromso in Norway, Hong Kong University as well as institutions in the PRC.

Many organizations over the years have called upon Professor Dowton to serve on Boards including large complex health systems and research organizations. In 2008, he chaired the decennial international review panel for the Garvan Institute of Medical Research a 400 staff biomedical research organization on the campus of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia.

Professor Dowton is regularly sought as a speaker in institutional, national and international venues on topics ranging from medical education and curriculum revitalization, leadership, organizational dynamics in higher education and international heath care / higher education development. His rich experience in working around the world (including in USA, Australia, UK, Scandinavia, Greece, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Libya, PRC, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kazakhstan and the Dominican Republic) inform his strong view of the importance of understanding the uniqueness of each culture and context in designing sustainable strategies in the pursuit of innovation and excellence.

Dowton is supported by a number of colleagues with specific areas of expertise in clinical medicine,healthcare and higher education. These include senior doctors and nurses with extensive experience in delivering cutting edge patient care, leaders of professional disciplines including several who have chaired major international professional bodies and former leaders of educational institutions.