Dr. Robert Min, a pioneer in the field of vascular interventional radiology, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization, effective Jan. 1. A renowned specialist in internal medicine and infectious disease, Dr. Adam Stracher has been named chief medical officer of the physician organization and promoted to associate dean for clinical affairs.
Dr. Min will succeed Dr. Daniel Knowles, who was named chief medical officer in 2005 and president and CEO in 2016, and will work closely with him during a period of transition.
“Clinical care is the lifeblood of our work as physicians — it is the way in which we can make the greatest tangible impact on our patients and their families,” said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. “Dr. Min is perfectly suited to lead Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization – which Dr. Knowles has exceptionally managed through more than a decade of service – leveraging Dr. Min’s successes in the Department of Radiology to even greater reach. With a deep reservoir of experience leading our primary care enterprise and helping Weill Cornell Medicine to navigate a rapidly evolving healthcare industry, Dr. Stracher is uniquely qualified to advance our clinical mission. I look forward to working with them both as we strive to provide the best care to patients throughout New York City.”
Dr. Adam Stracher. Photo credit: Rene Perez
Under Dr. Knowles’ leadership, the physician organization has expanded its footprint in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, providing patients with greater access to Weill Cornell Medicine’s network of doctors. Since 2012, it has opened or enhanced nearly 25 physician practices — notably multidisciplinary practices at 2315 Broadway on the Upper West Side and 156 William St. and 40 Worth St. in Lower Manhattan — and added more than 550 physicians, 140 of them at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, to its ranks. The physician organization is also increasing Weill Cornell Medicine’s presence at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. This expansion has led patient visits to increase from 837,000 in 2005 to 2 million in 2016 — a growth of 121 percent. Dr. Knowles also helped establish the accountable care organization NewYork Quality Care, which in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia brings groups of physicians together to provide coordinated patient care.
Dr. Min will seek to build off those successes, working with the Dean’s Office and Weill Cornell Medicine’s clinical department chairs to develop a strategic vision that will maintain the physician organization’s trajectory of growth and ensuring that its doctors continue to deliver the highest quality care. One of his chief priorities will be to leverage data from electronic health records to determine where the physician organization should next expand and what medical services to offer, with a particular focus on increasing patients’ access to primary care and developing multispecialty practices.
Collaborating closely with colleagues at hospital partner NewYork-Presbyterian, Dr. Min will also ensure that the two institutions remain strategically aligned so that they can reach and care for the greatest number of patients. This includes realizing opportunities at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens — which became part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network in 2016 and 2015, respectively — as well as at the new David H. Koch Center, a state-of-the-art ambulatory care center set to open in 2018 at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center on the Upper East Side.
“As a physician, there are few things more worthwhile or exciting to be a part of than providing the absolute best care for our patients,” said Dr. Min, who will continue as chairman of the Department of Radiology and the John A. Evans, M.D. Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and radiologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “That is our guiding mission, and it’s an honor for me to be able to help extend that philosophy to our entire clinical enterprise. Leading the physician organization is the pinnacle of my career, and I am excited to work with our outstanding leadership team at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian to ensure that we can make a difference in our patients’ lives.”
“Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization has been a vital asset to NewYork-Presbyterian, especially as we have expanded access to our care throughout the region,” said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. “I look forward to working with Drs. Min and Stracher as our organizations continue to offer world-class care to a growing number of patients. I would also like to thank Dr. Knowles for his tremendous partnership during a key time for both of our organizations.”
As chief medical officer, Dr. Stracher will lead clinical and quality initiatives that support consistent performance and practice standards throughout the physician organization. Working closely with Dr. Min and Weill Cornell Medicine’s clinical department chairs, Dr. Stracher will help develop a strategic plan for future growth with a focus on providing the best patient experience at the greatest value.
This role will dovetail with his work as associate dean for clinical affairs, through which he will serve as a critical bridge between the Dean’s Office and the physician organization to ensure that the institution continues to innovate and adapt to an ever-changing healthcare landscape. Specifically, Dr. Stracher will lead Weill Cornell Medicine’s efforts to encourage and support new healthcare delivery models, such as NewYork Quality Care as well as systems that reward physicians for quality of care.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our new CEO, our department chairs and clinical leadership to advance our clinical mission,” said Dr. Stracher, who is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and an internist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “Our departments provide outstanding quality of care, and I am excited to help our entire team move to the next level by ensuring excellence in quality and value.”
Dr. Stracher received his medical degree from the State University of New York Health Science Center and completed his residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious disease at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He joined the faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine in 1995. He has extensive experience and knowledge of Weill Cornell’s clinical services, serving as director of the physician organization’s Primary Care Division since 2003 and as assistant dean for clinical affairs, guiding the institution’s efforts in clinical transformation, since 2014.
Dr. Min received his medical degree in 1990 from Weill Cornell Medicine and a Master of Business Administration in 2002 from Columbia University, completing an internship in surgery and a residency in diagnostic radiology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. After his fellowship in cardiovascular interventional radiology at Stanford University Medical Center, Dr. Min was in 1999 appointed to the Weill Cornell Medicine faculty, becoming chairman of the Department of Radiology in 2008. He has served in multiple leadership positions in radiological and venous-related societies, including as past-president of the American College of Phlebology. Dr. Min’s area of clinical expertise is the minimally invasive treatment of venous insufficiency, and he has developed new techniques to help patients with a variety of conditions including varicose veins. Other areas of clinical and research interest include non-invasive treatments for tumors and MR-guided focused ultrasound.