International Advisory Council

Dr. N. Lynn Eckhert is the Director of Academic Programs at Partners Harvard Medical
International.

Dr. Eckhert graduated from Denison University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1964. She
earned her Masters of Nursing in 1966 from New York Medical College, Graduate
School of Nursing. In 1970, Dr. Eckhert completed her MD at the School of Medicine of
State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Eckhert then joined Johns Hopkins School
of Hygiene and Public Health to receive an MPH degree in 1973 and a Doctorate of
Public Health, Maternal and Child Health in 1981.

She completed an internship at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio and a residency in Pediatrics at the
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. From 1973-1975, Dr. Eckhert was a
resident of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar,
at Baltimore City Hospital, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health,
Maryland.

Since joining PHMI as director of academic programs, Dr. Eckhert has played a key role
in programs focused on institutional and curriculum development. Dr. Eckhert joined
Harvard Medical International in 2003, after serving on the faculty of the University of
Massachusetts (UMASS) Medical School for more than two decades. During her time at
UMASS she served as chairman and professor of family and community medicine,
associate dean for admissions, and vice chancellor/dean for international and public
health programs. She is past president of the medical staff at the UMASS Memorial
Medical Center and remains a professor in the medical school’s departments of pediatrics
and family and community medicine, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Public Health at
UMass at Amherst School of Public Health. In 2002, Dr. Eckhert was appointed Interim
Chairman Radiology at UMASS Medical School.
Dr. Eckhert has chaired the Association of American Medical Colleges bringing an
international perspective to the activities of the AAMC. An active member of the AAMC
Executive Council, Dr. Eckhert is former chair of the association’s Council of Academic
Societies. Dr. Eckhert also chaired the board of the Educational Commission for Foreign
Medical Graduates, a non-profit organization that certifies international medical
graduates and works to enhance medical education worldwide.

Michael Horgan was born in Cork in 1951 and educated by the Christian Brothers at the North Monastery School. He holds a BSc in Computer Science and an MA from the University of Dublin (Trinity College) and a Masters in Industrial Engineering from University College Dublin.
Michael was appointed Chief Executive of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in December 2003, having been Deputy Chief Executive for the previous eight years.

In 1984, Michael was Project Director of the Mercer Hospital Development Programme which formed the beginning of the development of a major property portfolio by the College which continued for twenty years.

Between 1990 and 1999, Michael was Deputy Project Director of the Tabuk, Saudi Arabia Project. The Tabuk Project involved the management and operation of the North West Armed Forces Hospital at Tabuk for the Ministry of Health and Aviation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This project generated the seed funding for all the major initiatives undertaken by RCSI in the late nineties.

Through Michael’s initiative, RCSI introduced the provision of laptop computers to all medical students on entry to RCSI. This was started by Michael in 1995 and, at the time, was a unique initiative within the third level sector.

In 1999, Michael proposed the development of an on-line surgical training programme which evolved to become the programme known as BeST (basic electronics surgical training). This programme provides over three hundred hours of on-line instruction for surgeons in training, and remains the only on-line surgical training programme in the world. The BeST Project also led to a joint venture with Harvard Medical School through Harvard Medical International.

Together with Kevin O’Malley, Michael led the development of the Penang Medical College in Penang, Malaysia, which was founded in 1995. This was the first international campus of RCSI.

Over twenty years, Michael has developed significant relationships within the Kingdom of Bahrain, and this led in 2003 to the signing of an agreement with the Prime Minister of Bahrain to establish the RCSI Medical University of Bahrain. The Medical University of Bahrain admitted its first students in October 2004. Recently, the Government of Bahrain has asked RCSI to develop a Health Oasis in Bahrain.

In 2006 Michael was awarded the Order of Bahrain, First Class by the King of Bahrain - His Majesty, King Hamad.

Michael is a Governor of the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin; a member of the Senate of the National University of Ireland and a member of the Beaumont Hospital Board, Dublin. He is a Director of Penang Medical College, and a Member of the Board of Governors of the Medical University of Bahrain.

Michael married Carmel O’Reilly in January 1976 and has two children - Emma (1978) and David (1981).

Michael’s interests include all technology ‘gadgets’, golf and gardening.

Dr. Jean E. Robillard was appointed Vice-President for Medical Affairs at the University
of Iowa (UI) in January 2007. He directs the strategic priorities of UI Health Care (UI
Hospitals and Clinics, the UI Carver College of Medicine, and University of Iowa
Physicians), which includes creation of a seamless, efficient, and united organization that
provides the highest quality patient care.

Dr. Robillard earned his bachelor and medical degrees from the University of Montreal.
He completed an internship at the Hôtel Dieu Hospital in Montreal and a residency
training in pediatrics at Ste. Justine Hospital in Montreal. Also, he completed pediatric
nephrology fellowships at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles
and UI Hospitals and Clinics.

Following his fellowship training, he joined the faculty at the University of Iowa in 1974
as an Assistant Professor. He was later promoted to Professor in 1982 and appointed as
Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics in 1987 while he was also Director of the
Pediatric Nephrology Division. As a pediatric nephrologist, he was an integral member of
the UI Hospitals and Clinics transplant team.

In 1996, Dr. Robillard moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to become Chair and Professor of
the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School and
physician-in-chief at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, where he served until his return to
Iowa in 2003 to begin his tenure as Dean of the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A.
Carver College of Medicine.

Dr. Robillard is a pediatric nephrologist whose work focuses on the developmental
physiology of the kidney. He has published more than 220 scientific papers during his
career, which have contributed to advances in the field.

In 1999, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science and in 2001 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Board of
Pediatrics. In 2002, Dr. Robillard received the College’s Distinguished Alumnus Award
for Achievement, as well as the Founder’s Award, Midwest Society for Pediatric
research. In 2004, he was elected Chair of the American Board of Pediatrics.

Dr. Sawaya received his medical degree from St. Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon. He
served his internship at Beekman Downtown Hospital in New York City and his
residency in Surgery at Upstate Medical Center, State University of New York in
Syracuse. He served a pediatric neurosurgical residency at Children’s Hospital Medical
Center in Cincinnati and a residency in general neurosurgery at the University of
Cincinnati, College of Medicine. In 1981, Dr. Sawaya was Chief Resident in
neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
He has received special training in microneurosurgery and stereotactic surgery. From July
1981 to October 1982, he was a Fogarty International fellow at the National Institutes of
Health in the Surgical Neurology Branch where he conducted research in the biology of
brain tumors.

In 1990, Dr. Sawaya became chairman of the newly established Department of
Neurosurgery at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston,
Texas. Currently, he is also the Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery in the Texas
Medical Center- Baylor College of Medicine.
He has received various awards, including the Joseph Evans Award in Neurosurgery at
the University of Cincinnati and the Mary Beth Pawelek Chair in Neurosurgery at the
University of Texas. He is a former President of the Houston Neurological Society. He is
a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgery and the Congress of
Neurological Surgeons, and is the past-chairman of the executive committee of the Joint
Section on Tumors. Dr. Sawaya is a member of the editorial board of Neurosurgery,
Journal of Neuro Oncology and Neuro Oncology. He has been generously supported by
research grants, both by the NIH and local organizations. He has published more than 180
manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Sawaya’s major interests are the care of primary and metastatic brain tumors,
enhanced accessibility to and the safety of such surgery and tumors of the third ventricle,
brainstem and pineal region.

Dr. Ajay K. Singh was recently appointed as Chief Academic Officer at Harvard Medical School Dubai Center and Executive Director, Dubai Harvard Foundation of Medical Research. Dr. Singh is also the Director of the Renal Division & Director, Dialysis services at Brigham and Women′s Hospital.

Dr. Singh did his undergraduate (1980) and medical training (MBBS, 1984) in England at University College School of Medicine. In 1985, he completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Stafford General Infirmary, and in 1987, a residency in Medicine at Southend Hospital, Essex, UK. He moved in 1987 for his clinical and research renal fellowship at Tufts-New England Medical Center, which he completed in 1992 and joined the faculty at Tufts. In 2001, Dr. Singh graduated with an MBA from Boston University School of Management.

From 1995 to 1998, he held the position of Director, Inpatient Nephrology at New England Medical Center. In 1998, he moved to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital as Clinical Chief of the Renal Division and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The Brigham of Women’s Hospital is one of the principal teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School. In 2008, he accepted the position of Director, Postgraduate Medical Education in the Department of Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

At Brigham’s and Women’s Hospital, Dr. Singh is a member in the Fellows Selection Executive Committee, Joint Nephrology Training Program, Brigham’s and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as a member of the Department of Medicine Clinical Council Executive Committee and a member of Clinical Research Committee, Department of Medicine.

As of year 2000, Dr. Singh is Member of the Quality Management Committee, Dialysis Clinic, Inc. Also, he is involved in many professional societies, the most recent being: Co-Chair, 2007 & 2008 and Chair, 2009-10, Program Committee, Renal Physician’s Association (RPA) Clinical Meetings. In Sep 2007, Dr. Singh was FDA invited Guest, CDRA, Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Ajay Singh’s Editorial Boards memberships include:

• Member, Editorial Board: Renal Medicine News
• Member, Editorial Board, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN)
• Co-Editor, The Renal Consult, Kidney International
• Liaison Editor, “Clinical Conference”, CJASN (with Dr. Charles Alpers)
• Chair, Editorial Board, Nephrology Times (Lippincott, publisher).

In 2003, he was recognized as one of three top doctors in the Boston area by Boston Magazine: Best of Boston, Top Doctors in Boston, Boston Magazine. In 2006, Dr. Singh received the Teaching Award: Society of Teachers Scholars, Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Singh’s interests are in clinical research - with a particular focus on chronic kidney disease, Diabetic Nephropathy, Glomerulonephritis, Lupus Nephritis, and in education both in leading several Harvard CME courses as well as lecturing both nationally and internationally. He is the author of over 100 original contributions and review articles, as well as author/editor of 5 books in nephrology. Dr. Singh is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London UK.

Dr. George E. Thibault, M.D. became the seventh president of the Josiah Macy, Jr.
Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to improving the health and health care of
individuals and the public, in January 2008.

Dr. Thibault graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University in 1965 and
magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School in 1969. He completed his internship
and residency in Medicine and fellowship in Cardiology at Massachusetts General
Hospital (MGH). He also trained in Cardiology at the National Heart and Lung Institute
in Bethesda and at Guys Hospital in London, and served as Chief Resident in Medicine at
MGH. In 1977, he founded and became the first director of the Medical Practices
Evaluation Unit, and was named director of the Medical ICU/CCU at the MGH. In 1978,
he became the Director of the Training Program in Internal Medicine and Assistant Chief
(subsequently Associate Chief) of the Department of Medicine, MGH. In 1988, he was
named Chief of the Medical Services at Brockton/West Roxbury VA Medical Center and
Vice Chairman of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). In 1990, he was
also named Director of Health Services Research at the Brockton/West Roxbury VA
Medical Center. In 1995, Dr. Thibault was named the Chief Medical Officer at the BWH.
Since January 1999, he has been Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Partners HealthCare
System, Inc. He is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr.
Thibault is the founding director of the Academy at Harvard Medical School. The
Academy has been created to recognize teaching excellence and to promote curriculum
innovation at HMS. He has been actively involved in the education of students and
residents and in curriculum reform throughout his thirty years as a Harvard Faculty
member. In 2005, he was named the first Daniel D. Federman Professor of Medicine and
Medical Education at HMS.

His research has focused on the evaluation of practices and outcomes of medical
intensive care units and variations in the use of cardiac technologies. In addition to an
active research and clinical career, Dr. Thibault has served in many capacities at Harvard
Medical School, including leadership roles in the New Pathway Project and in the current
medical education reform effort. He has also served on, and has chaired, numerous
committees of national organizations, including the Institute of Medicine, the Department
of Veteran’s Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the American College of
Physicians. He is past President of the Harvard Medical School Alumni Association and
was recently named Director of Alumni Relations for HMS.

Dr. Thibault has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors from Georgetown
(Ryan Prize in Philosophy, Alumni Prize, and Cohongaroton Speaker) and Harvard
(Alpha Omega Alpha, Henry Asbury Christian Award and Society of Fellows). He has
been a visiting Scholar both at the Institute of Medicine and Harvard’s Kennedy School
of Government and a Visiting Professor of Medicine at many medical schools in the U.S.
and abroad.

Dr. Myron L. Weisfeldt received his bachelors and medical degrees with honors from
Johns Hopkins in 1962 and 1965, respectively. He pursued his research training at the
National Institutes of Health and his clinical training at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical
Center. He completed his fellowship in cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Weisfeldt is the William Osler Professor of Medicine and director of the Department
of Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as well as the
physician in chief at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Prior to assuming these positions, Dr. Weisfeldt was chairman of the Department of
Medicine and director of the medical service at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in
New York City. From 1975 to 1991, he was director of the cardiology division at Johns
Hopkins. Dr. Weisfeldt is internationally known for his research in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation and survival from sudden cardiac death, the treatment and management of
acute myocardial infarction and acute ischemic syndromes, and age-associated changes in
cardiovascular function and response to stress. Among his many accomplishments, Dr.
Weisfeldt led efforts to make more widely available automated external cardiac
defibrillators and was involved in initial studies of clot-busting drugs in the treatment of
heart attack.

During much of this time, he was also director of the Johns Hopkins Specialized Center
of Research in Ischemic Heart Disease. He began his rise through the ranks at Hopkins in
1972 as assistant professor of medicine and director of the Peter Belfer Laboratory for
Myocardial Research, became director of the Division of Cardiology in 1975, professor
of medicine in 1978 and the Robert L. Levy Professor of Cardiology in 1979.
Dr. Weisfeldt is a past president of the American Heart Association. Recognized for his
extraordinary career in academic medicine and his reputation for setting and meeting very
high standards, Dr. Weisfeldt is a member of the Institute of Medicine, the American
Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, Association
of Professors of Medicine, and the National Advisory Council of the National Institute on
Aging.

Dr. Weisfeldt received the Golden Heart Award and the Award of Merit by the American
Heart Association. He has been named the recipient of the 2008 Diversity Award by the
Association of Professors of Medicine. Dr. Weisfeldt is the second recipient of the award,
created last year to recognize outstanding achievements in improving diversity in
academic medical centers. The award recognizes efforts that Dr. Weisfeldt has made a
hallmark of his tenure since he took over as director six years ago and began to
implement a formal program to increase diversity among residents, fellows and the
professorial ranks.

He holds four patents and is an author of more than 200 research papers.