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RLI Taking the Lead Podcasts

Episode 42: Robert I. Grossman, MD


Headshot Dr. Grossman

Leading Healthcare


January 20, 2022

Join host, Geoffrey Rubin, MD, MBA, FACR, as he speaks with Robert I Grossman, MD, who since 2007, has been chief executive officer of NYU Langone Health and dean of NYU School of Medicine, which was renamed in his honor in 2019 as NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In this role, he oversees more than 45,000 employees, students, and non-compensated faculty across 6 inpatient locations and over 300 sites throughout the New York region and in Florida.

In collaboration with the Board of Trustees and institutional leadership, Dr. Grossman increased NYU Langone’s revenue from $2 billion in 2007 to $10.2 billion in 2021, and more than $3.9 billion in philanthropy has also been raised.

As dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Dr. Grossman led the historic and unprecedented initiative of providing tuition-free medical education for all current and future students in its MD degree program. He also curated a new approach to medical education, called Curriculum for the 21st Century (C21), which emphasizes clinical training from the beginning of medical school and includes a revolutionary three-year MD program for select candidates. Most recently Dr. Grossman was the driving force behind the creation of NYU Long Island School of Medicine—a partnership between NYU and NYU Langone Health—offering full-tuition scholarships with an accelerated three-year curriculum exclusively devoted to training primary care physicians.

In 2018, Dr. Grossman was named to Time magazine’s inaugural Health Care 50 list of the 50 most influential healthcare leaders who changed the state of healthcare in America, together with Ken Langone, chairman of NYU Langone’s Board of Trustees. Additionally, he was named a “Living Landmark” by the New York Landmarks Conservancy in 2013 for his leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which caused unprecedented damage to NYU Langone’s facilities and required the safe evacuation of 322 patients.

His pivotal leadership at NYU Langone was recently chronicled in William A. Haseltine’s book World Class: A Story of Adversity, Transformation, and Success at NYU Langone Health.

Don’t miss this fascinating conversation to learn about the man behind the story and his inspiring leadership journey!

View episode transcript »

Robert I. Grossman, MD

Since 2007, Robert I. Grossman, MD, has been chief executive officer of NYU Langone Health and dean of NYU School of Medicine, which was renamed in his honor in 2019 as NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In this role, he oversees more than 45,000 employees, students, and non-compensated faculty across 6 inpatient locations and over 300 sites throughout the New York region and in Florida. Most recently, NYU Langone completed a full-asset merger with Winthrop-University Hospital, now known as NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island—one of Long Island’s top medical centers. Also part of NYU Langone are Perlmutter Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center, and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history.

Full Bio »

Did You Know?

Dr. Grossman has five grandchildren, enjoys golf and making his own—very delicious—brick oven pizza. Early on, Dr. Grossman switched from Neurosurgery to Neuroradiology to quote his father, “take pictures.”

Book Recommendation

Read about Dr. Grossman’s leadership journey at NYU Langone in William A. Haseltine’s book World Class: A Story of Adversity, Transformation, and Success at NYU Langone Health.
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