Dr. Sherine Gabriel

Q: What most notably stands out about your organization as an innovation, opportunity or service that improves or better delivers healthcare to Arizonans?

What stands out is not “an innovation” but innovation itself. When Michael Crow became the 16th president of ASU on July 1, 2002, he set out to create the New American University, a new model for public universities that is accessible, impactful and highly innovative. Innovation is at the core of everything we do at ASU. As a result, for the 10th year in a row, ASU has been selected as the most innovative university in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report, ahead of MIT and Stanford. And ASU is repeatedly ranked No. 1, topping 20+ lists in the last three years alone.

When it comes to creating a new medical school, what that means is a commitment to producing graduates who are not only excellent doctors but also innovators in medicine, doctors with tools, skills and knowledge not typically available to them in medical schools, that allow them to innovate in order to improve health for all. In addition, because we understand that healthcare in the future will be increasingly multidisciplinary, it also means drawing upon every college and unit within ASU to play a role. In fact, we are not only leveraging every resource at ASU but also collaborating with external partners across sectors, and driving innovation in medicine through engineering, AI and technology. This kind of interdisciplinary, cross-sector teamwork is what ASU does best.

Q: Tell us about your known style of leadership or philosophy on being a strong leader for your organization. Tell us about a specific program, leadership policy or practice that has directly benefited healthcare outcomes in Arizona.

My style of leadership is highly collaborative, and mission driven.

Since ASU Health was launched only about 1.5 years ago and improving health outcomes is a long-term goal, it is too early to show direct benefit to health outcomes in Arizona. It is worth noting, however, that every initiative within ASU Health is designed with a clear line of sight toward improving health outcomes and will be assessed with that design requirement in mind.

Q. What do you feel a healthy Arizona workforce and families can mean for Arizona’s growth?

ASU Health is a groundbreaking approach to advancing health in higher education. It is a complex, coordinated multifaceted effort with a singular focus: improving health outcomes for Arizona and beyond. A healthier Arizona means people and families have access to the most reliable and up-to-date information to help them make better health decisions for themselves and their families; it means having access to affordable, high-quality care when its needed; and it means a healthier workforce, a workforce that is more consistently engaged and more productive with less absenteeism or presenteeism (people who suffer from poor health but still attend work, though with lower productivity).

Q: What is on the horizon for your organization?

ASU Health was born 1.5 years ago, the result of years of design thinking led by ASU President Michael Crow and guided by the goals set by the Arizona Board of Regents for Arizona’s three public universities. At ASU Health, we are moving on multiple fronts simultaneously. The news of the day is that we have launched a new Public Health School, the School of Technology for Public Health, and a new medical school, the School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering. And we just announced the location of the new ASU Health headquarters, which will house both schools in Downtown Phoenix.

We are now moving through the accreditation process for ASU’s School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering and recently hired its founding dean (Dr. Sarah H. Lisanby) with a first class of students expected in 2026. We also recently hired the founding dean of ASU’s new School of Technology for Public Health (Dr. Jyoti Pathak) with the first class of students expected in 2026. But ASU Health is more than two innovative new schools. We are also launching the ASU Health Observatory, which will drive medical innovation and detect, respond to and prevent emerging health threats. We will accelerate advances in health research, advance health literacy and grow our nursing and health programs.

And while our mission is to improve health outcomes for Arizona and beyond, these programs, taken together, will also provide jobs, attract investment and drive growth directly and indirectly to Arizona’s economy.