"Leaders in health care and higher education have several callings: to help their organizations define a purposeful identity, to build linkages within and beyond their institution, and to model the highest standards of individual and corporate behavior. It is a privilege to assist the leaders of today's medical schools, universities and health care organizations."
 



Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Partners Harvard Medical International



Dr. Dowton joined our organization in early 2007 after holding numerous senior leadership positions at medical schools in the United States and Australia.

From 1998 to 2005, he served as the Dean of the University of New South Wales Medical School (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, one of Australasia's largest and most complex research intensive medical schools. During his tenure as dean, UNSW implemented new educational programs, planned major new facilities, strengthened graduate-student education, and doubled the amount of income from research.

From 1986 to 1998, Dr. Dowton held various 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. 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 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 appointments at several universities in China as well as at the University of Edinburgh and Columbia University in New York.