Health system’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer honored by prominent health care industry publication for creating an Office of Women’s Health Services and an Office of Clinical Operations to address the needs of the city’s most vulnerable populations
NYC Health + Hospitals announced that Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Machelle Allen is among the honorees in this year’s list of ’50 Most Influential Clinical Executives’ by Modern Healthcare. These leaders were chosen by the prominent health care industry publication for their innovative recruitment strategies, bold expansion maneuvers, and their ongoing commitment to advocacy. Dr. Allen is recognized for her service to vulnerable New Yorkers. Early in her career, she treated pregnant patients with substance use disorder and those who were at risk for HIV infection. As SVP and CMO, Dr. Allen established the Office of Clinical Operations, which instituted surveillance of the health system’s wastewater to detect emerging infections. She also created a systemwide Office of Women’s Health Services. Under this effort, the NYC Health + Hospitals Maternal Home was “birthed” – one of the few in New York State. She recently joined Mayor Eric Adams to outline his vision for the future of women’s health in New York City.
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“I am so proud to represent a health system that provides high-quality, comprehensive care to New York City’s most vulnerable populations. We must never forget that health care is a basic human right. It is our duty to create spaces where anyone – no matter their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, or ability to pay – can access services that are vital to their well-being
Thank you to Modern Healthcare for including me on this esteemed list of health care leaders,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Machelle and that of their families. I also want to thank my amazing colleagues for nominating me. I am humbled and grateful for your trust in me and for the work that you do so selflessly. Allen, MD.
In response to the mental health crisis in New York City, the Office of Behavioral Health under Dr. Allen’s leadership launched B-HEARD (Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division) in 2021, which deploys social workers along with EMS personnel as first responders, in lieu of police officers.
Dr. Allen is a veteran of the municipal health care system: She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, worked as an attending physician at Harlem and Bellevue hospitals, and served as the Associate Medical Director at Bellevue until 2013 when she became the System’s Deputy CMO. Dr. Allen was promoted to SVP and CMO in 2017.
Dr. Allen is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.
