Dr. David C. Miller announced as new CEO of Michigan Medicine 

Dr. David C. Miller, a urologist and surgeon, will be the new University of Michigan executive vice president for medical affairs and CEO of Michigan Medicine starting July 2025. The announcement came in September after Marschall S. Runge, who has served as the EVP and CEO of Michigan Medicine since March 2015, announced his retirement. Miller is the current executive vice dean for clinical affairs for the Medical School and president of Michigan Medicine.

In a letter to the U-M community, University President Santa Ono wrote that Miller’s skills and career experience will serve the Michigan Medicine and Ann Arbor communities well.

“Dr. Miller is an extraordinary leader, a brilliant researcher and the kind of doctor we all hope for when we need exemplary care,” Ono wrote. “His robust clinical background, his collaborative and empathic approach, his understanding of the intricacies of patient care, and his strong strategic vision make him the clear choice for this important leadership role.”

Miller told The Michigan Daily that he appreciates everything Runge has done in the position, and feels proud to continue his work. 

“I’m very grateful, humbled and honored by this opportunity,” Miller said. “I have a lot of gratitude for Runge, who’s been our current CEO, for his leadership and mentorship and support for our doctors, our nurses, staff, students, our entire community, including our patients. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to keep working with our extraordinary team members.”

Miller said that some of his overarching goals for Michigan Medicine as CEO are to continue supporting clinical research and to build upon existing excellence.

“To start with, we have an amazing medical school with extraordinary students who are advancing learning methods and research that are leading the next generation of innovations in clinical care,” Miller said. “An important goal is to continue our initiatives across all of our missions, so in clinical care, as I mentioned, our continuous efforts to be the safest, highest quality health care delivery system with improved access and a great experience for our patients and our team members.”

Miller also hopes to continue integrating artificial intelligence into Michigan Medicine care. The use of AI in health care has been generally increasing in recent years, and Miller hopes to take advantage of technology to improve patient care. Miller explained that Michigan Medicine currently uses AI to determine the best location, inpatient or outpatient, for patients undergoing different medical procedures. 

“We’re starting to see some momentum in that area that I’m hopeful we can continue to advance,” Miller said. “We’ve been able to use AI to help us identify the best and safest locations for patients who need surgical procedures.” 

LSA senior Zoe Walters is considering applying to the Medical School, and told The Daily that she believes the rise of AI in health care represents a major change to the industry. 

“The biggest thing that is changing the health care field is the influence of technology,” Walters said. “The most recent thing that has been implemented is using AI to write all of the charting notes. It records it and stores it in a database just for the time being and it saves the doctors a lot of time after they see the patient.” 

Miller said that the changing nature of the medical field requires creative solutions. 

“Broadly speaking, with Michigan Medicine as a leading health care organization, the field of health care itself is ever-changing,” Miller said. “There are different dynamics that might be financial or regulatory or even issues and challenges related to our workforce. Making sure that we’re supporting and developing our workforce. I think we will have to be creative and wise across all those areas to make sure that our clinical enterprise continues to serve as an important foundation for all that we’re trying to accomplish.” 

Discussion of sustainability in hospital settings has also been growing in the last decade. Sustainability initiatives in these settings can include reducing medical waste, switching to renewable energy, being conscious of energy usage and reducing toxic chemical use. Miller said that, in his tenure, he hopes to continue the sustainability initiatives that Michigan Medicine is already implementing. 

“We have great initiatives in our operating rooms that are actually separating materials that used to go into landfills that are now being recycled,” Miller said. “(Sustainability) is an ongoing area of prioritization for us, all the way to where we have a subcommittee of our board focused on issues including environmental sustainability.”

Ono wrote that he believes in Miller’s ability to move Michigan Medicine forward in research innovation, training and patient care. 

“I am confident he will continue to drive innovation and improvements to ensure (Michigan Medicine) and the U-M Medical School continue to be beacons of teaching, learning and healing far into the future.” 

Daily Staff Reporter Emma Lapp can be reached at emmalapp@umich.edu.

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