Chief Medical Officer of Population and Behavioral Health, Veale Initiative for Healthcare Innovation, University Hospitals Health System

Patrick Runnels currently serves as Chief Medical Officer of both Population Health and the Veale Initiative for Healthcare Innovation, and holds the Ann S. and Anthony J. Asher Chair in Community Health at University Hospitals Health Systems in Cleveland, Ohio. During his five years in population health, University Hospitals has ranked among the most successful Accountable Care Organizations in the country, generating nearly $200 million dollars in shared savings.

Throughout his career, he has served in numerous administrative positions, including Interim Director of the Behavioral Health Institute, Director of Ambulatory Psychiatry and Medical Director for Emergency Psychiatry at University Hospitals, as well as Medical Director for The Centers for Families and Children, a large community mental health center in Cleveland. In all those efforts, he has focused on nurturing innovation, the transformation of healthcare systems to focus on value instead of volume, and improved access to care for the most complex and vulnerable patients. His focus on developing transformational leadership skills in both individuals and organization led him to establish the Clinical Leadership and Transformation Academy at University Hospitals as well as the Public and Community Psychiatry Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University.

Academically, he has appointments as a Professor within the Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He has served in the past on the Board of Trustees for the American Psychiatric Association, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Ohio Chapter, and the American Association of Community Psychiatrists. He has also served as chair of the APA Council on Advocacy and Government Relations and The National Council on Behavioral Health Medical Directors Institute.

He attended medical school at the University of Missouri, Columbia, completing General Psychiatry Residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and the Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia University. He also completed his Executive MBA at Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.