Wayne Riley, M.D.
Meharry taps Riley as next president, CEO
Wayne Riley, M.D., has been named president and chief executive officer of Meharry Medical College.
He succeeds John Maupin, D.D.S., who served in that role for 12 years before exiting in June for the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
In his new role, Riley — currently vice president and vice dean for health affairs and government relations at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston — will be responsible for guiding the nation's largest independent private, historically black institution dedicated to educating health professionals.
“I am humbled and honored to accept the presidency of one of the nation's premier independent academic health science centers,” said Riley. “As the son of a Meharry graduate, I feel a special sense of connectedness to, and strong support for, Meharry's unique role and strong legacy of educating and training physicians, dentists, clinical investigators and public health professionals who are imbued with a strong commitment to serving the interests of medically underserved communities.
“I fervently believe that Meharry is well positioned for even greater achievements based on the outstanding work of its superb students, faculty and graduates across the nation and the world.”
Riley will begin his new role in January.
Anna Cherrie Epps had served as interim president since June. She will now serve as senior adviser to the president.
Riley received his medical degree from the Morehouse School of Medicine in 1993 and completed residency training in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in 1996. He is board certified and a diplomate of both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He also holds a B.A. degree in anthropology, with a concentration in medical anthropology, from Yale University, a M.P.H. degree in Health Systems Management from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and was awarded a M.B.A. from Rice University's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management.
At Baylor, Riley was responsible for overseeing the college's external affairs, hospital, academic, university and community affiliations, coordinating local, state and federal governmental relations and initiatives, and led the college's Diversity Council. He was the first African-American corporate officer in Baylor's history.