30. Michael Dowling
2007 Power List
We bet if he makes a 2 p.m. with his doctor, it’s a 2 p.m. That’s because Dowling knows more doctors than the AMA in his role as the president and CEO of North Shore-LIJ Health System, a mammoth $4 billion healthcare network. Dowling has a deep background, having worked for Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, after serving on former Gov. Mario Cuomo’s staff. He joined North Shore-LIJ in 1995 as a senior vice president of hospital services. The system is now the third largest nonprofit secular healthcare system in the country, and with 8,600 beds, 8,000 doctors and 10,500 nurses, Dowling has his hands full. Plus, when you deal with the health of others, that is undeniable power. Sometimes, it may even be too much, but Dowling’s leadership has established a premier healthcare system that continues to be recognized for its excellence.