Michael Dowling

He’s been called one of the 100 most powerful people in the health-care universe, which is certainly due in no small part to his stewardship of North Shore-LIJ, a multi-billion-dollar organization that has touched the lives of so many Long Islanders for decades—as well as being the largest employer on the Island. Dowling started out in the West Limerick village of Knockaderry, and still keeps a model of the thatched cottage he was born in to remind him of his humble roots. Since leaving home, he’s worked on the docks, cleaned bars at 5 a.m., and even sweated it out in the engine room of the Circle Line to support his pursuit of higher education, which eventually led him to a Master’s degree in Social Welfare from Fordham University. His policy insights brought him to the attention of Gov. Mario Cuomo, who appointed Dowling his commissioner of social services in 1983. From the Empire State, he went to work for Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield and joined the North Shore/LIJ health-care empire in 2002. Recently, Dowling had a hand in helping Hofstra University successfully launch its new medical school. His record of accomplishment is all the more remarkable, considering how far he’s had to come to make his mark on our region.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2012