Samuel O. Thier

Samuel O. Thier (born 1937) is professor of Medicine and Health Care Policy at Harvard University. He previously served as the president of Brandeis University from 1991-94 and the president of the Massachusetts General Hospital from 1994-97.

Thier is an authority on internal medicine and kidney disease and is also known for his expertise in national health policy, medical education and biomedical research.

Early Life and Education

Thier was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1937. He attended Cornell University, and then earned a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1960 from the State University of New York at Syracuse. In addition, he has received sixteen honorary degrees and the UC Medal of the University of California, San Francisco.

Career

Thier began his career at the Massachusetts General Hospital, progressing from Intern in 1960, to Chief Resident in Medicine in 1966, to Assistant in Medicine and Chief of the Renal Unit in 1967.

He served as Associate Director of Medical Services at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and then Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University’s School of Medicine.

In 1975, he became Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, where he was the Sterling Professor, and Chief of Medical Service at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Thier served as President of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, from 1985 to 1991 and President of Brandeis University from 1991 to 1994. At Brandeis, he was largely credited with improving the financial situation of the institution.

Thier was the President of Massachusetts General Hospital and President of Partners HealthCare System, Inc. until 1996. He became Chief Executive Officer in 1996, stepping down in 2002. He continues to teach at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Other Positions

Dr. Thier has had many leadership positions, including membership on the Board of Trustees of Yale-New Haven Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, and Cornell University. He recently stepped down as chair of the Board of Directors of The Commonwealth Fund. He was named Honorary Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society. Dr. Thier continues to teach several undergraduate lectures at Brandeis University each semester.

See also

• Brandeis University