Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research
Executive Director, Health Systems and Population Health Integration
Mary O’Dowd is the Executive Director of Health Systems and Population Health Integration for Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and is an advisory member for the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Prior to joining Rutgers University in 2016, she served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health from April 2011 through July 2015. O’Dowd focused on supporting healthcare providers while promoting population health during extraordinary transformation in the delivery system. Prior to becoming Commissioner, she served as Deputy Commissioner and as Chief of Staff. She has held positions in hospital finance at NYU Medical Center and health policy at the NJ Hospital Association and the NJ General Assembly. O’Dowd currently serves as a member of the Rutgers Institute for Women’s Leadership Advisory Board and the New Jersey Action Coalition, Future of Nursing for the Health of Our State Advisory Board. She previously served on the Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Board of Trustees. She is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University, holds a Master in Public Health from Columbia University and completed a hospital finance fellowship at NYU Medical Center. O’Dowd has received numerous awards for her efforts to improve health outcomes across the life span. The March of Dimes, AARP, Association for State and Territorial Health Officers, New Jersey Primary Care Association, Women’s Political Caucus of NJ, and NJ Biz have all recognized her leadership.