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King Named Interim COO
as McKinney Goes to
Texas A&M as Chancellor
King begins immediately to ensure smooth transition in administration
Brent R. King, M.D., chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, has been appointed interim chief operating officer of the UT Health Science Center at Houston.
Brent R. King, M.D.
His appointment by UT Health Science Center President James T. Willerson, M.D., came in response to a Nov. 1 announcement that Michael D. McKinney, M.D., had been named the sole finalist for chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. As Distinctions went to press, the A&M Board of Regents was expected to appoint McKinney after the required 21- day waiting period.
“Dr. King will assume the critical tasks that Mike was shouldering,” Willerson said. “He immediately will start working with Dr. McKinney and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Kevin Dillon to ensure a smooth transition in administration.”
King, who is professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics, became department chairman here in 1999 after seven years on the faculty at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. He is a strong supporter of addressing the issues facing emergency medicine today and developing a coherent ER health policy locally and nationally.
“ I am honored to have another opportunity to serve the institution that I love and its wonderful people.”
As interim chief operating officer, King said, “I am honored to have another opportunity to serve the institution that I love and its wonderful people. Like Dr. McKinney, I am committed to promoting the concept of ‘excellence above all’ throughout the organization. Dr. McKinney set the standard for performance as the chief operating officer; I can only hope to do half as well.”
Michael D. McKinney, M.D.
A Texas Tech graduate, King received his medical degree from the UT Medical School at Houston in 1983 and completed postgraduate training in pediatrics at the UT Medical School and in pediatric emergency medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
McKinney had been senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of the health science center since September 2003. He joined the health science center as interim chief operating officer in May 2003, on temporary assignment from his position as vice chancellor for health affairs at the UT System.
“We are proud of this honor for Mike McKinney, and we are certain that he will be an outstanding leader of the Texas A&M University System,” Willerson said. “Mike has been dedicated, innovative and the epitome of selfless service here at UT-Houston. On a personal level, Mike has been a valued advisor, confidant and friend. I will miss him very much.”
McKinney joined the UT System in 2002 after serving as chief of staff to Gov. Rick Perry. Before joining the Governor’s Office, McKinney served for three years in a variety of executive positions with Centene Corp., a managed care company.
McKinney has served as Texas commissioner of health and human services and represented District 15 in the Texas House of Representatives. He was medical director of an insurance company and a health care plan and a member of the Physician Payment Review Commission in the Federal Office of Technology.
Early in his career, McKinney – a graduate of the University of Houston and the UT Medical Branch at Galveston – was the only family medicine practitioner in Centerville in East Texas.