Robert Phillips
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Houston Methodist. Chief Executive Officer, Houston Methodist Specialty Physician Group
Robert A. Phillips, MD, PhD is Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Houston Methodist and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Methodist Specialty Physician Group in Houston, Texas. He graduated with a combined MD and PhD in molecular biology from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 1980 and received the Elster Award for highest academic standing in his class. Dr. Phillips completed his residency in internal medicine in New York City at Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (New York-Presbyterian) and fellowships in cardiology and hypertension at Mount Sinai. Prior to joining Houston Methodist, Dr. Phillips was Professor of Medicine and Population Health Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where he was a Senior Vice President and Director of the Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence. Previously, Dr. Phillips was Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, Chair of the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
As CMO at Houston Methodist, Dr. Phillips is responsible for implementing innovations in the practice of medicine, responding to healthcare reform and new payment models, evaluating healthcare delivery redesign, collaborating with colleagues on the patient experience and, in collaboration with the Chief Quality Officer, assuring system-wide patient safety and quality. As CEO and President of the Houston Methodist Specialty Physician Group, he has championed multiple fiscal and operational efficiencies resulting in increased revenue, lower expenses, better quality, improved access and enhanced patient experience.
Dr. Phillips is a nationally recognized cardiologist and expert in hypertension and cardiovascular disease. He is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease and has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers. He is Hypertension Editor, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Hypertension, and on the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Society of Hypertension and CardioRenal Medicine.
Dr. Phillips is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Society of Hypertension (ASH). He was the recipient of the Heart of Gold Award from the AHA in 2010, was elected to the Association of University Cardiologists in 2012, and was the recipient of the 2013 AHA Torch of Strength Award. Dr. Phillips is the Treasurer of ASH and is founding President of the American Population Health Society.