Harold L. Paz, M.D., M.S  was named Penn State University’s fifth Senior Vice President for Health Affairs, Dean of its College of Medicine, and Chief Executive Officer of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in April 2006.  Prior to his appointment to Penn State, he served as Dean of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Chief Executive Officer of Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Group, the largest multispecialty group practice in New Jersey, for eleven years, where he was professor of medicine.

With over 8,000 employees, 1,500 students and post-graduate trainees, and a combined budget of over $1 billion, the Medical Center and College serve the citizens of Pennsylvania through a four-part mission of education, research, patient care, and community engagement.  During his tenure at Penn State, Dr. Paz has initiated the formation of the Penn State Hershey Health System, which includes four hospitals, 44 ambulatory care sites, and eight affiliated hospitals. He has spearheaded the creation of both the Penn State Hershey Rehabilitation Hospital and the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, and has overseen a major one-half million square foot expansion of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus that includes five new patient care, research, and education buildings.  Supporting this expansion has been a major capital campaign that has raised over $79 million during the past two years.

Dr. Paz received a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from the University of Rochester, a master of science in life science engineering from Tufts University, and his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.  He completed his internship and residency at Northwestern University, where he served as chief medical resident and instructor in clinical medicine.  He was a fellow in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School, where he was an Eudowood Fellow.  In addition, he was a post-doctoral fellow in environmental health science at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.  He was recruited to Philadelphia to serve as director of the medical intensive care units at Hahnemann University eventually becoming associate dean and associate hospital medical director. Board certified in internal medicine and pulmonary medicine, Dr. Paz remains clinically active with a special interest in patients with sarcoidosis.  His research looks at the application of new technology in critical care medicine and currently focuses on the epidemiology and outcomes of septic shock.

Dr. Paz is a member of the Executive Council of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and serves on the Administrative Board of the Council of Deans of the AAMC.  He is a trustee of the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust and has served on corporate and scientific advisory boards in the biotechnology field. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Sir William Osler Humanitarian Award from the American Lung Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Thoracic Society, the Alumni Merit Award from the Northwestern University Alumni Association and the Honorary Alumni Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Alumni Association. A member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, he is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians.

Dr. Paz is an avid runner who enjoys competing in road races. His wife, Sharon, is a practicing clinical psychologist specializing in children and adolescents. They have two grown children.