Richard McDowell, MD, FACEP has accepted the position of Medical Director for the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) West Hawaii Region which includes Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital. He is scheduled to begin his new duties on December 1, 2014.
Dr. McDowell has over 30 years of experience in emergency medicine. He is currently the Director of Emergency Medicine at Kona Community Hospital; a position he has held since July 2001. He is also the hospital’s Trauma Medical Director.
Dr. McDowell’s previous roles have included Chairman of Emergency Medicine, Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director. He currently serves as member of the Board of Directors for the West Hawaii Region of HHSC, Senior Examiner of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, Councillor of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
He received an undergraduate degree in Biology from Stanford University, and a medical degree from UCLA in Los Angeles.
“We welcome Dr. McDowell as the new medical director,” said Jay Kreuzer, CEO of Kona Community Hospital. “He is a valued member of our healthcare community with extensive medical expertise. As a long-time community member, Dr. McDowell understands the challenges of rural healthcare and the unique nature of our public hospital system. We’re very pleased that he is stepping into this physician leadership role.”