Michael V. Drake, M.D., a physician and the president of The Ohio State University, is the new chair of the Commonwealth Fund’s board of directors. A member of the Fund’s board since 2008, Drake succeeds Benjamin K. Chu, M.D., who had served as chair since 2014.

Before becoming Ohio State’s 15th president in 2014, Drake was chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, and, earlier, vice president for health affairs for the University of California system, where he launched a major initiative to train physicians to care for underserved populations statewide.

“We are extremely fortunate that a leader with Michael Drake’s accomplishments and caliber has agreed to lead our board during this time of health system transformation, as the Commonwealth Fund continues its work to ensure that all Americans can get and afford the health care they need,” said Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D.

The Fund also added two members to its board:

• Carrie L. Byington, M.D., a national leader in pediatrics and infectious disease and recently named executive vice president of UC Health, where she will head the University of California’s five academic medical centers, a community-based health system, and 19 health professional schools.
• Alan Jones, a senior managing director at Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), a global alternative asset management firm. He joined ICG following a 25-year career at Morgan Stanley, where he had most recently served as managing director and vice chair of Private Credit & Equity.