Stanford Medicine Advisory Council formalized; Livingston appointed university liaison for Stanford Medicine

The advisory council and university liaison position are aimed at increasing collaboration among the three Stanford Medicine entities — the School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford — and the rest of the university.

- By Kathleen Sullivan

Randy Livingston

Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, PhD, has worked with Stanford’s biomedical leaders to formalize an advisory council to consult and work with the university and Stanford Medicine on matters of strategic and operational importance affecting the School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

In addition, a new role of university liaison for Stanford Medicine will be filled by Randy Livingston, MBA, vice president of business affairs and chief financial officer at Stanford.

“Although the advisory council has been in existence for a few years, the decision to revise and formalize its charter emerged from conversations with many people, including our clinical faculty chairs and biomedical leaders, about how we could all better engage and more effectively collaborate,” Tessier-Lavigne said. “It was also clear that we needed a designated person from the university to be a liaison, to bring new ideas and initiatives to our attention. I’m pleased Randy has agreed to serve in that key role.”

The chair of the advisory council is Mariann Byerwalter, MBA, who has a long history of service and commitment to the Stanford community. She has served three terms on the Stanford University Board of Trustees and has served more than two decades on the boards of directors of both hospitals. She chaired the board of directors of Stanford Health Care from 2006 to 2013 and was interim president and CEO of Stanford Health Care in 2016. At the university, she was vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer from 1996 to 2000. Currently, she chairs the board of directors of SRI International.

“I am honored to chair the Stanford Medicine Advisory Council, which was initially established by President John Hennessy,” Byerwalter said. “President Tessier-Lavigne has enhanced the council’s charge, formalized its role, and we have worked together to ensure that Stanford Medicine and the university collaborate and execute with greater integration. We look forward to a productive year as we meet challenges and identify opportunities where Stanford is uniquely positioned to lead.”

Supporting Principles of Stanford Medicine

Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, said he was “extraordinarily pleased” by the evolution of the Stanford Medicine Advisory Council.

“Since its inception, the council has worked tirelessly to support and promote the Principles of Stanford Medicine, which articulate the critical importance of all three aspects of the Stanford Medicine mission: research, teaching and patient care,” Minor said. “By formalizing the council and appointing a university liaison, we are shining an even brighter light on our indispensable connection to the whole campus community.”

Both hospital leaders concurred that the formalized council will help the medical entities advance and plan together.

“The advisory council will play an invaluable role as we pursue new opportunities to strengthen and integrate each facet of the Stanford Medicine tripartite mission,” said David Entwistle, president and CEO of Stanford Health Care. “It will also help enable us to respond effectively to ongoing changes in the health care landscape.”

“The revisions to the charter and the appointment of Randy Livingston as liaison will greatly enhance communication and alignment,” said Christopher Dawes, president and CEO of Stanford Children’s Health.

In September, the 20-member advisory council held its first meeting of the 2017-18 academic year.

The members of the advisory council include the dean and three department chairs from the School of Medicine; the CEOs, board chairs and members of the board of directors of Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford; current and former members of the Stanford University Board of Trustees; the university liaison for Stanford Medicine; and Stanford’s general counsel.

The advisory council will:

  • Review and advise on the comprehensive strategic plan for Stanford Medicine that is being developed and conduct periodic reviews of progress relative to the plan.
  • Serve as a sounding board to Stanford Medicine leadership and governance on strategic and major operational issues, such as land use, financial planning assumptions and other issues of common interest to Stanford Medicine and Stanford University.
  • Coordinate development of, and periodically review and comment on, Stanford Medicine’s consolidated capital plan, financial projections and financial performance, including interim integrated review of financial performance on a quarterly basis.
  • Conduct ad hoc reviews of specific issues and exceptional matters, such as the status and costs of opening and/or transitioning to the new hospitals.


Livingston will retain his existing roles as vice president of business affairs and chief financial officer while assuming his new role as university liaison for Stanford Medicine.

As university liaison, Livingston is responsible for extending collaboration and ensuring coordination on nonacademic matters between the university and Stanford Medicine.

“I look forward to working with Lloyd Minor, David Entwistle and Christopher Dawes to enhance the day-to-day working relationship between Stanford Medicine and the university,” Livingston said.

“Stanford Medicine is an invaluable university asset, and this new structure will allow us to further inform and educate the entire Stanford community about the incredible biomedical initiatives underway across our campus — many of which involve members of our six other schools beyond medicine.”

Livingston has many responsibilities as university liaison, including keeping university leadership informed about the performance, operations, strategy and capital plans for each entity of Stanford Medicine, bringing university concerns to the attention of Stanford Medicine leadership, and serving on the Stanford Medicine Advisory Council and the boards of Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.

2023 ISSUE 3

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