BEVERLY HILLS—The Honorable City Councilmember William Brien, M.D. has accepted a position as the Vice President of Medical Operations and Chief Clinical Officer at CHI St. Luke’s Health-Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.
As stated in a press release from the City of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold, M.D. said, “As a friend and colleague, I am sad to see Willie leave Beverly Hills. His intelligence, his vision and his leadership skill will be greatly missed. Baylor St. Luke’s is very fortunate to be gaining a skilled medical professional and an outstanding manager.”
In accordance with the Beverly Hills Municipal Code, a special election must be held within 30 days after a City Council seat has been vacated. The election date will be set by the City Council.
Dr. Brien’s past and current accomplishments include serving as Professor and Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Director of Orthopedic Surgery; Chief of Staff at Cedars-Sinai, as well as a committee member on various executive committees; and Vice Chief of Orthopedics at Los Angeles (LAC) + University of Southern California (USC) Medical Center. He has received numerous awards and honors such as the Otto Aufranc Research Award from the Hip Society and the Rancho Los Amigos Research Award at the Hospital for Special Surgery/Cornell University.
“Dr. Brien’s experience as a surgeon, coupled with his vast leadership skills, will be instrumental in aligning our medical staff together for continued success,” said Wayne Keathley, President, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. “He will be vital in providing the clinical, strategic, and cultural leadership necessary to implement key strategic initiatives that will maximize clinical operations at the hospital.”
Brien attended the University of California-Los Angeles, where he earned his medical degree. He also furthered his education at USC.
Dr. Brien has been actively involved in public service for the past 20 years. He has served on the Beverly Hills City Council as a member and former mayor of the city. He worked for the Beverly Hills Unified School District as the President and as the Commissioner of the State of California Health Policy. He served on the Westside Cities Council of Governments as a board member currently representing Beverly Hills.
“Given academic and research partnerships with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Heart® Institute, this is an exciting time to join the Baylor St. Luke’s family,” said Dr. Brien. “I look forward to dedicating my service to medicine and the Greater Houston community with the same passion and commitment I’ve displayed at Cedars-Sinai and Beverly Hills for the past several years.”
