David Lakey, M.D. serves as the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at The University of Texas System, and as administrator and presiding officer of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. Key leadership roles while at the UT System have included assisting in the establishment of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies, the UT System Population Health Initiative, the Texas Health Improvement Network, the Healthier Texas Summit, the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, and the Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative.
At the national level, Dr. Lakey served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) in 2011-2012, the ASTHO Alumni President (2019-2021), on the national board of the March of Dimes (2015-2023) where he was both the Chair of its Missions Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board, and chair of the Board of Scientific Advisors for the Center for Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023-2025). He currently serves on the board of Trust for America’s Health. Dr. Lakey is a proud member of the Texas Medical Association and serves on both the Council for Science and Public Health and the Committee on Graduate Medical Education. He has received numerous awards, including the TMA President’s Award, the Founder’s Award from Texas Cares for Children, and the AMA’s Foundation Award for Health Education.
Dr. Lakey was the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services from 2007 to 2015. During his tenure he led his agency’s response through numerous high-profile events including the H1N1 pandemic, multiple hurricanes, and the Dallas response to Ebola. Prior to being appointed commissioner, Dr. Lakey served as an associate professor of medicine, chief of the Division of Clinical Infectious Disease and medical director of the Center for Pulmonary and Infectious Disease Control at the University of Texas Health Center in Tyler. Dr. Lakey is a graduate from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Indiana University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine, pediatrics, and infectious disease training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
