22 to Watch in RI in 2022: Mukesh Jain

22 to Watch in RI in 2022: Mukesh Jain

Brown University announced in October that Dr. Mukesh Jain was being appointed Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences.

Make no mistake about it, Jain is here to be a part of the biggest mega-deal in Rhode Island history.

The appointment comes as Brown, Lifespan, and Care New England — Rhode Island’s two largest hospital groups— are working on a controversial merger.

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CNE continues to struggle financially — it has been propped up by federal COVID monies over the past two years.

Lifespan is more financially stable, but has been unable to compete with Boston and New Haven hospital groups — Mass General Brigham and Yale-New Haven Health respectively. Yale-New Haven already has a toe into Rhode Island as it owns Westerly Hospital.

Presently, Lifespan is struggling to retain and attract employees — now suffering from more than 2,400 vacancies.

The mega-deal would create a hospital group that is bigger than Rhode Island state government. The deal faces a review by the Federal Trade Commission and if the federal government moves to block the deal, then they will need special legislation from the Rhode Island General Assembly to circumvent federal antitrust laws.

Jain was serving as the chief academic officer at University Hospitals health system in Cleveland and vice dean for medical sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

In joining Brown, he will lead the Division of Biology and Medicine, which encompasses the Warren Alpert Medical School, four biological science departments, 14 clinical departments and two-hybrid departments. He will also manage the medical school’s relationships with nine affiliated hospitals.

Brown President Christina Paxson cited Jain’s experience leading university-hospital partnerships in a first-rate health care system in her comments in naming Jain. 

“As we work both at Brown and with our affiliates toward improved health for all Rhode Islanders, we sought a leader with a clear and compelling vision for scientific discovery, excellence in biomedical education and world-class clinical care,”  Paxson said. “Mukesh Jain brings those attributes and more. He has the track record, skills and innovative approach to take academic medicine at Brown to the next level of excellence, and I look forward to years of collaborative partnership to come.”

He is scheduled to start on March 1. Welcome to Rhode Island.