Presenters

Richard L. Byyny, M.D.
Chancellor
University of Colorado at Boulder

Dr. Richard L. Byyny was appointed Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder on May 9, 1997, capping a 20-year career at CU as a distinguished teacher, scholar and administrator. Before his appointment as Chancellor, he served as Interim Chancellor at CU-Boulder, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research and Dean of the System Graduate School, and Executive Vice Chancellor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.

Throughout his academic career, Dr. Byyny has excelled as a professor and clinician. He has taught internal medicine and preventive medicine to medical students, residents and junior faculty, as well as teaching undergraduate classes on endocrinology and leadership. He is the author of numerous books, chapters, refereed articles and reviews in his areas of research and scholarship, which include the care of older women, health care education and general internal medicine.

A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Byyny received his bachelor of arts degree in history in 1960 and his medical degree in 1964, both from the University of Southern California. In high school and college, he was an accomplished competitive swimmer and water polo player. Dr. Byyny completed his residency in internal medicine at Columbia University and a fellowship in endocrinology with Nobel laureate Stan Cohen at Vanderbilt University. In 1977, he joined the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center as professor of medicine and head of internal medicine, after serving in the same capacity at the University of Chicago. At the CU Health Sciences Center, Dr. Byyny also served as medical director of ambulatory care and vice chair of the department of medicine. He is a professor of medicine in the CU School of Medicine.

In 1992-93, Dr. Byyny completed an American Council on Education (ACE) fellowship at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where he served as executive assistant to the president. He now serves as a mentor in the ACE Fellows Program. Dr. Byyny also has served as chairman of the board of the University Technology Corporation; board member of the Boulder Community Hospital; and member of the national Council on Competitiveness, the ACE Council on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness, and the Boulder Economic Council. He is active in the Association of American Universities, the Big XII Board of Directors, and many academic organizations.

Dr. Byyny serves in numerous professional societies, including the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Hypertension, and the American Heart Association Council on High Blood Pressure. He also serves on the board of directors of the Honorary Medical Society. In 1980, he was elected president of the prestigious Society of General Internal Medicine, his primary professional organization.