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Manatt strengthens well being enterprise with addition of Darrell Kirch

Darrell Kirch, National Advisor, Manatt

The law and consulting firm Manatt has Dr. Darrell Kirch, President Emeritus of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), as a national advisor in their healthcare business. He will be stationed in Washington, DC.

A well-respected leader and physician, Kirch will strengthen Manatt Health’s strategy, policies, and legal offerings for the country’s academic health institutions and the wider health care industry.

Kirch was President and CEO of AAMC from 2006 to 2019, leading strategies to drive innovation in U.S. medical schools and their teaching hospitals and healthcare systems.

“Innovation and transformation are our guiding principles as we advise our customers and help them find their way in today’s new economy,” said Donna Wilson, CEO and Managing Partner of Manatt. “Darrell’s impressive background and commitment as an agent of change embody this ethos and make it an ideal addition to our integrated legal and advisory platform.”

Kirch is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and is currently a co-chair of the NAM Action Collaborative on Clinician Wellbeing and Resilience. He also serves on the boards of the American College of Psychiatrists and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

Prior to joining the AAMC, Kirch was Dean, Senior Vice President of the University, and Head of Academic Health Systems for the Medical College of Georgia and Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at Pennsylvania State University. He began his academic career as a psychiatrist and clinical neuroscientist at the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), where he became Head of Schizophrenia Research and Acting Scientific Director in 1993.

Kirch has received the American Hospital Association’s Honorary Award and the United States Public Health Service’s Medal for Excellence. He has an MD from the University of Colorado.

“With academic health centers at a tipping point as we emerge from the pandemic, their educational, research and clinical roles are more important than ever,” Kirch said. “Future success depends on taking innovative strategies and operational excellence to a new level. Manatt is well positioned to steer this development.”

Kirch’s take is the latest of Manatt’s high profile additions to his health group. The company added Dr. Ralph Muller, former CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems, added as a national advisor. The company has also strengthened its health group with the addition of digital health expert Vivian de Ruijter, MD. Yarmela Pavlovic, partner in digital health and regulation; Corporate partner Paul Carr-Rollitt; and litigation partner Charles Weir.

Manatt recently expanded its digital practice to include managing directors Jennifer Millard and Kalon Gutierrez and partner Farnaz Alemi.