David Lakey, M.D. is the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at The University of Texas (U. T.) System, and Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center. He serves as the executive sponsor for the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies, the executive sponsor for the Texas Health Improvement Network, and as the presiding officer of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. He also serves on the state's COVID Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel
At the national level, Dr. Lakey was selected to serve as commissioner on the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System in 2022. Additionally, Dr. Lakey serves on the national boards of the March of Dimes and Trust for America’s Health, and on the Board of Scientific Advisors for the Center for Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) from 2011 to 2012 and as the ASTHO Alumni President from 2019 to 2021. Dr. Lakey is a proud member of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) and America Medical Association (AMA). He has received numerous awards, including the 2015 TMA President’s Award and the 2021 AMA’s Foundation Award for Health Education.
Prior to U. T., Dr. Lakey was the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, leading one of the largest state agencies with over 12,000 employees. He oversaw the state’s disease prevention and emergency preparedness programs, family and community health services, environmental and consumer safety, regulatory programs, and mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services. 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.
From 1998 to 2006, 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 graduated 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.
