Credit: G.E. Anderson/Provided

Mark Veich, an accomplished leader in institutional advancement, has been appointed vice provost for external affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine, effective Feb. 12.

In his new role, Veich will oversee five divisions that are dedicated to supporting Weill Cornell Medicine’s mission to deliver exemplary patient care, make groundbreaking discoveries and educate the next generation of health care leaders. Leveraging talents in fundraising, communications, marketing, and government relations and community affairs, Veich will develop strategies to raise philanthropic gifts and increase awareness and visibility of Weill Cornell Medicine as a premier global academic medical institution, while shepherding it into the next stage of its evolution. Veich succeeds Larry Schafer, who retired from Weill Cornell Medicine after more than 26 years of service.

Veich will report to Dean Augustine M.K. Choi and serve on his leadership team, while continuing to ensure alignment and collaboration with Cornell University on strategic priorities. Veich will also be a principal adviser to the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers and its chairman, Jessica Bibliowicz. Collaborating closely with clinical partner NewYork-Presbyterian, as well as with neighboring Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Hospital for Special Surgery, Veich and his counterparts at these institutions will oversee advancement and promotional activities that showcase the prowess of the Upper East Side’s scientific corridor in shaping the future of the biological sciences in New York City.

A champion of academic medicine, Veich was recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine from Michigan Medicine, where he is currently managing director for development. In this role, he planned and implemented a fundraising campaign that raised more than $1 billion to advance patient care, research and education, with additional efforts geared to supporting global health.

“Mark has the DNA that makes him a perfect addition to the Weill Cornell Medicine community,” said Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and co-chair of the search committee. “With his business acumen, leadership ability, ingenuity and dedication to philanthropy at academic medical centers, Mark is uniquely qualified to lead the Office of External Affairs as we strive to advance Weill Cornell Medicine’s mission in New York and around the world.”

“As we conducted a national search, it became abundantly clear that Mark was the best person for the job,” said Bibliowicz, who co-chaired the search committee. “I was impressed by his genuine love for raising funds for science and medicine, and his understanding of how that investment can drive discoveries and improve lives – exemplifying Weill Cornell Medicine’s enduring commitment to making a difference. On behalf of the board, we look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.”

“I am excited to welcome Mark Veich to our Cornell family,” said Cornell University President Martha E. Pollack. “Mark has an innate appreciation for the power of philanthropy to improve the human condition, and a vision for how to drive dialogue on new treatment approaches, scientific advances and cutting-edge medical education initiatives. He will also be integral to our efforts strategizing for new, innovative ways to realize our land-grant mission.”

“I am thrilled to join Weill Cornell Medicine, one of the world’s premier academic medical centers, as its new vice provost for external affairs,” Veich said. “This opportunity will enable me to have a greater influence on the philanthropic world – particularly in academic medicine, for which I’m especially passionate – where my contributions can play a small but important role in advancing the institution’s efforts to translate groundbreaking discoveries into new treatments, deliver top-quality clinical care to patients and educate the medical leaders of the future. I am excited to carry on Larry Schafer’s legacy and help take Weill Cornell Medicine to the next level of excellence.”

The Office of External Affairs was established in 2012 as the result of a merger between the Office of Development and the Office of Public Affairs. In the last two decades, Weill Cornell Medicine has raised approximately $3 billion to expand its clinical and translational research facilities, recruit leading physicians and scientists, enhance health care delivery for patients and modernize the medical school curriculum – transforming the institution into a leading global health care enterprise.

As vice provost, Veich will build on these successes to prime Weill Cornell Medicine for the next stage of its expansion. He will leverage the institution’s well-developed fundraising infrastructure and the abundant philanthropic potential that exists in New York to spark new investments that will advance Weill Cornell Medicine’s mission to care, discover and teach. He will also develop strategies for internal and external communications, marketing, government relations and community affairs that showcase Weill Cornell Medicine’s core mission to promote patient health.

A fundraising professional with more than 25 years of experience, Veich is an expert on institutional advancement for higher education institutions, academic medical centers and research institutes. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice, spending the next 14 years managing loss prevention programs for companies including Ann Taylor, Target and Contempo Casuals. In 2005, Veich joined Olivet College in Michigan as vice president of institutional advancement, where he was responsible for strategic planning and oversaw the college’s media relations, editorial and fundraising teams. He in 2009 was named senior director of development for the Frankel Cardiovascular Center at University of Michigan Health System, where he served for five years before leading Michigan Medicine as a managing director.

Alyssa Sunkin-Strube is newsroom manager for Weill Cornell Medicine.