Chairman
Charles B. Cairns, MD
Internationally recognized leader in emergency medicine and academic health systems, Dr. Cairns integrates research, clinical excellence, and institutional strategy to advance medicine at scale.
About Dr. Cairns
Dr. Charles B. Cairns serves as Chairman of the Eureka Institute for Translational Medicine and is the Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean of the College of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at Drexel University.
A nationally and internationally respected physician-scientist and executive leader, Dr. Cairns has shaped academic medicine through institutional transformation, research leadership, and health system innovation. He has led major university-hospital partnerships, expanded regional medical campuses across multiple states, and strengthened translational research capacity within integrated health systems.
Previously, as dean at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, he guided a 1.2 billion dollar merger with Banner Health, creating one of the largest nonprofit academic health systems in the United States. His leadership spans roles at the United Arab Emirates University, the University of North Carolina, and Duke University, where he directed emergency medicine research at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
A leader in emergency medicine and critical care science, Dr. Cairns has directed national clinical trials groups, led federal biopreparedness initiatives, and spearheaded major COVID-19 research efforts funded by NIH and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
As Chairman of Eureka, Dr. Cairns provides strategic oversight and governance leadership, ensuring that the Institute’s mission advances at the intersection of science, clinical impact, and global collaboration.
Key Highlights:
Dean and Senior Vice President Leading Academic Health Enterprise Strategy
Architect of Major Academic Health System Partnerships and Mergers
National Leader in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Research
Principal Investigator on NIH and Gates Foundation Initiatives
Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
As Chairman, Dr. Cairns is committed to building institutions that translate discovery into action. He believes the future of medicine depends on aligning research excellence, clinical systems, and leadership development at scale.
