David Skorton

David Skorton is secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a position he has held since July 2015 and the first physician to serve in the role. He was previously president of Cornell University for nine years. Prior to that, he was president of University of Iowa for three years and a faculty member for 26 years, co-founding and co-directing the University of Iowa Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic. Skorton was also charter president of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs. An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has served on several boards and committees.