History of the Office
Baylor College of Medicine is proud of its legacy of leadership. Today, the College is considered one of the nation's leading academic medical centers thanks to the vision and leadership of its presidents: Michael E. DeBakey, M.D. (1969-1979), William T. Butler, M.D. (1979-1996), Ralph D. Feigin, M.D., (1996-2003).
Peter G. Traber, M.D., BCM's fourth president, is building on this foundation of excellence as he guides the College to even greater levels of achievement in the new century.
Former Baylor Presidents
Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.
In 1968, Baylor University Board of Trustees appointed Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., the chairman of the Department of Surgery, to the position of vice president for Medical Affairs and shortly thereafter, Baylor College of Medicine became a stand-alone medical school. The following year, the College's Board of Trustees invited him to become the school's first president, and in that role, he convinced the Texas Legislature that state money would be well spent in training Texas students to be doctors in a private medical school. In addition, he sought federal dollars to expand the school's research program and help to raise $30 million to ease the College's debts in the late 1960s. In 1979, Dr. DeBakey relinquished the presidency to be the College's first chancellor and accepted the role of chancellor emeritus in 1996.
William T. Butler, M.D.
William T. Butler, M.D., a distinguished immunologist, joined BCM in 1966, and during the following decades he served the College in a variety of roles, including associate dean and dean of admissions. In 1976, he was named acting executive vice president and dean, and in 1977, he became executive vice president and dean. Two years later, Dr. Butler was named president and chief executive officer of the College, and served in that position for almost 17 years. During that time, he led the College in a period of unprecedented growth and national and international recognition. He assumed the post of chancellor of the school in 1996 and was named chancellor emeritus in 2004.
Ralph D. Feigin, M.D.
Ralph D. Feigin, M.D., came to Baylor in 1977 as the H.S. Abercrombie Professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and as physician-in-chief of Texas Children's Hospital. In 1987, he became interim executive director at Texas Children's and continued in that role for two years. In January 1996, Dr. Feigin was named Baylor College of Medicine's third president, a post he held along with his pediatric chairmanship and position as physician-in-chief at Texas Children's. A long-time children's advocate, he was honored, in 2002, by the City of Houston for his 25 years of service to children.