Brian Dean, MBA, MPH, is executive vice president for health affairs at UTHealth Houston and strategic advisor for the Office of Health Affairs at The University of Texas System. Appointed to the UTHealth Houston position in March 2024, Dean is a key leader in charting the path for the development of the university’s health care platform — with a focus on strategic growth of its clinical footprint and infrastructure and ensuring that delivery models are responsive to the needs of local communities as well as patients from across the globe.
Additionally, Dean is serving as interim executive vice president for health affairs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, another institution of the UT System. He is helping to establish UTRGV’s Division of Health Affairs, a cohesive, integrated framework connecting education, research, and patient care across that institution’s health-focused schools and colleges in South Texas.
Dean has more than 25 years of experience leading health systems across the country. He spent seven years as a leader within the Memorial Hermann Health System — including as chief executive officer of the Texas Medical Center campus, executive vice president for academic affairs and service lines, and as chief financial officer for the system. Through the course of his career, he has also held top executive positions with Sutter Health in California, Jackson Health System and University Community Health in Florida, and the University of Kentucky’s Chandler Hospital.
Dean is a member of several organizations including the American College of Healthcare Executives, the United Health Consortium and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Dean earned his Bachelor of Health Science and Master of Public Health in health administration, both from the University of Kentucky, and received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami.