Katrina Armstrong

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Katrina Armstrong
Armstrong in 2015
Katrina Armstrong
BirthplaceNew Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
OccupationPhysician, academic administrator, researcher
TitleCEO, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences, Columbia University
Known forFirst woman to serve as interim president of Columbia University; first woman Physician-in-Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital
EducationYale University (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
University of Pennsylvania (MS)
Spouse(s)Thomas Randall
AwardsNational Academy of Medicine (2013)
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2020)

Katrina Alison Armstrong is an American physician, medical researcher, and academic administrator who serves as the chief executive officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences at Columbia University. A specialist in internal medicine and clinical epidemiology whose research has focused on breast cancer risk, medical decision-making, and health disparities, Armstrong has held leadership positions at several of the nation's most prominent academic medical institutions. She became the first woman to hold the position of Physician-in-Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2013 and the first woman to lead Columbia's medical school and medical center upon her appointment in 2022. From August 14, 2024, to March 28, 2025, she served as interim president of Columbia University, stepping into the role following the resignation of Minouche Shafik during a period of intense national debate over campus protests and antisemitism. Armstrong was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2013 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020, reflecting the breadth of her contributions to medicine and public health.[1][2]

Early Life

Katrina Armstrong was born in New Haven, Connecticut.[3] She attended Indian Springs School, a college preparatory boarding and day school located near Birmingham, Alabama.[4] Details about her family background and childhood have not been widely documented in public sources.

During her years in medical school and residency in Baltimore, Armstrong experienced formative professional challenges. As reported by Inside Higher Ed, her time in Baltimore during the early years of her medical training coincided with periods of social crisis, which later informed her approach to leadership during institutional upheaval.[3]

Education

Armstrong earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University.[5] She subsequently received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.[5] She also earned a Master of Science (MS) degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where she received training in clinical epidemiology, a field that would become central to her research career.[6]

Career

University of Pennsylvania

Armstrong began her academic medical career at the University of Pennsylvania, where she joined the faculty of the Perelman School of Medicine. Over the course of more than a decade at Penn, she established herself as a productive researcher and educator with a focus on clinical epidemiology, cancer screening, medical decision-making, and racial and ethnic disparities in health care.[6]

During her time at Penn, Armstrong received multiple research awards and grants. In the 2000–2001 academic year, she was recognized with a research foundation award.[7] She received additional research foundation awards in subsequent years, reflecting sustained extramural funding for her investigations.[8][9]

By 2004, Armstrong had risen to a prominent position within the Penn Medicine community. She was profiled in the University of Pennsylvania Almanac as an emerging leader in academic medicine.[10] She was featured in the Almanac on multiple occasions in subsequent years, including in 2005 and 2006, indicating continued recognition of her contributions to research and teaching.[11][12][13]

Armstrong was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), a distinction awarded to physician-scientists who have made significant contributions to biomedical research.[14]

In 2009, Armstrong was involved in a major research initiative supported by the National Cancer Institute, further underscoring her role as a leader in cancer-related clinical research at Penn.[15]

In 2008, her work was featured in the University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging newsletter, reflecting her engagement with research on aging and its intersection with cancer screening and health care delivery.[16]

In 2011, Armstrong was among Penn Medicine physicians who received significant professional recognition.[17]

Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

In 2013, Armstrong left the University of Pennsylvania to join Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School. She was appointed as the Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Medicine at MGH, becoming the first woman to hold that position in the hospital's history, which dates to 1811.[18] The appointment was noted as a landmark in the history of one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States.

At Harvard Medical School, Armstrong held a faculty appointment and continued her research into cancer screening, shared decision-making, and health care disparities. Her election to the National Academy of Medicine (then the Institute of Medicine) came in 2013, the same year she assumed the MGH leadership role, in recognition of her contributions to clinical medicine and research.[1]

A 2017 profile in Hopkins Medicine Magazine described her career trajectory from Johns Hopkins trainee to chief of medicine at one of the Harvard-affiliated hospitals, emphasizing her achievements in academic medicine and institutional leadership.[19]

In 2020, Armstrong was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious honorary societies in the United States.[2]

During her tenure at MGH and Harvard, Armstrong also received the Penn LDI Pioneer Award from the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, shared with Patrick Conway, in recognition of her contributions to health services research and policy.[20]

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Armstrong was appointed as the chief executive officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences at Columbia University, including the deanship of the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S). She became the first woman to lead Columbia's medical school and medical center.[21]

In these roles, Armstrong oversaw one of the largest academic medical enterprises in the United States, encompassing the medical school, schools of nursing and public health, dental medicine, and affiliated clinical operations. Her responsibilities included management of research programs, clinical care, and the educational mission of the health sciences faculties.

Interim President of Columbia University

On August 14, 2024, Armstrong was named interim president of Columbia University, following the resignation of President Minouche Shafik.[22] Shafik had resigned amid controversy over the university's response to campus protests related to the Israel–Hamas conflict and allegations of antisemitism on campus. Armstrong stepped into the role at a time of significant institutional turbulence, with the university facing scrutiny from students, faculty, the public, and the federal government.[22][23]

The Columbia Daily Spectator described Armstrong's presidency as having "a fraught beginning and a sudden end," noting that she unexpectedly stepped into the role and navigated seven months of challenges that included ongoing campus tensions, federal investigations, and questions about the university's handling of antisemitism.[22]

On March 7, 2025, Armstrong publicly expressed her commitment to working with the administration of President Donald Trump, a statement that came as Columbia faced federal scrutiny and potential consequences regarding research funding.[3] The interaction with the federal government included a deposition or interview with a federal task force investigating antisemitism at Columbia. According to The New York Times, Armstrong told the task force she could not remember details from the university's report on antisemitism or her response to it, a disclosure that drew public attention.[23]

On March 28, 2025, Armstrong was succeeded as interim president by Claire Shipman, co-chair of Columbia University's board of trustees, who assumed the role in an acting capacity.[22]

Return to Medical Center Leadership

Following her departure from the interim presidency, Armstrong took a sabbatical. In May 2025, it was reported that she would return to her roles at CUIMC.[24] In August 2025, Columbia University Irving Medical Center confirmed that Armstrong was returning from her sabbatical to resume her roles as dean of VP&S, CEO of CUIMC, and executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences at Columbia.[21]

Research and Public Engagement

Throughout her career, Armstrong has maintained an active research portfolio focused on cancer screening, breast cancer risk assessment, medical decision-making, and disparities in health care. Her work on breast density as a factor in cancer screening has been a recurring subject of her research and public commentary. In a piece published by ACP Journals (Annals of Internal Medicine), Armstrong discussed the clinical and policy complexities surrounding breast density screening, framing it as a significant topic in women's health.[25]

In December 2025, Armstrong delivered a lecture at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health titled "The state of biomedical science—the past, present, and path forward," in which she explored the factors behind the growth of biomedical science and the challenges facing the field. She characterized the current moment as one of "extraordinary opportunity but extraordinary fragility" for biomedicine.[26][27]

Armstrong's scholarly output is indexed under her ORCID identifier.[28]

Personal Life

Armstrong is married to Thomas Randall.[3] Further details about her personal life, including the number of children, have not been extensively documented in public sources. She resides in the New York City area in connection with her roles at Columbia University.

Recognition

Armstrong has received numerous awards and honors over the course of her career. Among the most notable:

  • National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine): Elected in 2013, one of five Harvard Medical School faculty members elected that year.[1]
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Elected in 2020, one of six Harvard Medical School faculty members elected that year.[2]
  • American Society for Clinical Investigation: Elected as a member in recognition of her contributions to biomedical research.[29]
  • Penn LDI Pioneer Award: Received from the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.[30]
  • First woman Physician-in-Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, appointed in 2013.[18]
  • First woman to lead Columbia University's medical school and medical center.[21]
  • Multiple research foundation awards from the University of Pennsylvania during her tenure on the faculty there.

Armstrong's leadership appointments at MGH and Columbia have been noted as milestones for women in academic medicine, as she was the first woman to hold senior leadership positions at institutions with histories spanning more than two centuries.

Legacy

Armstrong's career spans several of the most prominent academic medical institutions in the United States—the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Columbia University. Her repeated appointment as the first woman to hold major leadership positions at MGH and Columbia has been noted by observers of academic medicine as reflecting broader changes in the field's leadership demographics.[18][21]

Her research contributions in clinical epidemiology, cancer screening, and health care disparities have been recognized through her elections to the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her 2025 lecture at Harvard on the state of biomedical science, in which she described the field as facing both "extraordinary opportunity" and "extraordinary fragility," attracted coverage from Harvard Magazine and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, suggesting her continued influence as a commentator on science policy and the future of biomedical research.[31]

Armstrong's seven-month tenure as interim president of Columbia University, during one of the most contentious periods in the institution's recent history, placed her at the center of national debates about campus speech, antisemitism, and the relationship between universities and the federal government. The Columbia Daily Spectator and The New York Times provided extensive coverage of her presidency, documenting both the challenges she faced and the controversies that marked her time in the role.[22][23] Her return to the medical center leadership in 2025 indicated her ongoing commitment to academic medicine and institutional administration at Columbia.[21]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Institute of Medicine Elects 5 HMS".Harvard Medical School.https://hms.harvard.edu/news/institute-medicine-elects-5-hms.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Six HMS Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences".Harvard Medical School.https://hms.harvard.edu/news/six-hms-elected-american-academy-arts-sciences.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Who Is Katrina Armstrong?".Inside Higher Ed.2025-03-20.https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2025/03/20/who-katrina-armstrong.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. ↑ "Katrina Armstrong".Indian Springs School.https://www.indiansprings.org/list-detail?pk=169671.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Beyond the Dome: Katrina Armstrong".Johns Hopkins Medicine.https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/beyond-the-dome-katrina-armstrong.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Katrina Armstrong Faculty Profile".University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g346/p7821.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ↑ "Research Foundation Awards".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/v47/n06/RFawards.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. ↑ "Research Foundation Awards".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/v48/n21/RF-Awards.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Medical School Awards".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/v49/n31/med_awards.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ↑ "Katrina Armstrong Profile".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v51/n02/k_arm.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. ↑ "Honors & Other Things".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v51/n15/hot.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ↑ "Honors & Other Things".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v53/n10/hot.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ↑ "Honors & Other Things".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v53/n05/hot.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  14. ↑ "ASCI Member Profile: Katrina Armstrong".American Society for Clinical Investigation.https://www.the-asci.org/controllers/asci/AsciProfileController.php?pid=500481.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  15. ↑ "NCI Grant".University of Pennsylvania Almanac.https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v55/n28/ncigrant.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  16. ↑ "IOA Newsletter Fall 2008".University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging.https://www.med.upenn.edu/aging/assets/user-content/documents/IOAnewsletterfall2008Final12308.pdf.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  17. ↑ "Penn Medicine Physicians Recognized".Penn Medicine.November 2011.https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2011/november/penn-medicine-physicians-recei.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "First Woman to Lead Mass. General Medicine Department".The Boston Globe.2013-01-24.https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2013/01/24/first-woman-to-lead-mass-general-medicine-department.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  19. ↑ "A Chief at Harvard".Hopkins Medicine Magazine.Winter 2017.https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/publications/hopkins_medicine_magazine/class_notes/winter-2017/a-chief-at-harvard.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Katrina Armstrong, Patrick Conway Receive Penn LDI Pioneer Award".Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania.https://ldi.upenn.edu/in-the-news/katrina-armstrong-patrick-conway-receive-penn-ldi-pioneer-award.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 "Leadership Update".Columbia University Irving Medical Center.2025-08-28.https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/leadership-update.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 "A fraught beginning and a sudden end: Seven months of Armstrong".Columbia Daily Spectator.2025-04-03.https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/04/03/a-fraught-beginning-and-a-sudden-end-seven-months-of-armstrong/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 "Columbia's Former Leader Faced Contentious Interview After Resigning".The New York Times.2025-04-07.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/nyregion/columbia-president-armstrong-federal-deposition.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  24. ↑ "Columbia's Armstrong to Return From Sabbatical as CEO of Medical Center".Washington Free Beacon.2025-05-12.https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbias-armstrong-to-return-as-ceo-of-medical-center/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  25. ↑ "The dilemma of breast density".ACP Journals.https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/acpi-201807-the-dilemma-of-breast-density.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  26. ↑ "The state of biomedical science—the past, present, and path forward".Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.2025-12-12.https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/the-state-of-biomedical-science-the-past-present-and-path-forward/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  27. ↑ "Where Does Biomedicine Go from Here?".Harvard Magazine.2025-12-16.https://www.harvardmagazine.com/health-medicine/harvard-lecture-on-the-state-of-biomedicine.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  28. ↑ "Katrina Armstrong ORCID".ORCID.https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5781-5970.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  29. ↑ "ASCI Member Profile: Katrina Armstrong".American Society for Clinical Investigation.https://www.the-asci.org/controllers/asci/AsciProfileController.php?pid=500481.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  30. ↑ "Katrina Armstrong, Patrick Conway Receive Penn LDI Pioneer Award".Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania.https://ldi.upenn.edu/in-the-news/katrina-armstrong-patrick-conway-receive-penn-ldi-pioneer-award.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  31. ↑ "Where Does Biomedicine Go from Here?".Harvard Magazine.2025-12-16.https://www.harvardmagazine.com/health-medicine/harvard-lecture-on-the-state-of-biomedicine.Retrieved 2026-02-24.

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