Empathy in action: VCU Health's CEO reflects on his first year on the job
Whether leading strategic conversations or visiting patients with his therapy dog, Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, embodies his belief that health care is about human connection.
December 16, 2025
Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, has served as CEO of VCU Health and senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences since November 2024. (Enterprise Marketing and Communications)
By Brita Allen
Throughout his time as senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health, Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, continues to be astonished by the depth and breadth of the work happening across the VCU enterprise, clinically and through research and education. Levy, who was recently named as one of 95 academic medical center CEOs to Know for 2025 by Becker’s Healthcare, stepped in as interim CEO in 2022 and gained the official title in November 2024. He remembers that moment as more meaningful than he had expected.
“It’s such a privilege, particularly for someone like me who’s had a career as a clinician,” Levy added.
Levy came to VCU in 2015 as a transplant surgeon where he was named the David M. Hume endowed professor, followed by chair of the Division of Transplant Surgery and then director of the VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center. Just before taking the interim CEO role, Levy served as the chief medical officer for VCU Medical Center.
Humility is an essential value that our leaders have to have, treating people with respect and understanding what our ‘why’ is.
Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health
This past year was marked by exciting developments and new challenges, which he met with a steadfast commitment to protecting and advancing the mission of the academic health system. Early on in his tenure, not one, but two, water crises struck Richmond city and left VCU Medical Center without water for several days. Levy empowered teams to find innovative solutions to ensure patients could still receive care while facilities remained under boil water advisories.
“Faced with an enormous challenge, our team members came together to keep our patients and staff safe,” he said. “It was an incredible display of determination and commitment to our VCU Health community.”
To effectively navigate an evolving health care landscape of shifting demands and uncertainties, Levy steered leaders to focus on making sustainable and efficient performance improvements across the health system to maintain VCU Health’s strong financial position. He was proud to participate in the groundbreaking of a new VCU Health ambulatory surgical center and medical office building in Chesterfield, which will bring specialty, routine and surgical care closer to many patients in the highly populated county.
VCU and VCU Health leadership broke ground on a new health care facility in Chesterfield County on May 19, 2025. Construction for the four-story complex is set to begin in the fall. (Tom Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)
Understanding the health system
After years of being “heads down” in the transplant world, becoming the CEO of the university-based health system opened his eyes to how complex it is – and how he’s just scratched the surface in knowing all the incredible things happening here every day.
“My universe is the entire enterprise,” Levy said.
When asked to choose one research breakthrough or clinical solution that he’s particularly excited about, he likened it to asking which one of his five children is his favorite. He couldn’t choose just one, he said, but added, “our ability to treat such a broad range of illnesses and human conditions is simply fantastic.”
Levy understands how hard each one of our VCU Health team members works to make that happen. “What sets VCU Health and VCU Health Sciences apart is a sense of mission,” he said. In other words, empathy and a sense of understanding. Patients come to VCU Health in need of help or facing what could be the worst day of their lives, and Levy sees our team members internalizing a purpose of trying to make things better for them. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
(Taylor MacKillop, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)
A mission to remember
As a leader, Levy prioritizes a supportive workplace culture by modeling it himself. That means shifting his actions, mindset and communication to drive and promote a healthy culture in big and small ways. “Humility is an essential value that our leaders have to have, treating people with respect and understanding what our ‘why’ is.”
He pushes his leadership team and anyone he meets across the health system to remain “absolutely resolute” in our mission. How? By improving access to care so that we may always be able to say “yes” to any patient who comes to VCU Health.
VCU Health CEO Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, and his therapy dog, Charlie, recently joined Dogs on Call, a program that coordinates therapy dog visits with patients, students and team members. (Contributed photo)
“That’s when we’ve hit the sweet spot in terms of how far we should go to keep doing the work we’re doing,” Levy said.
That unwavering commitment is also going to lead to growth and transformation for VCU Health. Levy is spearheading multiple opportunities to update and expand facilities, improve patient flow and optimize resources, all while maintaining an outstanding quality of care for patients. He vows to remain relentless in these efforts to make sure all patients can be well cared for here at VCU Health.
Connections are key
Outside of VCU, Levy enjoys being at home with his family and pets. He recently discovered that he could take his love of spending time with his labradoodle, Charlie, to work by volunteering with VCU’s Dogs on Call program. While he’s known about the benefits of the hospital-based therapy dog program for years, being a volunteer helps him appreciate the health system and its people in a new way.
“When I bring Charlie to work, I get to see parts of the organization and interact with patients in a way that I, as the CEO wearing my jacket and badge, never would,” Levy said.
Experiencing the joy that he and Charlie bring to patients and team members while he volunteers is both affirming and incredibly nurturing, he added.
As he reflects on his time as CEO, Levy remains grounded in the belief that health care is, at its core, about human connection. Whether he's leading strategic transformation or walking hospital halls with his dog Charlie, Levy is committed to building a culture of empathy, excellence, and purpose. He invites every team member to join him in that mission — one conversation, one patient, one moment of care at a time. So, if you see him around VCU Health, don’t hesitate to say hello. He’ll be glad you did.
