Medical Director
Robert B. Vowels, MD, MPH has over twenty-five years of experience in the health care industry. Currently he serves as the Medical Director for the District of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF). In this capacity, Dr. Vowels is responsible for the medical administration of the District of Columbia’s Title XIX (Medicaid), SCHIP, and Alliance Programs. As the Medical Director of the DC Medicaid Program, he develops and maintains professional relationships with the provider community and other professional organizations. He also collaborates with DHCF senior staff on peer review and quality improvement activities; and, conducts medical reviews, medical necessity, prior authorization and individual consideration determinations. Dr. Vowels also collaborates and advises the Director and DHCF senior staff on policy development including the development of medical necessity criteria, patient safety and health technology assessments. The Medical Director of the DHCF also serves as Chairperson of the DC Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees and advises the Director on the maintenance of the DHCF formularies and Preferred Drug List.
He formerly served in a number of leadership positions at the District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH) including Senior Deputy Director of the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration and Deputy Director for the HIV/AIDS Administration. While at DOH, he advised the Director of the Department of Health in many matters that affect public health and safety.
Dr. Vowels also advised DOH in bioterrorism preparedness and response. He participated in the development of, and serves as the designated Material Co-Manager for, the District of Columbia’s Strategic National Stockpile. Dr. Vowels also served on the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Task Force of the National Capital Region Strategic National Stockpile.
In October 2001, Dr. Vowels served as one of the Incident Commanders for the anthrax evaluation and dispensing unit that treated 18,000 people in two weeks. Dr. Vowels served on the Department of Health’s Scientific Advisory Committee for the decontamination of the US Postal Service Brentwood Postal Facility in Washington, DC and Co-Chaired the Environmental Clearance Committee, which was responsible for advising the U.S. Postal Service in environmental clearance of the facility.
Dr. Vowels is a physician trained in internal medicine. He is a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners. He received his MD from the University of Miami and completed his residency training with the Georgetown University. In addition to his MD, he received a Master of Public Health from the George Washington University with a concentration in clinical administration. Dr. Vowels possesses a license to practice medicine in the District of Columbia and the State of Florida. Dr. Vowels has also received training as an Administrator for assisted living facilities in the State of Florida.
Before coming to the Department of Health, Dr. Vowels was President and COO of the Greater Southeast Healthcare System’s Long Term Care Division - a $38 million network of senior services programs. This network included three long term care facilities, three award winning community-based programs, independent and assisted living facilities and a wellness center.
Dr. Vowels formerly served as Physician Advisor for Quality Improvement at the District of Columbia General Hospital where he developed and implemented quality improvement programs for 37 clinical departments and ancillary services.
As a former member of the clinical faculty of the Georgetown University, Dr. Vowels served in a number of leadership positions including Chief of the Ambulatory Care and Emergency Center at the District of Columbia General Hospital. During his tenure, he supervised one of the busiest emergency rooms in the city – seeing over 100,000 visits per year, and as Medical Director of the Washington Center for Aging Services, a 400 bed long term care facility.
Dr. Vowels has served as a charter member of the Mayor’s Health Policy Council and a number of Mayoral boards and commissions. Dr. Vowels has served on the District of Columbia Board of Medicine representing the Statutory Member of this Board. He has also served as a member of the Mayor’s Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Advisory Committee, and the District of Columbia Police and Firefighters Retirement and Relief Fund Board. This board has jurisdiction given by the Congress of the United States in matters pertaining to retirement, disability and survivorship for members of the District of Columbia Fire/EMS department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the United States Park Police, and the United States Secret Service.
Dr. Vowels is a lifetime member of the Tenth Anniversary Class of Leadership Greater Washington.