Skorton, 69, a cardiologist and former president of Cornell, has been overseeing the Smithsonian’s 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and research centers since July 2015.
A professor of medicine and pediatrics and biomedical engineering during part of his career, Skorton will become president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges, a nonprofit organization based in Washington that represents medical schools, teaching hospitals and other health care organizations.
“Increasingly I had become concerned about the state of the health care enterprise in the United States,” he said in an interview, explaining that he was especially concerned about problems of equal access to health care and diversity among health care providers.
It was a difficult decision to leave the Smithsonian, he said, but the association “is an organization that looks those issues squarely in the face.” His last day will be June 15, 2019; he said he would use the next six months to help with the transition to a new leader.
Skorton, who previously served on the board of the association of medical colleges, succeeded G. Wayne Clough, another former university president, who led the Smithsonian for seven years.
During Skorton’s four-year tenure, he oversaw important milestones, including the opening of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in 2016, and the completion of a $1.88 billion capital campaign. He also was in charge of the Smithsonian’s strategic plan, which includes ambitions to reach a greater audience. He said he was proud of the Smithsonian’s collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, a project that will give the Smithsonian its first permanent gallery abroad.
He said he had also made progress on diversity, including initiating the women’s history initiative, “Because of Her Story,” to tell a more complete account of women’s achievements in the United States. He said he calculated that, during his term, 70 percent of new hires at director level had been women or people of color, including the first female director of the National Air and Space Museum and the first woman to be named director of the Museum of American History, an appointment announced this month.
David Rubenstein, chairman of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents, said that the news that Skorton would be departing had been unexpected but that the board understood his passion for health care.
Even if it had been briefer than they had expected, “there is no question his was a successful tenure,” said the board’s vice-chairman, Steve Case.
Rubenstein said the search for a replacement would start soon with the formation of a search committee, and would probably take four to six months. Case added that among the qualities the Smithsonian was seeking would be those of a “transformational leader.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.