Dr. Salim Hayek has always been driven by a fundamental understanding: not everyone has equal access to health and safety, and those who can make a difference have a responsibility to act.
Growing up in Lebanon during a time of civil unrest, Hayek witnessed the stark reality that safety and health are not guaranteed to everyone. As a child, he saw neighbors and friends whose lives were upended by forces entirely beyond their control—families displaced, communities torn apart, and people struggling without access to basic care. These early experiences didn't burden him with guilt, but instead awakened something deeper: a profound understanding that those who have the means to help others have a responsibility to do so.
"I've always wanted to have an impact," Hayek reflects. "All I wanted to do, even as a child, was to help others that are less fortunate. That's why I became a physician—because I found that through knowledge, science, and hard work, we can improve people's lives."
Today, as interim Chair of Internal Medicine and Vice President Chief Transformation Officer at UTMB, Dr. Hayek is channeling that lifelong commitment to service into one of health care's most ambitious undertakings: transforming UTMB into the first AI-powered health system in Texas.
From Clinical Excellence to Scientific Discovery
Dr. Hayek's journey of service began at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, where he completed both his undergraduate work and earned his MD in 2008. Recognizing the importance of broadening his scientific horizons to increase his impact, he ventured to Canada for his postdoctoral fellowship in cardiac development and differentiation at the University of Ottawa, working alongside Dr. Mona Nemer, now the chief science officer for the Canadian government.
"That's where I really got my hands dirty in basic science," he recalls. This foundation in research would prove crucial as his career evolved from clinical practice to scientific leadership with global reach.
The next chapter brought him to Emory University in Atlanta, where he spent eight transformative years training as a cardiovascular specialist in cardio oncology. "That's where my research career launched in which we made major discoveries linking the immune system to both kidney and cardiovascular disease," he explains.
During this period, Dr. Hayek's research team made groundbreaking advances in understanding how inflammation, through a key pathogenic protein called suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor) contributes to organ damage. The discovery of this crucial link between cardiac and renal disease has opened new possibilities for preventing and treating conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes, potentially impacting millions of patients across the world.
His contributions to medical science have been substantial: over 200 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, with his work cited more than 20,000 times by other researchers. His scientific excellence has been recognized with numerous honors, including the American College of Cardiology's Douglas P. Zipes Distinguished Young Scientist Award and the Jerome W. Conn Award for Excellence in Research.
But Dr. Hayek's vision extended beyond individual discoveries.
"I realized that through science and research, I'm able to impact a much larger group of folks by developing new therapeutics or new strategies to improve clinical care," he said. This realization led him to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he built the cardio oncology program and established a robust research enterprise investigating inflammation as a root cause of heart and kidney disease.
His transition to medical director for Michigan's Frankel Cardiovascular Center—the largest multidisciplinary heart center in the system—demonstrated his ability to translate scientific rigor into operational excellence. Under his guidance, patient satisfaction improved and care teams operated more effectively through data-driven approaches to optimize workflows and innovative compensation models.
"But that's also why I became a scientist," he added, reflecting on his expanding scope of impact. "And now, as an administrator, I find the potential to further improve not just how we provide care, but the quality of our care and how our employees are fulfilled in accomplishing our goals of clinical care, education and research. It's tremendously fulfilling and indeed meets my urge to have an impact on those around me."
The Call to Transformation at UTMB
When UTMB recruited Dr. Hayek as Chief Transformation Officer in March 2024, adding the interim chair of Internal Medicine role just two months later, they were seeking someone who could bridge clinical excellence with visionary leadership.
"And now, as an administrator, I find the potential to further improve not just how we provide care, but the quality of our care and how our employees are fulfilled in accomplishing our goals of clinical care, education and research," he explains. "It's tremendously fulfilling and indeed meets my urge to have an impact on those around me."
Dr. Hayek has identified three strategic priorities that will define UTMB's transformation: revamping the institution's compensation plan, integrating artificial intelligence thoughtfully across operations, and strengthening clinical research infrastructure. Each initiative reflects his commitment to enabling healthcare providers to operate at the highest level of their expertise.
Enabling Excellence Through Operational Innovation
Central to Dr. Hayek's transformation vision is reimagining how academic medical centers can create optimal conditions for delivering exceptional patient care. Drawing from his experience at Michigan, where he successfully led operational improvements at the cardiovascular center, he's pioneering novel approaches to faculty compensation and clinical operations at UTMB.
"One of the major challenges currently plaguing the health care sector is a shortage of health care personnel and a significant burnout rate due to the large administrative burden," Dr. Hayek observes. His solution involves systematically removing barriers that prevent physicians and healthcare workers from focusing on what they do best: caring for patients.
At UTMB, this translates into innovative compensation models that align faculty incentives with quality outcomes and academic excellence, while leveraging technology—including artificial intelligence—to streamline administrative tasks. "AI is the most important breakthrough of our lifetime, akin to the development of the internet," he notes, but he views it as one tool among many for creating more efficient, physician-friendly operations.
Working with UTMB's newly created AI Council, Dr. Hayek is developing strategies that automate routine tasks, reduce documentation burden, and provide clinical decision support—all designed to free physicians to operate at the top of their scope. "Our vision is for UTMB to be the first AI-powered health care system in Texas," he explains, "but the goal isn't technology for its own sake—it's about removing barriers between physician and patient."
Leveraging Academic Excellence for Patient Care
Dr. Hayek recognizes that UTMB's academic mission provides unique advantages for delivering superior healthcare. Unlike purely clinical settings, academic medical centers can integrate cutting-edge research, innovative education, and clinical excellence in ways that benefit patients directly.
"What we want to accelerate is the translation of research findings to clinical practice," he explains. His approach involves creating operational structures that support faculty in their multiple roles as clinicians, researchers, and educators, while ensuring that this academic depth translates into better patient outcomes.
The compensation innovations he's implementing are designed to reward not just clinical productivity, but also the teaching, research, and quality improvement work that distinguishes academic medicine. This holistic approach acknowledges that the best healthcare often emerges from environments where discovery, education, and patient care reinforce each other.
A Vision Grounded in Human Connection and Academic Excellence
Despite his enthusiasm for technological innovation, Dr. Hayek maintains a firmly human-centered perspective on healthcare transformation—a perspective shaped by his early understanding of how systems and structures can better serve those most in need.
"It's important to note that AI would not replace physicians—at least not in our lifetimes—but will enable physicians to operate at the top of their scope," he emphasizes. This philosophy extends beyond technology to encompass his broader approach to operational excellence and faculty empowerment.
His vision for UTMB leverages the institution's academic strengths to create an environment where clinical excellence, research innovation, and educational mission reinforce each other. By redesigning compensation structures and operational processes, he aims to help faculty and staff focus on what they do best while reducing the administrative friction that often impedes both patient care and professional satisfaction.
"UTMB sits at a very important cross point and carries tremendous potential in health care innovation," he explains. "When I joined UTMB I discovered that we have tremendous expertise across many areas—not just in artificial intelligence, but in clinical excellence, education, and research. My role is bringing together these strengths to improve how we serve our patients and our community."
Recognizing UTMB's Unique Potential
Dr. Hayek sees UTMB as uniquely positioned to lead healthcare's transformation. "UTMB sits at a very important cross point and carries tremendous potential in health care innovation," he explains. "When I joined UTMB I discovered that we have a tremendous amount of people who are experts in artificial intelligence and who are on the forefront of using tools like large language models and machine learning to develop both programs and applications that can help us in our missions of clinical care, research and education."
For him, innovation serves as the thread that weaves together UTMB's diverse strengths—from clinical excellence and cutting-edge research to educational leadership and operational efficiency. His transformation initiatives are designed to accelerate the translation of research findings to clinical practice while creating sustainable systems that support both outstanding patient care and professional fulfillment for UTMB's faculty and staff.
The Work Ahead
Dr. Hayek's journey from medical student in Lebanon to transformation leader at UTMB reflects the evolution of a physician who has consistently sought ways to expand his impact on patient care. At UTMB, he is working alongside talented colleagues to implement changes that could improve how healthcare is delivered.
The transformation initiatives he leads require collaboration across departments and disciplines, recognizing that meaningful change happens through collective effort. His work represents an ambitious undertaking that will require sustained effort, careful implementation, and continuous learning from one of healthcare's most dedicated servant-leaders.
To hear more about Dr. Hayek's vision and leadership philosophy, click here to watch his Leadership Moment video featured in the Health System Heartbeat newsletter.