In memoriam: Roger James Bulger, MD
Roger James Bulger, MD, former president of UTHealth Houston, died June 13 at the age of 91. A nationally respected physician and health policy leader, Bulger served as second president of the institution from 1978 to 1988, guiding the university through a period of significant academic and clinical expansion.
“Dr. Bulger was a dedicated leader, a humanitarian, and a giant in academic health care,” said Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of Academic and Faculty Affairs and holder of the Roger J. Bulger, MD, Distinguished Professorship at UTHealth Houston. “I am inspired by his legacy of service and compassion for others and am compelled to live up to the example he set for servant leadership at UTHealth Houston.”
During his decade-long tenure, Bulger launched initiatives that advanced interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and public health. Under his leadership, UTHealth Houston recruited nationally recognized faculty and developed programs that integrated the arts, humanities, and medicine.
He also established a campuswide, closed-circuit television network that hosted conversations with prominent thought leaders. Known for his forward-thinking approach to academic medicine, Bulger prioritized access to care for underserved communities and worked to align institutional priorities with broader societal needs.
Before coming to UTHealth Houston, Bulger served as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center at Worcester and as dean of its medical school. Earlier in his career, he was the first executive officer of the National Academy of Medicine from 1972 to 1976. He held tenured faculty posts in internal medicine, community medicine, and public health at four different universities. His clinical research, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, focused on infectious diseases and the pharmacology of antibiotics.
After leaving UTHealth Houston, Bulger became president and CEO of the Association of Academic Health Centers in Washington, D.C., a role he held for nearly two decades beginning in 1988. He remained an influential voice in national health policy and academic health advocacy. He also served on numerous National Academy of Medicine advisory committees, including those focused on maternal and child health care and regional data networks.
Bulger authored many articles on health systems and medical ethics. His books include “In Search of the Modern Hippocrates: Technology, Bureaucracy and Healing in America” and “The Quest for Mercy.”
He was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the American College of Internal Medicine. He served on the board of the Association for Health Services Research and was its president from 1992 to 1993.
Bulger was the recipient of numerous honors, including honorary degrees from Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Maryland. He graduated from Harvard University in 1955 and Harvard Medical School in 1960, and he studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge from 1955 to 1956.
A service in memory of Bulger will be held Tuesday, July 29 at 4 p.m. A livestream of the service will be available.