History of Katrina Armstrong in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 30, 2025

Katrina Alison Armstrong is an American physician who currently serves as the CEO of Irving Medical Center and the Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences at Columbia University. Notably, she held the position of interim president of Columbia University from August 2024 to March 2025.

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Full Timeline

1986: Graduated from Yale University

In 1986, Katrina Armstrong graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture.

1991: Earned M.D. from Johns Hopkins University

In 1991, Katrina Armstrong earned her M.D. from Johns Hopkins University.

1996: Joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at UPenn

In 1996, Katrina Armstrong joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) as a Physician-Scientist Fellow.

1998: Professorship position

In 1998, Katrina Armstrong accepted a professorship position at UPenn following her master's degree.

1998: Master of Science in clinical epidemiology

In 1998, Katrina Armstrong earned a Master of Science in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.

2003: Received the Leonard Berwick Award

In 2003, Katrina Armstrong received the Leonard Berwick Award for her teaching at UPenn.

September 7, 2004: Appointed Director of Research

On September 7, 2004, Katrina Armstrong was appointed the Director of Research at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics.

2006: Elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation

In 2006, Katrina Armstrong was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation for her records of scholarly achievement in biomedical research.

2008: Appointed Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine

In 2008, Katrina Armstrong was appointed Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Penn School of Medicine.

2011: Received grant from the National Cancer Institute

By 2011, Katrina Armstrong and Mitchell Schnall received a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to create the Penn Center for Innovation in Personalized Breast Cancer Screening.

2013: Chair of medicine and physician-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital

In 2013, Katrina Armstrong was appointed chair of medicine and physician-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), becoming the first woman to hold the position.

2013: Elected to the National Academy of Medicine

In 2013, Katrina Armstrong was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

2017: Received UPenn's Pioneer Award

In 2017, Katrina Armstrong received UPenn's Pioneer Award for her achievements and rise to some of the highest health care posts in government and academic medicine.

2020: Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

In 2020, Katrina Armstrong was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

March 1, 2022: CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center

On March 1, 2022, Katrina Armstrong became the chief executive officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

August 14, 2024: Interim President of Columbia University

On August 14, 2024, Katrina Armstrong became the interim president of Columbia University, following the resignation of Minouche Shafik.

August 2024: CEO of Irving Medical Center and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences

In August 2024, Katrina Armstrong became the CEO of Irving Medical Center and the dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences at Columbia University.

September 2024: Apologized to pro-Palestinian students

In September 2024, Katrina Armstrong apologized to pro-Palestinian students and others "hurt" by mass arrests conducted by the NYPD at Columbia's behest earlier in the year.

March 7, 2025: Commitment to working with the government of Donald Trump

On March 7, 2025, Katrina Armstrong expressed her commitment to working with the government of Donald Trump.

March 2025: Served as interim president

From August 2024 to March 2025, Katrina Armstrong served as interim president of Columbia University.

March 2025: Campus remained closed to the public

In March 2025, as of Katrina Armstrong's resignation, Columbia's campus continued to remain closed to the public without a scheduled appointment.

March 28, 2025: Replaced as interim president

On March 28, 2025, the Columbia University Board of Trustees announced that Katrina Armstrong was replaced as interim president by journalist Claire Shipman.