VA Boston Healthcare System

Michael M. Lawson, MPA, Director

Mr. Lawson’s government career spans more than three decades, beginning with his service as an infantry officer in Vietnam. Subsequently, he was awarded a Masters in Public Administration and began his VA service as a Federal Management Intern at the Albany VA. Since that time, Mr. Lawson has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility including an appointment to the Senior Executive Service in 1981 in Washington D.C., and in1989 as Medical Center Director in Canandaigua New York. He was promoted to Director of Brockton-West Roxbury Medical Center in 1994 and was subsequently appointed Director of the VA Boston Healthcare System in 1999.

During the ensuing years, Mr. Lawson has led and established one of the most complex and challenging health care systems in VA. His transformational leadership has taken disparate clinical, educational and research missions of independent VA facilities in the Boston area and forged them into a consolidated health care system. VA Boston Healthcare System (VA BHS) is now one of the largest VA facilities in the country with 3,400 employees in 9 locations serving 65,000 veterans.

Mr. Lawson has continuously shown himself to be an innovative and progressive leader in establishing systems, alliances and partnerships that foster the very highest level of patient care and satisfaction, as well as performance excellence and prudent financial management. VA BHS is among the very best in VA, as reflected in quality care, high patient and employee satisfaction scores, and substantial realized savings. 

Mr. Lawson, a native of Washington, D.C., holds a degree from Syracuse University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from the State University of New York at Albany.