Nick began his education at Bexley in kindergarten and graduated in 1958. While in high school he played varsity football and was elected captain of the school’s first wrestling team. He altered his lifelong dream of attending the United States Military Academy at West Point so that he might be better prepared to enter medical school. He graduated from The Ohio State University with an undergraduate degree in 1962. While at OSU he became a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, serving as its president. He graduated cum laude from the OSU College of Medicine in 1966, receiving the Dean’s Award.

He completed his OB/GYN residency, and was in private practice from 1971-1990 and served as president of Riverside Methodist Hospital’s medical staff. He then became Sr. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of U.S. Health Corporation, later renamed OhioHealth, until he was appointed Director of the Ohio Department of Health by Governor Taft in 1999. In that capacity, he oversaw over 1300 employees and a budget exceeding $590 million.

During his eight-year tenure, he led the state’s efforts in bioterrorism and pandemic influenza planning, increased health coverage for low-income mothers and children, and strong and rapid response to disease outbreaks. He also spear-headed efforts for minimum requirements for nursing homes, expanded newborn screening by 27 additional tests to prevent or detect life threatening diseases in newborns, and Ohio’s first Comprehensive Cancer Program and Healthy Ohioans, which is a program focused on the reduction of tobacco use and measures to reduce the burden of chronic disease by improving eating habits and increasing exercise.

In 2006, Nick served as the President-elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), which is a national nonprofit organization representing the state and territorial public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia. He serves on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and is affiliated with numerous public health organizations.

Since leaving public office in Jan. 2007 he has been serving as a national consultant with the Centers for Disease Control, the Association of State Health Officials and the National Association of City and County Health Officials and is President of Stillwater Solutions, a consulting firm that he developed.

Nick has a long history with the Columbus Zoo, having served as its “gorilla gynecologist” and primate consultant, and president of its board of trustees. He was instrumental in developing the zoo’s first global conservation program, which is now known throughout the world. He currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of The Wilds, the International Center for the Preservation of Wild Animals, a 10,000- acre conservation facility located in Southern Ohio.

Nick has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to have provided medical support to Jack Hanna and his production crew while filming around the world, diving with Great White sharks in South Africa, trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, doing underwater photography in the Galapagos Islands, and traveling Guatemala, South America, Kenya, Botswana, Costa Rica and Zimbabwe, to name a few. He has appeared with Jack on Good Morning America and in the National Geographic special “Gorilla.”

Nick is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying scuba diving, fishing, hiking, boating and wildlife photography. He is married and has two children and four grandchildren.
 
 

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