Baptist names new chief medical officer

Baptist Memorial Health Care recently promoted Dr. Mark Swanson to vice president and chief medical officer for the organization. He came to Baptist in March as chief quality officer.

As CMO, Dr. Swanson will play a key role in strategic planning for the Baptist system, focusing efforts on communication and collaboration between physicians and Baptist leadership to provide the best possible patient care. He will help develop and carry out a vision for performance enhancement across the Baptist system to position Baptist as a leader in quality and patient safety. Part of that vision includes creating an environment conducive to implementing best practices and resulting in measurable improvements in clinical care outcomes, patient safety, efficient use of resources and top-quality delivery of service.

Before coming to Baptist, Dr. Swanson spent 28 years at Orlando Health, an eight-hospital, not-for-profit health care system. Most recently, he served as chief quality officer of the organization’s physician group and physician clinical integration initiative. Before that, he was chief medical officer of the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, medical director of the Nemours Children’s Clinic, medical director of pediatric services for the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women and pediatrician-in-chief of the Nemours Children’s Clinic.

“During his time at Baptist, Dr. Swanson has distinguished himself as a respected leader and knowledgeable expert in quality and clinical excellence,” said Dr. Paul DePriest, Baptist’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “He has the skill and experience necessary to excel in this role.”

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk Va., Dr. Swanson earned a medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va. He received his pediatric residency training at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va., where he also served as chief resident. Upon completion of his residency training he accepted a fellowship in pediatric critical care and anesthesia at the Children’s Hospital at the Harvard Medical School in Boston. He has received additional training in management and physician leadership from the College of Physician Executives, the Harvard Law School, the American Board of Quality Assurance and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Before going to Orlando Health, he served in the U.S. Navy, spending five years working in naval hospitals. He has been actively engaged in academic medicine, serving 11 years as a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the Florida State University College of Medicine while on staff at Orlando Health.

In 2006 he was awarded a Master of Science degree in health care management from the Harvard School of Public Health. He has won numerous awards including the Gold Service Award from the American Heart Association, The Alfred I. DuPont Physician award and the Navy Medal of Commendation. Dr. Swanson has been recognized by Who’s Who in Health and Medical Services and has been on the list of The Best Doctors in America, Southeast Region each year since 1996.