U.Va. Physicians Group names new CEO

A University of Virginia School of Medicine graduate will lead the nonprofit organization that provides clinical and administrative services in support of U.Va. Medical Center as well as his alma mater.

Dr. J. Scott Just will take over as CEO of UVA Physicians Group May 30, according to a news release. Just succeeds Corey Feist, who stepped down Dec. 31, 2021.

Just has served as president of Fishersville-based Augusta Medical Group and vice president of Augusta Health since 2018. His responsibilities included managing clinics, recruiting physicians and other providers and improving access to care. Before taking on those roles, he served as associate chief medical officer and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Augusta Health, as well as president of Augusta Emergency Physicians. Just also has more than two decades of experience as an emergency medicine physician serving patients in Central Virginia.

“As a physician-leader, Dr. Just is widely respected and recognized as an astute strategic planner who drives operational excellence through effective consensus building,” Drew Holzwarth, chairman of the UVA Physicians Group’s board of directors, said a statement. “He is committed to outstanding patient care and responsible stewardship of resources, and our board is excited to welcome him to UVA Health’s leadership team.”

In addition to the medical center, the physicians group operates at clinical practice group locations throughout Charlottesville and at 24 primary and specialty care clinics throughout Central and Northern Virginia. The group has 966 employees and dually employs about 950 clinical faculty members with the U.Va. School of Medicine.

“Dr. Just’s blend of experiences as a frontline patient-care provider and as a healthcare leader makes him an ideal fit for this vital leadership role at UVA Health,” Dr. K. Craig Kent, UVA Health’s  CEO and executive vice president for health affairs, said in a statement. “I look forward to having him join our team to help implement our strategic plan and fulfill our mission of transforming health and inspiring hope for all Virginians and beyond.”

Just earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hampden Sydney College before receiving his medical degree at U.Va in 1996, according to his LinkedIn account. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at U.Va. Medical Center, where he also served as chief resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Just later received his MBA from U.Va.’s Darden School of Business in 2014. Just is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a fellow with the American College of Emergency Physicians and a recent graduate of the American Hospital Association’s Next Generation Leaders Fellowship.

“I am so excited to be rejoining the place where I began my healthcare career and to continue serving the communities I know so well,” Just said in a statement. “U.Va. is home to so many wonderful physicians and health care providers, and I am excited to work alongside them and support them as we carry out our mission to serve patients across the commonwealth.”