UVA Health promotes inaugural chief medical officer

UVA Health has named the chief medical officer of its university medical center as the inaugural system-wide CMO, the Charlottesville health system announced Tuesday.

Dr. Reid Adams began serving as the medical center’s interim CMO in April 2020 and the permanent CMO in 2022. In that role, he oversaw medical staff, patient care and leadership for the cardiology, neurosciences, oncology and transplant service lines.

In his new role, effective March 1, the gastrointestinal surgical oncologist will be the senior physician of the entire health system, which has four hospitals across Central and Northern Virginia and a network of outpatient clinics. Adams will work with the CEOs of the university medical center and the UVA Community Health system to develop patient care initiatives, conduct workforce planning and integrate patient care across the UVA Health hospitals.

“I am truly honored to take on this new role for the health system,” Adams said in a statement. “I have proudly been a part of the U.Va. community since 1979, and I look forward to continuing to serve the university and the patients we care for in the years ahead.”

Adams established the liver, pancreatic and biliary surgery program and the gastrointestinal oncology program as a provider at UVA Health. He is a past president of the Society of Clinical Surgery and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.

Adams received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Virginia, completed a surgical residency at the university medical center and completed his fellowship training in hepatobiliary, pancreatic and transplant surgery at the University of Toronto. He joined the U.Va. School of Medicine faculty in 1995.

Dr. Mitch Rosner, UVA Health CEO and U.Va. executive vice president for health affairs, said as the system works toward its 10-year strategic plan, “we also need to ensure that we have the best leaders in place to help skillfully navigate and guide our path. That’s why I’m excited that Dr. Adams will bring his leadership skills and deep experience at UVA Health to help us best serve patients around Virginia.”

Dr. Paul Helgerson, the university medical center’s associate chief medical officer and the U.Va. Department of Medicine’s vice chair for inpatient affairs, will serve as the medical center’s interim CMO during the national search for Adams’ permanent successor.

UVA Health has hospitals in Charlottesville, Manassas, Prince William County and Culpeper. The system includes the U.Va. medical school, U.Va. School of Nursing, UVA Physicians Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. It has more than 1,000 employed and independent physicians and more than 1,000 inpatient beds. UVA Health counts approximately 40,000 inpatient stays annually and more than 1 million outpatient encounters.