Richard Gitomer

Richard Gitomer, MD, MBA, has joined BWHC as the inaugural director of the Primary Care Center of Excellence and as vice chair of Primary Care in the Department of Medicine, effective Oct. 1.

Before coming to the Brigham, Gitomer served as president, chief quality officer (CQO) and director of Clinical Services at the Emory Healthcare Network in Atlanta. Prior to that, he held several leadership roles since joining Emory in 1986, including associate medical director of Primary Care, clinical chief of General Internal Medicine and CQO of Emory University Hospital Midtown.

Gitomer brings extensive experience in quality improvement and patient experience in the ambulatory setting, with a focus on access, efficiency, care of patients with chronic conditions and patient experience. He led the creation of the first clinically integrated network at Emory involving five hospitals – the Emory Healthcare Network – building the infrastructure to improve quality and reduce costs.

As hospital CQO, his efforts focused on facilitating hospital-wide improvement activities, physician engagement and organizational culture change through collaborative engagement of physician, nursing and administrative staff.

Gitomer earned his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and a master’s in business administration from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University. He completed his internship, residency and fellowship training at Emory-affiliated hospitals.

“We are confident that Dr. Gitomer will be a transformative leader by setting new standards in quality, care, effectiveness, convenience, and patient and physician satisfaction,” wrote Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Medicine, and Allen Smith, MD, president of the BWPO, in an email announcing the appointment.