Halford Named Covenant Health Chief Medical Officer

Mandy Grubb Halford, MD, Named Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Covenant Health

Covenant Health is pleased to announce Mandy Grubb Halford, MD, as its next Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Halford has served as the health system’s senior vice president and chief medical informatics officer (SVP and CMIO) for eight years. She succeeds Mark Browne, MD, who served as Covenant Health’s chief medical officer for over ten years.

Dr. Halford will retain direct responsibility for leading the consumerism, virtual care and overall informatics strategies for Covenant Health. She will assume the added responsibility of helping to lead service lines and quality improvement efforts across the system, driving strategic planning and managing resources to ensure the delivery of high-quality services. She will also be the primary liaison for Covenant Health’s communication and interactions with more than 1,500 affiliated physicians. Her CMO role will include developing clinical protocols, influencing policy formation, supporting physician recruitment and development, and ensuring patient safety and regulatory compliance.

“Dr. Halford has been an incredibly valuable leader in our organization, and we are all pleased she is taking on this expanded role,” said Mike Belbeck, executive vice president of operations for Covenant Health. “Given Dr. Halford’s proven track record in medicine, informatics and leadership, she is poised to excel in these new responsibilities, continually enhancing the care provided by Covenant Health.”

“Dr. Halford plays a pivotal leadership role among the system’s 10,000 employees, physicians and volunteers,” said Jim VanderSteeg, Covenant Health president and CEO. “She is highly respected for her strategic leadership, expertise and dedication to improving patient care. Dr. Halford demonstrates an in-depth understanding of information technology, organizational change management and healthcare delivery across all medical specialties and settings.”

This year marks Dr. Halford’s 15th in healthcare leadership, nine of which have been in the service of Covenant Health. From 2016 until her June 2023 promotion, Dr. Halford’s role as CMIO combined her medical knowledge and technology expertise to improve care for Covenant Health patients through strategic use of information technology. In June 2023, Dr. Halford was named in Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2023 list of “116 Women in Health IT to Know.”

Before 2016, Dr. Halford served as Covenant Health’s medical director of clinical documentation and informatics. She also previously served five years in physician leadership roles at Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, Tennessee, including as CMO of the hospital. Dr. Halford is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and holds a clinical informatics certification from the American Board of Preventive Medicine. She is a selected member of the Nashville Health Care Council (NHCC) Fellows Alumni group. The NHCC convenes the industry’s top minds for collaboration to help address the challenges facing the nation’s health care system and works to improve the health of patients in local communities.

Belbeck added, “Dr. Halford’s professional accomplishments, along with her personal principles and the values she upholds, make her a stellar role model in her community and within the realm of healthcare. Her influence extends beyond these domains, touching on multiple facets of society where her efforts have proven transformative.”