Vidant Health Announces Dr. Niti Armistead as Chief Medical Officer | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    GREENVILLE, N.C.     June 5, 2018      Vidant Health is pleased to announce that after conducting a national search and input from diverse key stakeholders across its system, Niti Armistead, M.D., FACP, has been named Chief Medical Officer (CMO), effective July 16, 2018.

    "As we continue to promote the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina in a rapidly changing health care environment, its important our next CMO have the experience to develop and lead efforts to create a highly reliable clinical organization based on scientific evidence and best practices," said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO, Vidant Health. "As a licensed physician with more than 20 years of health care experience, Dr. Armistead is a proven leader whose collaborative approach creates a physician culture that improves quality and safety of care and the experience for providers, patients and team members."

    In her new role, Dr. Armistead will oversee a culture supportive of physicians and other providers, develop an organizational approach to enhance physician engagement and experience, and lead multidisciplinary and cross-functional teams. The teams will work with clinical and administrative leadership to identify, prioritize and implement clinical improvement initiatives and be actively involved in building and maintaining relationships with all physicians in 29 counties.

    "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve the patients who trust us, the learners who inspire us and the teams that redefine excellence on a daily basis," said Armistead. "Throughout my career, it has been my privilege to serve in various leadership roles. Through these experiences I have come to appreciate and understand the critical role that leaders play in creating an environment that allows caring and talented professionals to do their best work."

    Dr. Armistead is familiar with Vidant, eastern North Carolina and The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University having served as faculty in General Internal Medicine since 2012. She has also served as Senior Medical Director for Quality at Vidant Medical Center since 2014 and Director of Teachers of Quality Academy (TQA) at Brody since 2016.

    In these roles, she led and partnered with cross-functioning teams focused on delivering results around Vidant's strategic imperatives. Through teamwork and leadership, Dr. Armistead's work has improved the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. For example, quality outcomes at Vidant Medical Center (VMC) improved, resulting in a top 20 national ranking last year among other academic medical centers from across the country. In addition, she has been instrumental in expanding an educational and leadership development partnership between Vidant and The Brody School of Medicine, that focuses on leading and learning for current and future health care professionals.

    "Whether focusing on clinical or non-clinical work, it's important that all team members realize the work they do each day is for a greater purpose. I am so honored to be a part of this team which focuses on excellence," said Armistead.

    A North Carolina licensed physician, Dr. Armistead earned her Bachelor of Science in Physics from George Mason University and a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Maryland. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and plans to remain active in clinical and educational roles.

• Contact: Amy Holcombe
•     amy.holcombe@vidanthealth.com