Jeff Ciaramita, MD, was appointed senior vice president and chief physician executive of St. Louis-based Mercy Clinic.
Dr. Ciaramita, who has been with Mercy for almost 15 years, began serving as lead physician in an interim capacity earlier this year, an Oct. 13 news release shared with Becker's said.
"When I was in medical school at Saint Louis University, a professor once told me that caring for patients cannot be taught, nor can it be faked," Dr. Ciaramita said. "He was spot on. It has stayed with me all through the years, and it guides the decisions I make."
Dr. Ciaramita's appointment comes one week after Mercy announced Steve Mackin will succeed Lynn Britton as CEO in April 2022.
"I am eager for Jeff to take on this position officially because he's a very collaborative leader who knows how to engage physicians," Mr. Mackin said. "He inspires doctors to build on the very reason they choose medicine — for the joy of serving patients and building a strong doctor/patient relationship."
Dr. Ciaramita joined Mercy in 2008 as a noninvasive cardiologist and the director of cardiovascular education, the news release said. He served as section chief of cardiology at Mercy Clinic St. Louis for more than five years before transitioning to president of Mercy Clinic South in 2017. He assumed additional duties as president of Mercy Clinic St. Louis in 2019.
Mercy Clinic has more than 4,000 providers in hundreds of locations across multiple states, according to the news release.