Box to serve as senior medical director for hospital medicine at Adventist Health System

J. Brent Box, MD, chief hospitalist and chief medical officer for Gordon Hospital has been selected to serve as senior medical director for hospital medicine for Adventist Health System (AHS) in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Gordon Hospital is a member of the 44 hospital system.

"Dr. Box has been instrumental in shaping the positive culture at Gordon Hospital," said Pete Weber, president and CEO of Gordon Hospital. "We are excited for him and this new opportunity, but we are extremely disappointed to see him go. The only bright spot in his departure is that he is staying within our parent company, Adventist Health System, which gives him the opportunity to positively influence healthcare on a national level just as he has done in Calhoun."

Originally from Utah, Box and his wife Cheryl have lived in Calhoun for over 20 years. Their children, J.B., Mariel, Mary Beth, and John David, graduated from the Calhoun City School system.

Since coming to Calhoun, Box has been actively involved in the Gordon County community. He has served on local boards for Georgia Bank & Trust, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Gordon Hospital, and the Calhoun and Gordon County Chamber of Commerce. He has also volunteered as a physician at Healing Hands Clinic, a local clinic that provides free healthcare to low-income uninsured residents of Gordon County.

"Calhoun has been a wonderful place to work, live, and raise our family," said Box. "I am very excited for this opportunity, but I am also sad to leave this community and hospital. Gordon Hospital has been my home for more than 20 years. However, I am fortunate enough to get the chance to continue to work with Gordon just on a broader level."

Before practicing hospital medicine, Box spent 15 years in private practice at Calhoun Internal Medicine. Box received his medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia. After finishing his residency at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), he stayed on the faculty in the General Internal Medicine Division, teaching physicians and resident students for three years. He also served in the Navy as a flight surgeon, which led to a passion for aviation.

In 2013, Box was recognized by The American College of Physicians Hospitalist magazine as a Top Hospitalist through his distinction in areas including patient safety, community involvement, clinical skills, quality improvement, leadership, and teaching. As the chief hospitalist, he established a premier hospitalist program at Gordon Hospital that is regarded by Adventist Health System as an ideal model, serving as a resource for chief hospitalists from other hospitals in the system.

Everyone involved in patient care offers input during morning rounds held at each unit's nursing station, according to Box. Nurses update the team on the patient's progress, pharmacists discuss potential medication interactions and antibiotic stewardship, physical therapists weigh in on the functional level of the patient, and case managers help develop a sound discharge plan.

"Professionally, Dr. Box has made a tremendous impact on our community," said Amy Jordon, chief nursing officer of Gordon Hospital. "And personally speaking, he has made a positive impact on me as an administrator, as well as so many of our hospital staff as care providers."

A farewell reception will be held at Gordon Hospital on Feb. 4 from 5 to 7 pm. The community is invited to bid Dr. Brent and Cheryl Box farewell.