Florida Hospital DeLand Names Chief Medical Officer

DELAND, Fla., November 21, 2016, Florida Hospital DeLand has named Dr. Christopher Joseph Smith to serve as chief medical officer (CMO). Smith replaces Dr. Kris D. Gray who became CMO for Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach in July.

In this new role, Smith will oversee Florida Hospital DeLand's activities and functions related to physicians and patient care, including medical staff services, credentialing, compliance with accrediting bodies, patient satisfaction, infection control and other quality of care measures.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Smith join our leadership team. His experience and dedication will truly be an asset to our hospital, community and patients, said Lorenzo Brown, Florida Hospital DeLand CEO. He was born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Rome, Georgia. Growing up in a town with a population of 36,000, he certainly understands how important the community aspect is to a city like our DeLand.

Smith has years of experience and most recently served as chairman for the department of medicine at Florida Hospital Orlando. In addition, he is a certified medical expert for the Florida Department of Health.

He has served as assistant professor of clinical medicine for Florida State University School of Medicine and the University of Central Florida School of Medicine, as well as clinical instructor and lecturer for the Florida Hospital department of graduate medical education.

A Lake Mary resident, Smith is fluent in Spanish and is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University in Georgia and a medical degree from St. Matthews University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at Florida Hospital Orlando.

About Florida Hospital DeLand

Florida Hospital DeLand is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 164-beds, Florida Hospital DeLand is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 923 beds and more than 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.