UM BWMC Announces Jason Heavner MD as New Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (July 1, 2024) – The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC), a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), has named Jason Heavner, MD as the hospital’s new Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Medical Officer (CMO), effective today. He will succeed Neel Vibhakar, MD, who has assumed a new role as Associate Chief Clinical Officer for UMMS and will continue to work with UM BWMC to support quality and performance improvement initiatives.

Dr. Heavner is an experienced physician executive with a background in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Over the last eight years, he has held several leadership positions at UM BWMC, helping the hospital and outpatient care practices expand their services to better respond to critical care needs and support the well-being of Anne Arundel County residents.

“I’m thrilled to have Dr. Heavner expand his role within our UM BWMC leadership team and continue to work with us to optimize our patient care practices for the benefit of both health care providers and community members,” said Kathy McCollum, President and Chief Executive Officer of UM BWMC. “He is committed to training the next generation of health care providers, and his passion for research will help UM BWMC continue to grow our academic medicine footprint across the region.”

As SVP and CMO, Dr. Heavner will oversee more than 1,000 medical staff providers, leading research, physician services, population health, primary and specialty care, and graduate medical education. He will maintain his clinical practice in pulmonary medicine and continue to serve as an intensivist on the hospital’s critical care unit.

In addition to his medical and administrative duties, Dr. Heavner has been actively involved in research and education, reflecting his commitment to fostering a learning environment and promoting innovative health care solutions. As Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer at UM BWMC, he expanded the hospital’s research and residency programs, integrated primary care and population health services and played an integral role in the design and opening of the newly renovated critical care and intermediate care units featuring state-of-the-art technology. In 2020 he led the team that received the Minogue Award, a top honor for patient safety innovation, from the Maryland Patient Safety Center for his implementation of a critical care outreach program.

A graduate of McDaniel College and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Heavner completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, followed by a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Yale University. He remained on faculty at the Yale School of Medicine until joining the team at UM BWMC in 2016. He is board certified in internal medicine, critical care and pulmonary medicine.

“I am honored to step into the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at UM BWMC,” said Dr. Heavner. “I look forward to continuing our commitment to exceptional patient care, advancing our clinical practice by working with our medical staff, community members and colleagues to bring more services to those we serve.”

Dr. Heavner will step into the SVP and CMO role that was previously held by Dr. Vibhakar for the last nine years. Dr. Vibhakar was recently promoted within UMMS to Associate Chief Clinical Officer to help the medical system address important quality metrics that lead to increased access to care for patients and better health outcomes. In addition to his System responsibilities, Dr. Vibhakar will continue to lead UM BWMC’s quality and performance improvement work, patient flow initiatives, and oversee UM BWMC’s emergency medicine and cardiology physicians and advanced practice providers.

“Thanks to Dr. Vibhakar’s leadership, UM BWMC has been recognized across the state and at national levels for patient safety and quality innovation, and established its reputation as a place that provides high-quality care, welcomes healthcare providers, and trains residents in several disciplines,” said McCollum. “I’m excited to continue to work with him through his expanded position with UMMS to help UM BWMC continue to provide high-quality, value-based care, and better experiences for our patients.”

Dr. Vibhakar first joined UM BWMC in 2004 as a member of the medical staff. He has held several leadership roles during his 20-year career with the hospital, including Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Secretary-Treasurer and Vice President of the Medical Staff, Board Chair for Baltimore Washington Emergency Physicians and Baltimore Washington Heart Associates, and COVID-19 Incident Commander. Earlier this year Dr. Vibhakar received the 2024 Advocacy Champion Award from the Maryland Hospital Association for his extensive work and dedication to improving emergency department throughput and length of stay issues across the state of Maryland.

“I’ve had the pleasure to support UM BWMC through its evolution from a small community hospital into an academic medical center and critical health care resource,” said Dr. Vibhakar. “The innovation, talent and commitment to purpose that the team brings to work every day is truly unique. I’m excited to continue to work with UM BWMC along with the rest of the University of Maryland Medical System to drive more positive outcomes and experiences for patients across the state.”

About the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) is a 307-bed medical center committed to improving the health outcomes of the communities it serves. A member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), UM BWMC is located in Glen Burnie (Anne Arundel County) and has more than 3,100 team members and 1,000 medical providers on staff. The medical group provides primary and specialty care services to individuals throughout the region. Together with community providers and faculty from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, UM BWMC offers a wide range of clinical programs including cancer, critical care, emergency, heart, lung, neurosciences, orthopedics, pediatric, primary care, vascular, and women’s health. For more information, visit umbwmc.org.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high-quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.