Mercy Health Saint Mary’s is pleased to announce Brandon Francis, MD, MPH, as the new chief medical officer, effective mid-May 2022. He will succeed Matt Biersack, MD, who has continued to fill the role on an interim basis after being announced as president of the hospital in August 2021.
Dr. Francis is no stranger to Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, as he spent part of his career as a Neurointensivist on the Neuro Critical Care team for Mercy Health Saint Mary’s from 2016-2019. In his current role as executive medical director of Physician Performance at Sparrow Health System, Dr. Francis facilitates the credentialing, privileging, and peer review operations for the medical staff. He has been recognized for reimagining the peer review process by partnering with medical staff and national legal experts to enhance physician and provider engagement, while also maintaining the highest levels of institutional integrity and minimizing institutional risk.
After completing his medical fellowship at Rush University in Chicago, Dr. Francis served as an active-duty member of the military with the United States Army Medical Corps as Chief of Consult-Liaison Psychiatry and Assistant Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Georgia. He was deployed to support operations in Afghanistan where he served as the leader of a domestic surge team.
“With deep experience and credentials in public health, the military, and behavioral health, Dr. Francis is not only an excellent clinician and physician, he is a leader who can help us advance our strategic initiatives to further strengthen services to patients and the communities we serve in West Michigan,” said Dr. Biersack, president of Mercy Health Saint Mary’s. “We are looking forward to the experience he brings, which will help increase engagement with our colleagues and develop meaningful relationships that help drive positive change.”
Dr. Francis earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Philadelphia University and a Doctor of Medicine and master’s in Public Health from Saint Georges University. He is a member of the Royal Society of Public Health, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the Neurocritical Care Society. Dr. Francis has served on the Peer Review & Quality Committee and as ENLS Course Director at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s and is currently an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Michigan State University.
Dr. Francis will be available for media interviews following his official start date with Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in mid-May.
