Baptist Health appoints new board members and chairs

Baptist Health is pleased to announce the appointment of a new chair, vice chair and two new members to the Board of Directors of Baptist Medical Center Clay. The health system also welcomes new members to the Board of Managers of Baptist Physician Partners (BPP), its physician-led, clinically integrated network dedicated to providing coordinated, high-quality care to patients, and to Baptist Physician Partners ACO, a subsidiary of BPP focused on caring for patients with Medicare.

Baptist Health is the only locally governed, faith-based, not-for-profit health care system in Northeast Florida. Its boards are comprised of local leaders and Baptist Health professionals, including physicians who provide clinical expertise, operational insight and quality and safety oversight to ensure the highest standards of care. Made up of volunteers with diverse skills, knowledge and experience, the boards play an important role in guiding Baptist Health’s commitment to expanding access to high-quality care and improving health and wellness in our community, today and for generations to come.

“With their insightful leadership, diverse perspectives and unified dedication to excellence, our boards are instrumental in guiding the long-term direction of our health system,” said Michael A. Mayo, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO at Baptist Health. “As part of the communities we serve, they volunteer their time and expertise to help us improve access to exceptional care and ensure we are prepared to meet future health needs in the region.”

The newly appointed board members will serve three-year terms.

Baptist Medical Center Clay

Matt Carlton (chair) is the president of Carlton Construction, a design-build and construction management firm he founded in 2005. Carlton has been a member of the board of Baptist Clay since the hospital’s opening in 2022. He is the former chair of the Development Council for Baptist Medical Center South and remains a council member. Carlton served on the Clay County Development Authority board from 2014 to 2018 and is the current chair of the Carpentry Committee for the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Apprenticeship Program. He is a University of Florida’s M.E. Rinker School of Construction Management graduate and lives in Green Cove Springs.

Keith L. Stein, MD, FCCM, FCCP, (vice chair) has been a member of the board of directors of Baptist Clay since 2022. He retired from Baptist Health in 2020 as chief medical officer and senior vice president of Medical Affairs and Clinical Effectiveness. Prior to his corporate career, Dr. Stein was a cardiac anesthesiologist and intensive care physician. He is double-board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology as an anesthesiologist and intensivist. He has held several clinical roles, including chief of critical care at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, director of the intensive care units at St. Luke’s Hospital in Jacksonville, associate chief of the division of critical care, director of biomedical informatics, director of the anesthesiology/critical care medicine training program, and director of the cardiothoracic surgical ICU at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/Presbyterian University Hospital.

William Gill, MD, is a pulmonologist with nearly 30 years of experience in pleural disease as well as critical care, sleep and internal medicines. He practices with Respiratory Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Associates, Inc.. Dr. Gill knows Baptist Clay well, having previously served as the hospital’s former chief-of-staff. He has also been a resident of Clay County since moving to Florida 20 years ago. Dr. Gill studied medicine at The Ohio State University in Columbus and did both his pulmonary critical care fellowship and residency training at the Naval Medical Center of San Diego.

Lori Wagner is a vice president at VyStar Credit Union with more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. She is also an adjunct professor at both St. Johns River State College and Saint Leo University, where she teaches courses in finance and business. Active within the community, Wagner has served on several boards over the years, including as chair of Habitat for Humanity Clay County and the Workforce and Education Board of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce. She has also served on the advisory board for Orange Park Medical Center, Clay County Salvation Army and St. Johns River State College. Wagner received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from Saint Leo University.

Baptist Physician Partners

Deborah Abram, MD, FAAP, is a pediatric hospitalist who practices with Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville. She currently serves as senior vice president, medical information officer of Baptist Health, and is the former chief-of-staff at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Dr. Abram has more than 35 years of leadership experience in a hospital environment, with extensive expertise in medical informatics, quality and change management. In 2023, she was named on Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of “CMIOs to know.” Dr. Abram studied medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia and received her pediatric training at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati. She also serves as a board member for Baptist Health Foundation.

Benjamin Ernst, DO, is a primary care physician specializing in family medicine. With more than 20 years of clinical experience, he has served on an admissions board of a medical school and various credentialing boards, as well as serving as a U.S. Navy physician. During his tenure at Baptist Health, Dr. Ernst has served on several committees and boards, including the executive board of Baptist Primary Care and Baptist Physician Partner’s finance and contracting committee. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Des Moines University and did his residency at Carilion Health System, which serves communities in Virginia and West Virginia.

Baptist Physician Partners ACO

Aaditya Vora, MD, is a cardiac electrophysiologist with Baptist Heart Specialists and is the medical director of cardiology for Baptist Health. He is a regional leader in his field and has been the primary investigator for several innovative clinical trials. Dr. Vora also serves as the official cardiologist for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He studied medicine at the University of Miami and did his clinical training at Emory University in Atlanta and the University of Florida/Shands Hospital in Gainesville.