Baptist Memorial Hospital – Golden Triangle Welcomes New Chief Medical Officer
Ashley Harris, MD
COLUMBUS, MS. – Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle welcomes Ashley W. Harris, M.D., as chief medical officer. He is replacing retiring CMO Jack Reed, M.D. In addition to his CMO duties, Harris also works part time as a hospitalist—a physician with a hospital-based practice.
Originally from Water Valley, Miss., Harris graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Mississippi State University in 2004. He then earned his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson in 2007. He completed an internship and residency at the North Mississippi Family Medicine Residency Program in Tupelo and a fellowship in geriatric medicine at Harvard University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston in 2011. He also earned a master of health administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2013.
Harris served as an associate faculty member at the Harvard University Medical School from 2010 to 2011. His past medical training awards include the Leonard Scholarship in Family Medi-cine, the Stanley C. Russell Honorary Scholarship, and the Southeast Center for Excellence in Geriatric Medicine Award. He was also selected as a member of the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Honor Society and is a past member of the Mississippi Alzheimer’s Association board of directors.
He is board certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine and is a certified hospice medical director.
He comes to Baptist Golden Triangle from North Mississippi Medical Center, where he was a geriatrician and a hospitalist.
“We are pleased to have a physician of Dr. Harris’ caliber join our staff and assume the very important position of chief medical officer,” said Baptist Golden Triangle Administrator and CEO Paul Cade. “As Dr. Reed moves closer to full retirement, we know that Dr. Harris will do an outstanding job of providing medical oversight, expertise and leadership as a key member of our senior leadership team,” Cade added.
“We are grateful for the leadership shown by Dr. Reed, both as a long-time member of our medical staff and most recently serving as chief medical officer. We wish him the best as he moves into full retirement,” Cade said.
Harris and his wife, Jennifer, live in Columbus. He enjoys working on projects around the house; genealogy research; and spending time with his two daughters, Kenzie, 6, and Ella, 2.
“I am excited about this opportunity to work alongside a talented group of physicians, nurses, and employees. Together we will continue to advance the Baptist Golden Triangle mission of providing quality, patient-centered health care to the people of our region,” Harris said.
With 315 beds, Baptist Golden Triangle is the largest regional hospital affiliated with the Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care system. More than 100 physicians and surgeons, representing almost every medical specialty, practice at the hospital, which offers a full range of comprehensive medical care to patients of all ages.
Baptist Golden Triangle is the only hospital in Mississippi to have earned “Straight As” in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score since 2012, placing it among only 63 hospitals in the United States to have earned that distinction.
In 2013, the hospital received the VHA Leadership for Clinical Excellence award. In 2014, Baptist Golden Triangle received the Hospital of the Year award (100 beds or more) from the Mississippi Nurses Association.
The hospital offers a variety of services to the community, including the Baptist Cancer Center, Baptist Behavioral Health Care for those with behavioral and mental health problems, an extensive rehabilitation department and free community education programs.
