Gwendolyn Ravenscroft-Mensah

Chief Medical Officer

Albuquerque, NM, United States

Professional Summary

Board-certified internist and physician executive with 19 years of clinical practice and 10 years of medical leadership across a 6-hospital, 1,450-bed regional health system. Leads 2,100 employed and affiliated physicians and APPs; drove a 31% reduction in hospital-acquired infections, lifted CMS Overall Star Rating from 3 to 4 stars, and cut physician turnover from 14% to 7%. Known for pairing clinical rigor with data-driven operations, value-based contracting, and a physician-wellness agenda. Certifications: Board Certified, Internal Medicine (ABIM); Certified Physician Executive (CPE); Fellow, American College of Physicians (FACP); Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Employment History

Chief Medical Officer

Rio Grande Health System · Albuquerque, NM

Mar, 2019 · Present

Lead clinical quality, patient safety, medical staff affairs, and physician enterprise for 6 hospitals and 48 clinics; report to CEO and board Quality Committee. Reduced CLABSI and CAUTI rates 31% and sepsis mortality 22% via standardized bundles and EHR-embedded early-warning alerts. Raised CMS Overall Star Rating from 3 to 4 stars and earned Leapfrog 'A' safety grade at 4 of 6 hospitals. Built a 140-physician clinically integrated network that captured $18.6M in shared savings under Medicare ACO REACH. Cut physician turnover from 14% to 7% by launching a wellness program, scribe pilot, and ambient AI documentation for 600 clinicians. Led COVID-19 surge response: stood up 220 flex ICU beds and a regional transfer center coordinating 9,000+ transfers.

Vice President, Medical Affairs

Sandia Valley Medical Center · Albuquerque, NM

Jun, 2014 · Feb, 2019

Oversaw credentialing, peer review, and graduate medical education for 780 medical staff and 96 residents. Reduced 30-day readmissions for heart failure and COPD by 18% through transitional-care clinics and pharmacist-led discharge. Shortened ED door-to-provider time from 42 to 17 minutes by redesigning triage and adding a provider-in-triage model. Chaired the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee; saved $4.2M annually through biosimilar adoption and formulary standardization.

Hospitalist Medical Director

Mesa Verde Regional Hospital · Santa Fe, NM

Aug, 2009 · May, 2014

Grew hospitalist program from 9 to 26 physicians covering 210 beds with 24/7 in-house coverage. Lowered average length of stay by 0.8 days and improved HCAHPS physician-communication scores from 71st to 89th percentile. Implemented a rapid response team that cut codes outside the ICU by 35%.

Staff Internist

Desert Sky Physicians Group · Las Cruces, NM

Jul, 2006 · Jul, 2009

Managed a 2,300-patient primary care panel; achieved top-decile diabetes and hypertension control metrics.

Education

MBA, Healthcare Management

University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management · Albuquerque, NM

May, 2016

Internal Medicine Residency

University of Colorado School of Medicine · Aurora, CO

Jun, 2006

Doctor of Medicine (MD)

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine · Baltimore, MD

May, 2003

BS, Biochemistry

Rice University · Houston, TX

May, 1999

Skills

Clinical quality & patient safety

Value-based care & ACO strategy

Medical staff governance

Physician recruitment & retention

Epic EHR optimization

Population health analytics

Lean / Six Sigma

Joint Commission & CMS readiness

Crisis & surge management

Board communication

Languages

English · native

Spanish · fluent