SAN DIEGO – Scripps Health has promoted Carmel Valley resident and longtime preventive medicine physician and occupational health executive Craig Uejo, M.D., to chief quality officer, a newly created position on the nonprofit health system's corporate leadership team.

As chief quality officer, Dr. Uejo oversees efforts to further elevate the quality and safety of health care at Scripps' acute-care hospitals and outpatient clinics across San Diego County. He also directs performance improvement initiatives and ensures compliance with the data reporting requirements of regulatory agencies.

In addition to leading continuous improvement programs, Dr. Uejo also aims to strengthen the use of technology to maximize Scripps' data collection and analysis capabilities.

Before his promotion, Dr. Uejo served as associate chief quality officer at Scripps, a new position he took on in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. In this role, he maintained policies and protocols for infection control, established appropriate testing and treatment programs for staff and patients and led contact tracing efforts.

"Dr. Uejo has a proven track record of success in our ongoing efforts to deliver the highest levels of quality, safety and overall patient experience to the communities we serve," said Ghazala Sharieff, M.D., MBA, Scripps Health's chief medical officer of clinical excellence and experience. "He is a welcome addition to our leadership team as we strengthen our efforts to improve all aspects of the health care experience we provide to our patients."

In addition to his promotion to chief quality officer, Dr. Uejo will continue to serve as medical director of occupational health and safety at Scripps, a role he has held since 2012. In this position, Dr. Uejo manages the employee health and worker's compensation programs for Scripps and oversees the clinical and administrative operations of the employee care clinics available for Scripps' workforce.

Previously, Dr. Uejo served as Scripps' lead corporate physician for infection prevention and employee safety. He also was medical director of Scripps' employee wellness program. Dr. Uejo's career as a physician spans more than 25 years, most of which has been in the fields of occupational and environmental medicine, as well as employee health.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Uejo earned his medical degree from the University of Southern California. He completed his medical residency at UC San Diego and UC Irvine and later earned a master's degree in public health from San Diego State University. Dr. Uejo is board certified in preventive medicine with an emphasis in occupational health.

Dr. Uejo resides in Carmel Valley with his wife of 28 years and two youngest sons. His oldest son attends graduate school on the East Coast. He maintains a work-life balance by hiking, snow skiing and golfing with friends and family.


ABOUT SCRIPPS HEALTH
Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a nonprofit integrated health care delivery system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats more than 600,000 patients annually through the dedication of 3,000 affiliated physicians and more than 15,000 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, home health care services, 28 outpatient centers and clinics, and hundreds of affiliated physician offices throughout the region.

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