Meet your 2024 St. Mary’s Medical Executive Committee representatives
A message from Dr. Amy Davis, St. Mary’s Medical Staff President:
The Medical Executive Committee (MEC) is an integral part of hospital governance.* The MEC, with input from the medical staff, makes key leadership decisions related to medical staff policies, procedures, and rules, with an emphasis on quality control and quality improvement initiatives.
Below, please find St. Mary’s Regional Hospital Med Exec members and the departments that they represent. To make it a bit more personal, some of them also took me up on my offer to introduce themselves a bit further.
Anesthesia Department Chair: Dr. Michael Krieves
Fun facts: Dr. Krieves has been at St. Mary’s since 2013. He fills his free time with family and exploring the outdoors, especially backcountry skiing, mountain biking, and learning to rock climb. This winter, he is serving as the assistant coach for the Big Mountain/Freeride ski team at Powderhorn.
Cardiovascular Services Department Chair: Dr. Jennifer Springer
Fun facts: Dr. Springer is a Colorado native and lived in Grand Junction for three years. She enjoys hiking, cooking, and baking.
Credentials Chair: Dr. Bill Hilty
Emergency Department Chair: Dr. Brad Neese
Fun facts: Dr. Neese and his wife, Dr. Sheila Neese in Infectious Disease, joined St. Mary’s 15 years ago after growing up in Kansas and then training/practicing in Indianapolis, IN for several years. Enjoys raising their three children, William (17), Andrew (14), and Cullen (12) in the Grand Valley. When not working, he spends time coaching youth sports in the valley and the family enjoys skiing, traveling, fitness, and subsistence hunting together. They feel fortunate to be part of St. Mary's and the Grand Valley community.
Medicine Department Chair: Dr. Keith Dickerson
Fun facts: Dr. Dickerson maintains joy and sanity with trail running year-round, seasonal mountain biking, cross-country and telemark skiing, and occasional bluegrass jams. His prior careers include electrical/biomedical engineer, blues and rockabilly musician, and Air Force Officer, none of which seemed sustainable. He was hired by St. Mary’s as the first Hospitalist almost 20 years ago and faculty at residency for the last 19 years.
OB/GYN Department Chair: Dr. Heather Bourkovski
Pathology Department Chair: Dr. Herb Mooney
Fun facts: Dr. Mooney is one of the four pathologists at St. Mary’s and a long timer—going on 31 years here. He was born and raised in Colorado with two married daughters and five grandchildren. A mountain bike aficionado but at this point prefers his e-mountain bike to traverse the desert and mountains. Feel free to reach out to him with laboratory concerns.
Pediatrics Department Chair: Dr. Kathleen Joy
Fun facts: She has been a pediatrician for 13 years. She loves the Western slope, enjoy all activities outside, but can be found with a good book. She loves her adventuring buddies, husband TL, and dog Alice.
Professional Practice Evaluation Committee (PPEC) Chair: Dr. Melissa Knight
Radiology Department Chair: Dr. Anthony Bullard
Specialty Medicine Department Chair: Dr. Joseph Harawi
Surgery Department Chair: Dr. Christopher Wibbelsman
Surgery Subspecialties Department Chair: Dr. James Merrell
Fun facts: Dr. Merrell came to St. Mary’s after his Otolaryngology residency at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He attended The Ohio State University for medical school and Brigham Young University for undergrad where he loved to go to various sporting events, especially football, becoming a true Buckeye at Ohio State. He grew up in the small town of nearby Vernal, Utah. He loves the small-town feel, all the outdoor recreation, and big-city medicine here, where medicine is practiced as if it were an academic center in terms of the complexity of cases and acuity of the trauma in our practice. During his free time, he enjoys spending time with family, all kinds of cycling, running, triathlons, and hunting.
*Additional information about the MEC: The Medical Executive Committee serves as a Professional Review Committee and a quality committee under the Performance Excellence Plan in accordance with applicable laws (Medical Staff Bylaws 9.2.1).
Composition:
a. A majority of the voting members of the Medical Executive Committee shall be fully licensed Physicians who are Active Members of the Medical Staff.
b. The Medical Executive Committee shall be composed of the following as voting members:
1. Medical Staff Officers, St. Mary’s Regional Hospital
2. Department Chairs
3. Chairs of the following Committees: Professional Practice Evaluation Committee
c. The Hospital President and the Chief Medical Officer, the Chief Nursing Officer, and the Chief Operating Officer shall serve as Ex Officio members of the Medical Executive Committee. The Hospital President or the Hospital President’s Designee will attend the Medical Executive Committee meetings.
d. Up to 2 Advance Practice Practitioner members who are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants or Anesthesiologist Assistants, as non-voting members.
e. Members of the Governing Body may attend the meeting as Ex Officio members without a vote.
f. Medical Staff Services Directors will attend MEC meetings to provide administrative and managerial support and guidance to the MEC in the fulfillment of the MEC’s duties.