Novant Health names Pam Oliver MD chief medical officer

COURTESY NOVANT HEALTH

Dr. Pam Oliver is Novant Health's new chief medical officer and executive vice president.

Novant Health has appointed a new chief medical officer.

Dr. Pam Oliver, a board-certified and practicing OB-GYN at Novant Health in Winston-Salem, will serve as executive vice president, where she will be responsible for safety, quality, and engagement of medical staff across one of the largest health systems in the Southeast.

“I have had the pleasure of leading the Novant Health Physician Network for the past four years, a role that reinforced my commitment to high quality patient care and physician leadership,” Oliver said in a statement. “As chief medical officer, I’ll have the opportunity to expand my focus on safety and quality, medical education, clinical research and health equity, which remains the driving force behind my work as both a physician and a woman of color. I look forward to leading our care teams through an ever-changing industry, so that everyone in our communities has access to and receives remarkable care.”       

 
Oliver previously served as executive vice president of Novant Health and president of the Novant Health Physician Network. She will continue leadership over health equity, medical education, and clinical research.

"Dr. Oliver’s expertise as a skilled OB-GYN and years leading the Novant Health Medical Group have positioned her well to lead as chief medical officer for Novant Health,” said Carl Armato, president and CEO of Novant Health. “She has been a constant champion for our patients, as well as a courageous voice for our physicians and advanced practice providers, so that they may provide the safest care possible to the communities we serve. I am confident that as chief medical officer, Dr. Oliver will continue to be a remarkable conduit for enhancing the patient experience through collaboration with all of Novant Health’s physicians.”

Oliver has practiced at Novant Health WomanCare since 2005.

Oliver earned her undergraduate degree in biology from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead Scholar and Board of Governors’ scholarship recipient. She earned a master’s in public health with a concentration in maternal and child health from the UNC School of Public Health, now known as Gillings School of Global Public Health, while enrolled in medical school.

Oliver has served in several capacities at the hospital, including submarket leader for specialty clinics in the greater Winston-Salem market. She has served as the physician service line leader of woman services in the Winston-Salem area and senior physician executive for the Novant Health Physician Network, supporting clinical and business strategy across the system.

Oliver, an advocate for Black maternal health locally and nationally, is close friends with U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, who represents Charlotte in Congress and a legislative leader on the matter. Oliver has briefed U.S. congressional committees on Black maternal mortality and participates in panels with other doctors and advocates around the country.

“It is personal for me,” Oliver said. “I think about the generations of women before me, and the generations that are coming after me, and I don't want this to be the legacy that we leave for them."

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Oliver as vice chair of the State Health Coordinating Council. She is a board member for United Way of Forsyth County and the Boston-Thurmond Community Network on the revitalization of the oldest African American neighborhood in Winston-Salem.

Previously, she served as a consultant on OWN TV network special “Own Her Health” project.

Aaliyah Bowden, who covers health at The Post, is a Report For America corps member.

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