SARASOTA, Fla. – Sarasota Memorial is pleased to announce the installation of its 2021 team of physician leaders this week.
At SMH’s annual medical staff meeting on Tuesday, the following physicians were selected to serve on the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee in an annual term that starts in November:
- Jack Wazen, MD, was named Chief of Staff, serving as the top representative of Sarasota Memorial’s more than 1,400 medical staff members and advanced practice providers. He succeeds Alissa Shulman, MD, whose one-year term as Chief of Staff ends this month.
- Richard Lichtenstein, MD, was named Chief of Staff Elect, while Joseph Seaman, MD, was named secretary-treasurer.
- Chippy Ajithan, MD, and Heitor Okanobo, MD, were named members-at-large.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with more than 900,000 patient visits each year. Its flagship hospital in Sarasota, Fla., has been consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best, with superior patient outcomes. The system offers a complete continuum of care – from trauma, emergency and urgent care, to laboratory, diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation and skilled nursing. SMH was recognized among the nation’s 100 top hospitals by IBM Watson Health in 2019 and remains the only hospital in Florida to have consistently earned the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ highest five-star quality rating since the evaluation system launched in 2016.