Meet CVS Caremark’s new chief medical officer

As the new Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark, Dr. Michelle Gourdine is responsible for upholding the quality, safety, and clinical integrity of our services while managing drug spend for our clients and ensuring medication access for our members. She brings nearly 30 years of experience in academic medicine, primary care, and public health leadership to this critical role, having most recently served as Senior Vice President, Population Health and Primary Care and Interim Chief Medical Officer for the University of Maryland Medical System. In that position, Dr. Gourdine collaborated with colleagues across the system’s 12 hospitals to improve quality, efficiency, and equity, and to transform health care within and outside its walls.

“I am so excited to have Dr. Gourdine join CVS Caremark,” says Sree Chaguturu, MD, Chief Medical Officer for CVS Health. “Not only does she bring breadth and depth of experience; she is a thought leader with credibility and expertise in the health care industry. She is sure to become a trusted advisor to our clients.”

Gourdine describes her goals for her first year as Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark.

Armed with firsthand experience in executing an integrated population health strategy to improve health and quality of life at the community level, Dr. Gourdine looks forward to maximizing the positive impact of CVS Caremark on communities and populations. She is excited to deepen relationships with our 110 million members by combining the the power of sophisticated data and analytics to improve health in this country.

“As a physician, I have spent my entire career walking alongside patients on their journeys to better health. Through that experience, I have come to understand that clinical care is important but not sufficient to improve health. There are economic, educational, and social barriers to living longer and healthier. As Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark, I am inspired by the opportunity to improve health and make a difference in people’s lives at scale,” she says.

A particular challenge is ameliorating the effects of social determinants of health and the resulting inequities that can ensue. Thanks to her varied professional background, Dr. Gourdine has witnessed these inequities up close and been intimately involved in devising and deploying solutions. As Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, she served as the principal public health administrator and Chief Public Health Physician for the state. Prior, as Baltimore County Health Officer, she created an innovative collaboration between Kaiser Permanente and the Baltimore County Department of Health to offer comprehensive health coverage to the county’s working poor.

“My overarching goal is to ensure that every single decision we make is driven by quality, efficacy, equity, and accessibility,” she says. “If we continue to focus on those pillars, we will achieve the best health outcomes for those we serve. That, to me, is hitting a home run.”

Watch our full interview with Dr. Gourdine on YouTube