Dr. Christopher Ward

Christopher Ward, MD, MBA, FACEP, CPE
Chief Medical Officer

Christopher Ward, MD, MBA, FACEP, CPE, serves as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of St. Mary’s Health Care System, including its hospitals in Athens, Lavonia and Greensboro.
Dr. Ward came to St. Mary’s with more than 30 years of progressive clinical and leadership experience. Most recently, he served as CMO for several hospitals in the Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio, Texas, a unique joint venture between HCA and Methodist Healthcare Ministries, South Texas’ largest non-public funding source of community health care.

During his tenure with Methodist Healthcare System, he focused on building a foundation for improving clinical outcomes, enhancing medical staff collaboration, and empowering teams to uphold the highest standards of care. In addition, Dr. Ward has over 25 years of experience in emergency medicine and served as vice chair of emergency medicine for Steward Good Samaritan Hospital, the busiest hospital in the former Steward Health Care System.

Dr. Ward received his bachelor’s degree with honors from Florida State University and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and completed the Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program at Emory University/Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Ga.

Dr. Ward is board-certified in Emergency Medicine through the American Board of Emergency Medicine and holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business. He is a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) through the American Association for Physician Leadership and is fluent in English and Spanish.