CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BayCare has named Brendan Malik, MD, vice president of Physician Enterprise Development and chief medical officer, a newly established role that will help provide leadership and strategic alignment for BayCare physician development and integration, service line development, BayCare Urgent Care medical direction and the Ambulatory Quality Assurance Program.
In this new role, Dr. Malik will focus on strengthening physician alignment, supporting BayCare’s continued ambulatory growth and expanding access to care across the communities BayCare serves. He will report jointly to Todd Jones, chief strategy officer and chief ambulatory services officer, and Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan, chief physician executive.
"As BayCare continues to grow and expand access to care, strong physician leadership is essential to supporting our patients, team members and communities," said Todd Jones, chief strategy officer and chief ambulatory services officer. "Dr. Malik's experience, collaborative leadership style and commitment to clinical excellence make him exceptionally well suited for this new role. We are excited about the impact he will have as we continue strengthening our physician enterprise and ambulatory services across BayCare."
Dr. Malik brings more than a decade of BayCare experience and a strong clinical perspective to the role. He joined BayCare Medical Group in 2015 as a hospitalist and has since served in several key leadership roles, including associate medical director, chief of staff, chair of medicine and member of the BayCare Medical Group Steering Committee and Physician Advisory Council.
Since 2023, Dr. Malik has served as chief medical officer of St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview, where he has been deeply involved in quality improvement, medical staff leadership and care delivery initiatives.
“Dr. Malik brings a strong clinical perspective and a deep understanding of physician leadership, quality and care coordination,” said Dr. Viswanathan, “As we continue strengthening physician alignment and advancing high-quality care across the system, his experience and collaborative leadership style will help position BayCare for continued success.”
Dr. Malik will continue to serve as chief medical officer of St. Joseph’s Hospital-South until a replacement is named. He also will work with Patrick Downes, president of St. Joseph’s Hospital-South and BayCare Hospital Manatee in Palmetto, to support BayCare’s growth into Manatee County until a chief medical officer is selected to support that facility.
About BayCare
About BayCare BayCare is a leading not-for-profit academic health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals, including a children’s hospital, and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare.org.
Contact Info
BayCare Health System
Maral.Marandi@BayCare.org
+1 727-432-7461
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