BRENTWOOD, Tenn., 2023– Buffkin / Baker, a partner-led executive search firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of Megan Berlinger, where she will be responsible for creating value for clients in the firm’s health care delivery vertical.

Berlinger joined Buffkin / Baker in 2022 as an associate partner actively engaged in academic medicine searches with a focus on serving AAMC institutions and health systems. She has more than 16 years of experience in school of medicine and health system administration, serving in key roles at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, including heart & vascular service line administrator and department administrator. Berlinger used that experience when she transitioned to executive search, incorporating operational experience into the recruitment process.

“Megan has a wealth of experience in conducting executive searches in academic medicine, both physician executive and health care executive searches. She continues to leverage that experience to truly serve our clients and deliver outstanding results,” said Craig Buffkin, managing partner. “We are so proud to name her a partner in the health care practice and look forward to her contribution to the future success of Buffkin / Baker.”

Berlinger holds a bachelor’s degree in public health and master’s in health care administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is certified within executive coaching and a founding partner for the Elevate Institute. Berlinger is an adjunct professor at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she teaches and advises within the health policy and management division.

“I have always enjoyed being part of a team and impacting the health of our communities, and this is an exciting time given the challenges and opportunities in health care,” said Berlinger. “Leadership is more important now than ever. Partnering with organizations across the country to recruit top talent and working alongside the strong team of leaders at Buffkin / Baker is an honor and privilege.”

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., September 10, 2022 – Buffkin / Baker, a partner-led executive search firm, is pleased to announce the addition of Megan Shepherd Berlinger as Associate Partner in its Healthcare Practice. Berlinger will join the healthcare delivery vertical, leading our academic medicine searches with a focus on serving AAMC institutions and health systems.

With more than 16 years of experience in school of medicine and health system administration, Berlinger served key administration roles at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, including heart & vascular service line administrator and department administrator. She then transitioned to executive search, incorporating operational experience into the recruitment process.

“We are excited to welcome Megan to our team. She truly understands what it means to serve clients and deliver outstanding results,” said Craig Buffkin, managing partner. “Her expertise in conducting physician executive searches gives us deeper health care expertise and allows us to recruit with confidence.”

Prior to working at Wake Forest, Berlinger completed her Administrative Fellowship with Johns Hopkins Medicine. She holds both her Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Master of Healthcare Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Berlinger is certified within executive coaching and a founding partner for Elevate Institute. She also serves as adjunct professor in UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health where she teaches and advises within Health Policy and Management.

Berlinger has been involved nationally in health care leadership circles, serving as president and board member of the Association of Academic Surgical Administrators (AASA) as well as editorial advisor for the Cardiovascular Business Magazine.

“I am thrilled to join the team at Buffkin / Baker.  Across my career, I have loved partnering with health care leaders to solve complex problems,” Berlinger said. “In executive search, I enjoy focusing on recruitment, helping secure leaders who will drive impact across the country. Buffkin / Baker brings a history of excellence and focus on best practices. It is an honor to join such an experienced organization and team. I am eager to build upon that foundation, together creating value for health care clients and ultimately impacting the health of communities.”

 

 

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., August 16, 2022 – Buffkin / Baker, a partner-led executive search firm, is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. David J. Ballard, MD, PhD, MBA, as chief clinical officer in its health care practice. Ballard will support the health care delivery vertical of the firm’s health care practice, serving health systems, AAMC institutions, not-for-profit and for-profit hospital and medical groups with physician executive and health care executive searches.

As a global health care executive, Ballard brings proven expertise in improving health care value and organizational financial performance, while providing international thought leadership. He was recognized by Becker’s four consecutive years as one of the top 50 experts leading the field of patient safety, is the past president of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare and received the distinguished alumnus awards from the University of North Carolina Schools of Medicine and Public Health in 2008 and 2019. Widely recognized as a global scholar in health care quality and value, his two books on health care quality leadership received Shingo awards for their contributions to operational excellence.

“David is a welcome addition to the Buffkin / Baker team. His extensive health care experience provides us with a strong foundation to provide quality service for our clients seeking today’s leading physician, nursing, and health care executives,” said Craig Buffkin, managing partner. “Dr. Ballard brings a unique set of leadership skills, and his background as a physician leader in academic health science centers such as the University of Virginia and Emory University, as well as in large health care systems such as Mayo Clinic and Baylor Scott & White Health, will add substantial depth to our team, strengthen our capabilities and allow us to serve our clients at an even higher level.”

Ballard previously served as chief quality officer of Baylor Scott & White Health, where the organization received both the Leapfrog Patient-Centered Care Award and the National Quality Forum Health Care Award under his leadership.  Additionally, he has held leadership roles at Emory University, University of Virginia and Mayo Clinic, and completed five degrees with honors in economics, public health, epidemiology, medicine, and business at the University of North Carolina, where he was a John Motley Morehead Scholar.  He is a board-certified internist, having completed his residency training in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. 

Ballard continues to serve as health care policy section editor for the Mayo Clinic Proceedings and associate editor for the Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes. He also serves on the boards of several global health care companies, including as a director and audit committee member for Mentice (MNTV.ST), the world’s leading endovascular simulation performance solutions company. Ballard has several leadership roles at the University of North Carolina, where he is adjunct professor of health policy and management, a member of the UNC Chancellor’s Global Leadership Council and a member of the UNC Center on the Business of Health Leadership Advisory Board. 

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Craig Buffkin and his colleagues,” said Ballard. “Craig and I share an extensive interconnected history through the Morehead/Morehead-Cain Foundation and the UNC baseball program, as well as both of us being MBA graduates of the Kenan-Flagler Business School. My career has been devoted to efforts of making health care safer and more affordable, while reducing health disparities. As chief clinical officer for Buffkin / Baker, I look forward to assisting health care systems, academic health science centers and other organizations across the United States in their pursuit of these and other strategic objectives, ensuring that they have the executive talent to do so. Given our national imperative to make health care safer and more affordable, while reducing health disparities, Buffkin / Baker is a critical partner in the recruitment and successful engagement of health care executive talent. “

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., July 26, 2022 – Buffkin / Baker, a partner-led executive search firm, is pleased to announce the addition of Steve Marsh as a partner in its healthcare practice. Marsh will be responsible for leading the health care delivery vertical of the firm’s health care practice, serving health systems, AAMC institutions, not-for-profit and for-profit hospital and medical groups with physician executive and health care executive searches.

Marsh brings nearly 30 years of experience in health care recruiting.  He spent the first two decades of his career in clinical search and is one of the original founders of The Medicus Firm, one of the largest clinical recruiting search firms in the country. The Medicus Firm was acquired by M3, USA, Inc. in 2015. Marsh then founded M3 Executive Search as a separate subsidiary, successfully building an executive search team and conducting executive searches for a wide array of recognized health care clients across the U. S.

“We are delighted to welcome Steve to the Buffkin / Baker team. His demonstrated success in health care and academic medicine executive recruiting will add another layer to our capabilities and bring substantial value to our clients across the country,” said Craig Buffkin, managing partner. “His experience makes him the right person to lead our client engagements within academic medicine, integrated health care systems, not-for-profit and for-profit medical centers, payor groups, and medical groups. We look forward to the value he brings to the team and to our clients as we help them secure the health care leaders required in today’s evolving environment.”

Marsh has been cited as an innovative leader in numerous national media publications and serves as a keynote and guest speaker at nationwide health care conferences and forums on various topics related to health care recruiting process “best practices,” maintaining a positive workplace culture, diversity/inclusion and contract negotiation.

“I am thrilled to make the transition to Buffkin / Baker.  I wanted to spend the last several years of my career working in a private firm environment, and Buffkin / Baker’s established platform, long history of success in health care executive search, and incredible group of people made this an easy decision,” said Marsh.  “I am excited to share the Buffkin / Baker story with health care clients across the country as we provide the highest level of service, commitment and value in the executive search industry.”