Via Christi has appointed Anita Toussi, MD, PhD, MBA, FACEP, CPE, as the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Via Christi St. Francis, effective Nov. 9. Dr. Toussi succeeds Dr. Sheryl Beard, who is transitioning to serve as Chief Medical Officer of Ascension Medical Group Via Christi.
In her role as CMO, Dr. Toussi will oversee clinical operations, physician enterprise strategy, medical staff governance, and quality and patient safety at St. Francis. Her leadership focus will center on expanding high-quality specialty access, advancing High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles and driving clinical care integration.
Dr. Toussi brings more than three decades of physician executive experience and a distinguished background of leadership within faith-based healthcare systems. Most recently, she served as Regional Chief Medical Officer and Vice President for CommonSpirit Health’s Southwest Kansas market, where she led a system transformation that included recruiting more than 60 physicians across 12 specialties, achieving Leapfrog "A" Hospital Safety Grades, and significantly reducing patient length of stay and hospital readmission rates. Her previous leadership includes serving as Chief Medical Officer at Horizon Health in Paris, Illinois, and Chief and President of the Medical Staff at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana.
"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Toussi to our clinical leadership team," said Dr. Tim Bode, Chief Clinical Officer for Via Christi. "Her extensive clinical background, deep commitment to physician engagement and proven success in advancing high-reliability safety cultures will be invaluable as we continue elevating clinical excellence and compassionate care for our community."
Dr. Toussi earned her medical degree and PhD in Medicine from the University of Geneva in Switzerland, completed her emergency medicine residency at Denver General Hospital, and holds a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University. She is board-certified in Emergency Medicine, a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP).
