Dr. Chugden’s role as chief medical officer for West Jefferson Medical Center entails hiring, evaluating and training physicians in order to ensure high-quality patient care. He works closely with clinical staff to shape and enforce guidelines, and serves as a liaison between medical staff and hospital executives. Board-certified in emergency medicine, Dr. Chugden has been an emergency room physician for the hospital for 30 years and the ER’s medical director for 18 years. Before coming to the hospital, he was an ER physician at Charity Hospital, St. Jude Medical Center and Hotel Dieu Hospital in New Orleans. He also served as a clinical assistant professor of medicine at LSU School of Medicine.
