Dr. Grubb Halford has served as Covenant Health’s first CMIO since 2016 and assumed the additional role of chief medical officer in 2023, now providing medical leadership across Covenant’s delivery system while serving as the primary liaison to more than 1,500 affiliated physicians. Under her CMIO leadership, Covenant Health and Covenant Medical Group earned level 9 College of Healthcare Information Management Executives “Digital Health Most Wired” designations in both acute and ambulatory categories in 2024 and 2025. Dr. Halford led the implementation of Covenant’s integrated EHR, overseeing tele-ICU services at all nine acute care hospitals and expanding the clinical informatics leadership team to sustain ongoing optimization. She co-leads the continuing medical education program, co-developed the Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program and helped open a family medicine clinic expanding primary care access in the region. Board certified in both internal medicine and clinical informatics, she was honored by the YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley for excellence in science, health and technology.
Becker's Recognition
Mandy Grubb Halford, MDhas been named a Becker's honoree on the lists below.
2023 Winner

Executives
56 Hospital and Health System CMIOs and CNIOs to Know
2024 Winner

Executives
CNIOs and CMIOs to Know
The physicians and nurses serving as chief medical officers and chief nursing officers are tasked with identifying new technologies, strategizing how best to integrate them into their organizations, and implementing them appropriately. Their work leads to more efficient healthcare delivery and ultimately improves the patient and provider experience.
2024 Winner

Executives
Hospital and Health System CMOs to Know
The physician leaders highlighted by this list champion patient safety, uphold rigorous quality standards, act as liaisons between leadership teams and medical staff, manage risk, and much more. These CMOs are drivers of continuous improvement, and their efforts have helped garner numerous quality and safety accolades for their respective organizations.
2025 Winner

2025 Winner

2024 Winner

Executives
Hospital and Health System CMOs to Know
The physician leaders highlighted by this list champion patient safety, uphold rigorous quality standards, act as liaisons between leadership teams and medical staff, manage risk, and much more. These CMOs are drivers of continuous improvement, and their efforts have helped garner numerous quality and safety accolades for their respective organizations.
2026 Winner

2026 Winner

Executives
252 Hospital and Health System Chief Medical Officers to Know
Becker’s Healthcare is proud to recognize exceptional chief medical officers serving hospitals and health systems nationwide.
These physician executives are instrumental in elevating patient safety, upholding rigorous quality standards, strengthening collaboration between executive leadership and medical staff, and guiding risk management efforts.
As champions of clinical excellence and continuous improvement, their leadership has helped their organizations achieve distinguished quality and safety recognitions.
