BALTIMORE — Stacy Garrett-Ray set her sights on becoming a doctor in the first grade. Growing up, her parents always told her that she could do and be anything.
Today, Dr. Garrett-Ray serves as the vice president and medical director of the University of Maryland Medical System’s Population Health Services Organization (PHSO). She is the first person to hold this newly created position in which she hopes to reduce healthcare costs and also shift away from volume to quality-based care.
“I want to make Maryland healthier, and drive change in a way that ensures patients are satisfied, and to help them achieve their life goals,” said Garrett-Ray, who also serves as president of the University of Maryland Quality Care Network (UMQCN).
In addition to her duties as a primary care physician, her responsibilities include serving as the clinical lead for practice transformation, engaging with clinical providers to improve the quality and efficiency of care, leading the population health interdisciplinary care team and supporting care management efforts. In addition to her administrative duties, Dr. Garrett-Ray will her practice as a primary care physician in one of the system’s Community Medical Group sites.
“I get excited every morning,” said Dr. Garrett-Ray. “To be able to get up each day and serve in this role is really humbling. I was born and raised in Baltimore County, so for me, it was like coming back home. To return home where I trained, where my family lives, and serve in a position in which I can drive changes that make us all healthier is truly a blessing.”
“We are delighted to have Dr. Garrett-Ray rejoin the University of Maryland community,” Robert A. Chrencik, president and CEO of the UMMS. “Further developing our population health model is a pivotal piece of our strategy to ensure that all patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.”
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) currently includes 12 health systems and hospitals across Maryland, which include the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center; University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center; University of Maryland Medical Center; and the University of Maryland Shore Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Chestertown.
UMMS also operates Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital as a joint venture with Johns Hopkins and also operates University of Maryland Medical System Health Plans for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Dr. Garrett-Ray received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, completed her residency in the UM Department of Family and Community Medicine and served on the faculty at the School of Medicine from 2003 to 2012. Board-licensed in Family Medicine, Dr. Garrett-Ray spent more than five years as a physician at the University Care – Edmondson Village practice in Baltimore City.
For the past six years, Dr. Garrett-Ray has held a number of leadership positions at the Veterans Health Administration developing and implementing new clinical programs.
“I attended amazing schools, and had amazing people around me. I told them what my passions were, and they supported me,” said Garrett-Ray. For me, this job is a combination of all my passions, which is marking a difference in my community and helping people to live longer, healthier lives. Ultimately, this impacts the earth, and I am truly grateful to be in a place that allows me to make such a positive difference.”