Citrus Memorial Welcomes Chief Medical Officer

502 W. Highland Blvd., Inverness FL 34452Contact: Katie Mehl For Release: January 20, 2012352.344.6501Citrus Memorial Welcomes Chief Medical OfficerCitrus Memorial Health System today announced the appointment of Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez as Chief Medical Officer.Dr. Martinez-Lopez joins Citrus Memorial with almost 34 years of experience in the medicalfield. He comes most recently from Martinez Medical Consulting, LLC where he served asPresident. In this role he provided consultation services for clinical and medical researchorganizations, helping to identify best practices regarding medical quality improvement, patientsafety, medical education and utilization management.Prior to his work with Martinez Medical Consulting, Dr. Martinez-Lopez was Chief Medical Officerat Brandon Regional Hospital where he provided leadership in optimizing medical staffperformance and participation in patient safety, patient service experience, quality improvementinitiatives and regulatory affairs.In 2005, Dr Martinez-Lopez retired from the U.S. Army with the permanent rank of Major Generalas the first Hispanic to head the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick,Maryland. His responsibilities included directing the Army’s worldwide medical research,acquisition, and logistics program. He oversaw a vast research portfolio that included cancer,trauma, infectious diseases, biodefense, chemical defense, nutrition, environmental health,aviation medicine, and telemedicine research. In addition he directed the premier nationalbiological and chemical defense laboratories and research program and led the development ofthe National Biodefense Campus at Fort Detrick, MD.Prior to these duties he was the Commanding General of the Center for Health Promotion andPreventive Medicine at Edgewood, Maryland. In this assignment he directed a worldwide publichealth organization, responsible for preventive medicine, health promotion and wellness, globalmedical surveillance, occupational and environmental health, and health risk communication.During his previous military career he was the commander of three distinct hospitals, oversawmilitary health support during Hurricane Mitch in Central America, and served as the ChiefMedical Officer of the United Nation’s Mission in Haiti.Dr. Martinez received his medical and post-graduate training at the University of Puerto RicoSchool of Medicine and received a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.He is Board certified in Family Practice and Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Martinez is a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Family Practice, member of the American College of Physician Executives,member of Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society, Board Member of the National Alliance forHispanic Health and Vice President of the Board of Puerto Rico’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Dr. Martinez will bring with him a wealth of medical and clinical experience,” said Ryan Beaty,President and Chief Executive Officer of Citrus Memorial Health System. “We’re thrilled to havehim join our senior management team where he will play a key role in the organization.”About Citrus Memorial Health SystemCitrus Memorial Health System is a 198 bed, not-for-profit community hospital that provideshealthcare services to residents of Citrus County and surrounding communities. More than 150physicians and 1,000 employees provide a wide range of services at the Inverness campus andat medical offices and clinics in Citrus and Sumter Counties. Citrus Memorial is fully accredited bythe Joint Commission and is fully licensed by the State of Florida.Pictured: Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez###