Elizabethtown, NY – The University of Vermont Health Network is pleased to announce the appointment of David Clauss, MD, as the Network’s first Chief Medical Officer. In August, Dr. Clauss will transition to his new position from his current role as Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of the Emergency Department at the UVM Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital.

“Dr. Clauss’s new role is an important step as we continue our journey as an integrated, sustainable health care system,” said John Brumsted, MD, CEO of the UVM Health Network. “Because Dr. Clauss has held roles at our smallest and largest affiliates, in both Vermont and New York, he brings a unique perspective and understanding that will help guide and accelerate our transformation to become a stronger, more united health care system.”

In his three years at ECH, Dr. Clauss worked to standardize the quality of care and patient experience in the Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga emergency departments, and led the effort to recruit physicians to join the emergency department care team. He also partnered with UVM Health Network hospitals to ensure specialty services, such as cardiology, dermatology, and women’s health, are available at the ECH Ticonderoga Campus.

“Following a rigorous internal search, Dr. Clauss was selected for his commitment to high quality clinical care, as demonstrated by his many accomplishments as a physician and leader, and his ability to connect with people and build relationships across the organization,” said Dr. Brumsted. “In his new role, Dr. Clauss will focus on quality of care and further unifying the medical staff through integration and care coordination. He will play an integral role in our transition to 100% value-based care.”

A graduate of Emory University School of Medicine who completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, Dr. Clauss began his career with UVM Medical Center (UVMMC) as emergency medicine physician in 1991. Since that time, he has held leadership positions at UVMMC and ECH. Dr. Clauss has played an active role in advancing high quality care throughout his career, serving on or leading several committees at UVMMC. He served as president of UVMMC’s Medical Staff and was an active member of the Patient Safety Committee. He joined ECH in July 2018 as Medical Director of the Emergency Department, and has served as Chief Medical Officer since January 2019.

 
 

Ashley Weisman, MD, who joined the ECH emergency department care team in 2019, will step into the role of Medical Director of the Emergency Department at ECH. Dr. Weisman, a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Medical School, completed her residency training at Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals. Recruitment for a new ECH Chief Medical Officer will be underway in the coming weeks.

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About Elizabethtown Community Hospital

The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital is a designated critical access hospital and the primary health care provider serving the 39,000 residents in Essex County and northern Warren and Washington Counties in New York.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is transforming rural health care at its main campus in Elizabethtown, NY, at a new emergency department and outpatient center in Ticonderoga, NY, and at six community-based primary health care centers located throughout the region. The hospital is one of the community’s largest employers with 350 employees.

Across the Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga campuses, the hospital maintains two 24-hour emergency rooms, a 25-bed inpatient unit, physical therapy, laboratory, and digital radiology departments, and a variety of specialty physician clinics on a weekly and monthly basis.  

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and is licensed and certified by the New York State Department of Health and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an academic health system that is comprised of six affiliate hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, and a home health agency. We serve the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives.  Our partners include:

• The University of Vermont Medical Center  
• The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health and Hospice

Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our hospitals remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.