AdventHealth Fish Memorial Names New Chief Medical Officer

ORANGE CITY, Fla., April 15, 2019 – AdventHealth Fish Memorial has selected Dr. Stephen Knych to serve as chief medical officer, effective May 6.

Knych replaces Dr. Leighton Smith who retires on May 10.

Knych is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. He is also a retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force and was awarded the Legion of Merit in May 2006.

During his 36-year career as a clinician and healthcare executive, he has delivered patient care in ambulatory clinics and hospitals.

He most recently served as vice president and chief quality and patient safety officer for AdventHealth. In this role at the corporate level, Knych was responsible for the design and oversight of patient safety and clinical performance improvements across the organization. Knych also led AdventHealth’s efforts to leverage the power of data to help surgeons performing robotic surgeries improve their clinical skills. He also helped pioneer AdventHealth’s bundled-payment initiative, which combined intensive process improvement efforts with data to make substantial performance improvements.

Knych has an extensive 24-year career with the U.S. Air Force, serving in leadership and helping develop operational healthcare plans, policies and programs at the Pentagon. He also played a pivotal role in developing and implementing the Air Force’s theater hospital system in Afghanistan and Iraq. Handpicked by the Surgeon General, Knych was also the medical lead to stand-up the Air Force Directorate of Homeland Security after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Knych graduated from F. Edward Hert School of Medicine and completed a general surgery residency at Wilford Hall U.S. Air Force Medical Center. He then completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at Tufts Affiliated Hospitals, New England Medical Center. Knych also earned a master's degree in business administration from Regis University and a master's degree in theology from St. Leo University.

About AdventHealth Fish Memorial
AdventHealth Fish Memorial in Orange City has 175-beds and is one of the six hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the AdventHealth Central Florida Division - North Region. Formerly known as Florida Hospital Fish Memorial, the organization’s parent company changed the name of all wholly-owned entities to AdventHealth on Jan. 2, 2019. Based in Altamonte Springs, AdventHealth is a connected system of care. With more than 80,000 team members, AdventHealth is one of the nation’s largest faith-based health care systems with nearly 50 hospitals and hundreds of care sites in nearly a dozen states. With the mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth Fish Memorial provides whole person care to heal the body, mind and spirit. For more information about AdventHealth Fish Memorial, visit http://AdventHealthFishMemorial.com.