Essentia Health is pleased to announce Dr. Gratia Pitcher as our new chief medical officer. Dr. Pitcher has served as interim CMO since October and has been with Essentia since 2015.

Her passion for patient-centered care and her leadership in achieving the Quadruple Aim (improving population health, enhancing the patient experience, reducing costs and improving provider satisfaction) make her a valuable member of Essentia’s leadership team.

“Dr. Pitcher has consistently demonstrated her ability to gain the perspectives and trust of her colleagues to advance the care of the patients we are privileged to serve,” said Dr. David Herman, Essentia’s CEO. “She is the right clinical leader during this time of tremendous change in health care, and we are proud to have her in this important leadership role.”

As chief quality and patient safety officer since May 2020, Dr. Pitcher has helped Essentia improve our state and national quality ratings. For example, Essentia tied for the top spot in the most recent Minnesota Health Care Quality Report from Minnesota Community Measurement, scoring above statewide averages on 13 of 21 clinical-quality measures. Only one other system achieved high-performing status in 13 measures. Similarly, three Essentia hospitals — St. Mary’s Medical Center, Essentia Health-Duluth and Essentia Health-Fargo — earned five-star ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2023. A five-star rating is the highest possible score and places these hospitals in the top 10.4 percent nationwide.

“I am honored to be offered this position,” said Dr. Pitcher. “I remain committed to ensuring our patients have access to the highest quality of care, our colleagues have the best work experience and that all of us work toward our mission and make our values visible. I believe all great ideas originate from conversations we have with our closest colleagues. I look forward to those conversations and developing ideas that emerge from them as we make a healthy difference in our patients’ lives and our own lives.”

Dr. Pitcher earned her medical degree from the Medical University of Ohio, which is now the University of Toledo. She completed a residency in internal medicine from the Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies. She expects to earn her master’s degree in business administration in May from the University of Wisconsin. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.