Erica M. Scavella, MD, FACP, FACHE, assumed the position of Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Clinical Services and Chief Medical Officer, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs effective January 2, 2022.
Dr. Scavella previously served as the Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Oversight, Risk and Ethics, executing the duties of the Chief Health Risk Officer. In this role, Dr. Scavella provided executive leadership for five aligned National Program Offices – the Office of Integrity and Compliance, the Office of Internal Audit, the National Center for Ethics in Health Care, the Office of Research Oversight, and the Office of the Medical Inspector. She was also responsible for VHA Enterprise Risk Management, healthcare-related oversight and accountability and VHA Centers of Excellence. Prior to serving as the Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Scavella served as The Medical Inspector, conducting over 150 clinical investigations and overseeing over 100 more. In this role, Dr. Scavella and her team implemented impactful clinical care improvements across the system.
Dr. Scavella is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, was elected Fellow of the American College of Physicians in 2005 and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2012. She is a member of the Leadership VA Class of 2009 and served as the 2015-2017 LVA Alumni Association Membership Chair. She completed the VHA Healthcare Leadership Development Program in 2012 and the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows Program in 2017.
While in high school and college, Dr. Scavella often accompanied her uncles and grandfathers to their appointments at VA. They chose VA and were happy with their decisions. Those early memories led to Dr. Scavella’s decision to choose VA, to serve Veterans and to be their provider of choice.
