University of Vermont Medical Center President Eileen Whalen, M.H.A., R.N., announced today that Isabelle Desjardins, M.D., has accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for The University of Vermont Medical Center, effective October 1. She succeeds Stephen Leffler, M.D., who in April became the Chief Population Health and Quality Officer for The University of Vermont Health Network. 

Desjardins is an associate professor of psychiatry at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine and a psychiatrist at the UVM Medical Center. She has held several clinical leadership roles at the Medical Center since she arrived in Burlington in 2003. Currently, she is serving as vice chair of clinical affairs for the Department of Psychiatry, as executive medical director of the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin, and as the medical director of inpatient psychiatry at the UVM Medical Center. 

“These roles have given her significant experience in navigating tough leadership challenges and dealing with regulatory agencies,” says Whalen. “Her passion for improving quality, safety and the patient and family experience is clear, and she is committed to supporting the success both of individuals and the institution.”

A native of Quebec, Desjardins earned her medical degree at the University of Montreal and completed her psychiatry residency training and geriatric psychiatry fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. Her research has focused on identifying predictors of suicide and developing a tool to help non-psychiatrists identify patients at risk of suicide. 

As CMO, Desjardin will be responsible for providing physician executive leadership, direction and administration of medical management, including the integration, coordination and improvement of clinical care and patient safety for the UVM Medical Center. Working closely with Chief Nursing Officer Kate FitzPatrick, D.N.P., R.N., the CMO plays an essential leadership role in guiding the development and implementation of medical policies, practices and clinical programs at the medical center and, in collaboration with our partner organizations, throughout the Network.

Desjardins was selected through a search process that was opened to physicians throughout the UVM Health Network. She will continue to practice as a part-time attending physician in The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group.