Baylor Scott & White Health has named Donald E. Wesson, MD, MBA, president of the Diabetes Health & Wellness Institute (DHWI) and senior vice president of Baylor Scott & White Health Weight Management Services.
In this new role, Dr. Wesson will lead the DHWI at Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center, the cornerstone of Baylor Scott & White Health's Southern Sector Health Initiative, created in 2006 to address the region's health care needs relative to diabetes. The center is an important piece of the Baylor Scott & White commitment to population health, and works to weave diabetes prevention into the fabric of the community. Dr. Wesson, a board-certified internal medicine physician and nephrologist, has deep insight into the adverse health consequences that chronic disease can bring, and is an experienced researcher with ongoing support from the National Institutes of Health for his nutritional research.
"Dr. Wesson's experience in research, institutional leadership and patient care will be key to achieving the population health goals Baylor Scott & White has set forth for our communities," said Robert Probe, MD, chief medical officer, Baylor Scott & White Health. "Central to these successes will be the expansion of our Christian ministry of healing into underserved communities and the incorporation of optimized nutrition into our disease prevention and treatment strategies."
Previously, Dr. Wesson served as chief academic officer for Baylor Scott & White Health, where he directed physician, nursing and allied health education programs, collaborations and research, including several renowned research facilities, for the largest not-for-profit health care provider in Texas.
Dr. Wesson, a former chair of the board of directors for the American Board of Internal Medicine, has dedicated his career to furthering medical research and education. He served on the Baylor College of Medicine faculty from 1983 to 1994 before becoming Nephrology Division chief at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1994. Later, he chaired the school's Department of Internal Medicine until 2006 when he came to Scott & White Healthcare as chief academic officer and vice dean of Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine on the Temple campus.
An accomplished researcher, Dr. Wesson's research efforts over the past three decades have focused on kidney function and disease processes. For his achievements in this arena, the American Society of Nephrology — the nation's largest organization dedicated to kidney research and education — named a research fellowship in his honor.
He received his bachelor's degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, attended Washington University School of Medicine, and received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals and Nephrology fellowship at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Dr. Wesson also holds a master of business administration degree from the University of Texas.
*Based on unaudited 2015 fiscal year statements
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About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com