Ballad Health Selects Bo Wilkes as Chief Growth Officer

Ballad Health has selected Bo Wilkes as its Chief Growth Officer (CGO). In this role, Wilkes will collaborate with organizational leadership to spearhead and support innovative and strategic initiatives driving improved service delivery and bottom-line growth aligning with Ballad Health’s North Star Goals, the health system’s long-term, aspirational goals.

In addition to his current responsibilities managing the Ballad Health Innovation Center, Ballad Ventures and Ballad Health’s operational excellence department and enterprise project management office, Wilkes will now also oversee corporate growth and business development functions.

"It's a privilege to accept the CGO role at Ballad Health," Wilkes said. "Our work to-date has already connected me with so many growth and innovation-minded leaders throughout our system. I am eager to further this trajectory and help execute our mission of delivering the best possible care to the patients we serve."

As president of Ballad Ventures, Wilkes has provided strategic guidance to the health system, resulting in the investment and adoption of multiple life-saving technologies. While working collaboratively throughout Ballad Health with IT, pharmacy, finance, operations, nursing and more, Wilkes has led such adoptions as 410 Medical’s LifeFlow, a hand-held device providing rapid blood and IV fluid infusion in critically ill patients; MedAware, an artificial intelligence medication safety monitoring platform that identifies preventable medication-related risks at all stages of the patient journey through integration into the electronic health record; and EvidenceCare, a clinical decision support platform designed to optimize clinician workflows directly within the electronic health record to deliver better patient care.

“Along with his tenure at Ballad Ventures, Bo’s 15 years of experience in health system strategy and operations have laid a strong foundation for his new role as CGO,” said Anthony Keck, Ballad Health's chief population health officer and executive vice president of system innovation. “Rural communities are difficult markets in which to create sustainable growth, but Ballad Health has been successfully pushing through these challenges. I have full confidence Bo will help accelerate our success.”

Wilkes holds a bachelor of science degree from Clemson University, a master’s degree in public health from East Tennessee State University and a certification from the University of Michigan's Professional Innovators Program.