Murfreesboro, Tenn. - Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford is pleased to recognize its 2023 honorees for outstanding accomplishments in clinical leadership. Dr. Brad Chesney has been recognized as the Physician of the Year, Dr. Hady Lichaa has been honored with the Clinical Excellence Award, and Dr. Britt Mioton has received the esteemed Dr. Olin Williams Distinguished Service Award.

Physician of the Year honoree Dr. Brad Chesney is an esteemed OB/GYN who has been a member of the medical staff for 22 years. He currently serves on the physician excellence committee and hospital board of directors. Dr. Chesney was the first gynecologist in Murfreesboro to offer the da Vinci robotic hysterectomy and is considered to be a leader in advanced surgical techniques that offer minimally invasive benefits to patients.

Dr. Hady Lichaa, recipient of the Clinical Excellence Award, is a dedicated leader in the field of interventional cardiology who joined the medical staff in 2019. Dr. Lichaa was instrumental in launching Rutherford County's first rotational atherectomy program, bringing advanced cardiovascular care closer to home for patients with narrowed heart arteries.

Dr. Britt Mioton was recognized with the Dr. Olin Williams Distinguished Service Award, a lifetime achievement award. Dr. Mioton is an interventional cardiologist who has been a member of the medical staff since 2008. Under the leadership of Dr. Mioton, Ascension Saint Thomas Heart Rutherford was established and has since expanded to include cardiothoracic surgeons and twelve cardiologists with subspecialists in electrophysiology and heart failure.

“I am pleased to recognize these three outstanding individuals for the consistent, exceptional, and personalized care they provide our patients,” said Gordon Ferguson, president and CEO, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford. “Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford is privileged to serve our community with the clinical excellence of these servant leaders.” 

Award recipients were chosen by their medical staff peers and hospital leadership. Areas for award consideration included: hospital tenure, leadership responsibilities, hospital board membership, and commitment to community service.

About Ascension Saint Thomas - Ascension Saint Thomas is a leading health care system with a 125-year history of providing care to the community, and is the only faith-based, non profit health system in Middle Tennessee. Today, the health system offers a highly comprehensive system of care, with more than 250 sites of care that cover a 45-county area in Tennessee consisting of 13 hospitals and a network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and specialty facilities. Across the state, Ascension Saint Thomas and its partner organizations employ more than 10,700 dedicated associates who care for millions of patients each year. Ascension Saint Thomas is part of Ascension, one of the nation’s largest faith-based healthcare organizations committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension includes approximately 134,000 associates, 35,000 affiliated providers and 140 hospitals, serving communities in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org .