Dr. Ari Sareli to Lead Clinical Efforts for Memorial Healthcare System as Chief Medical Officer


Ari Sareli, MD, a critical care physician and longtime clinical and executive leader, is now Memorial Healthcare System’s chief medical officer.

“Both Ari and Holly have worked throughout our system, earning respect and elevating patient care through collaborations with fellow physicians, nurses, and operational teams.” — K. Scott Wester, Memorial Healthcare System CEO

Dr. Aharon (Ari) Sareli, a critical care physician and longtime clinical and executive leader, has been named chief medical officer by Memorial Healthcare System. In a related move, Memorial appointed Dr. Holly Neville its associate chief medical officer.

The new partnership brings both adult and pediatric specialists with medical and surgical expertise to CMO positions and directly connects the system’s executive leadership to the front lines of care. Both Sareli and Neville will maintain their current roles; he as chief physician executive of the Memorial Employed Physician Enterprise and she as chief of pediatric general surgery and program director of Memorial’s surgical residency program.

“Both Ari and Holly have worked throughout our system, earning respect and elevating patient care through collaborations with fellow physicians, nurses, and operational teams,” said K. Scott Wester, Memorial Healthcare System CEO. “They and our many other medical leaders will maintain a focus on delivering clinical quality and critical services to patients while also educating the next generation of physicians.”

Memorial’s executive team solicited feedback from a variety of stakeholders before creating the CMO partnership and further aligning its medical community. “Pairing Dr. Neville and I enables the position to span the depth and breadth of clinical operations.

Throughout my career, I’ve embraced servant leadership and never shied from doing what was needed to advance the delivery of care, whether at the bedside or executive suite,” said Sareli.

Dr. Sareli first joined Memorial Healthcare System as an intensivist in 2009, after completing his specialty training at the University of Pennsylvania with quadruple board certification in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care, and sleep medicine. He was appointed director of Memorial Hospital West’s Critical Care in 2010 and chief of critical care for the system in 2012. Promoted to chief physician executive of the Memorial Physician Group (MPG) in 2019, Sareli served in an executive role with clinical leadership of the evolving organization. Under his leadership, MPG has grown to include 350+ physicians and 220 advanced practice providers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sareli played a key role in front-line clinical leadership in critical care and served on Memorial’s COVID-19 Clinical Steering committee.

In addition to being chief of pediatric general surgery at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Dr. Neville is also program director of Memorial Healthcare System’s surgical residency within its Graduate Medical Education program. She co-founded and is the lead coach of the American Pediatric Surgery Association’s coaching program. Neville also serves on the education and wellness committee for the American Pediatric Surgical Association and on the boards of the University of Florida College of Medicine and the Memorial and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundations.

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South Florida-based Memorial Healthcare System (http://www.mhs.net) is a national leader in quality care and patient, physician, and employee satisfaction. Its commitment to deeper caring and smarter health prioritizes a person-centered approach that has delivered safe, positive outcomes for communities for more than 70 years.

Featuring multi-disciplinary collaboration, research, innovation, and transparency within its many facilities, Memorial is focused on removing barriers, increasing access, and providing equitable care throughout the region. It employs a staff of more than 15,000 and operates six hospitals, numerous primary, urgent, and 24/7 care facilities, a health specialty center, and nursing home.

To learn more, visit mhs.net and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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