Candice Dunn
Summary
Board-certified Internal Medicine physician executive with over six years of leadership experience in healthcare administration, clinical operations, and quality improvement. Proven success in strategic planning during the global COVID-19 pandemic, enhancing patient safety and driving service line growth. Extensive background in leading value-based care initiatives, fostering clinical innovation, and aligning operational goals with quality metrics. Expertise in engaging physicians and managing multidisciplinary teams to achieve organizational excellence. Prepared to leverage comprehensive expertise as Chief Medical Officer to advance clinical outcomes and promote organizational growth.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Chief Medical Officer
HCA Houston Healthcare
07.2024 - Current
- Oversaw quality, patient safety, infection prevention, and clinical informatics across two hospitals. Managed trauma department and medical staff services for facilities with 754 licensed beds. Reported directly to CMO, ensuring alignment of clinical strategies with organizational goals.
- Decreased actual LOS to exceed division targets via execution of standardized physician workflows and systematic MDRs.
- Transformed Utilization Review Committee into a high-impact governance body utilizing Peer Review and Medical Executive Committee to tackle LOS outliers and high-cost utilization.
- Increased physician collaboration at URC by 30%, integrating cardiology, emergency medicine, surgery, radiology, family medicine, and hospital medicine.
- Delivered top-tier quality outcomes, including zero CAUTI since 2022, zero C. difficile infections since 2024, and sustained mortality index of 0.53.
- Cultivated medical staff culture by standardizing physician communication practices and introducing recognition initiatives that embody organizational values.
- Improve HCAPS scores by 10%
- Standardized inpatient rehabilitation consults and admission workflows, improving CRS % consults received
- Eliminated backlog of more than 300 peer review cases by optimizing review workflows and creating a new case review template to increase efficiency and throughput.
- Optimized MRI utilization within podiatry by involving IM residents and synchronizing practice patterns with evidence-based guidelines.
- Achieved increased compliance in urology pre-operative orders and consent processes through direct physician collaboration and accountability structures
- Reduced delinquent medical records by establishing clear expectations and enhancing performance transparency
GME Site Director
HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake
08.2023 - Current
- Facilitate leadership mentorship and guidance for residents and attending physicians to ensure delivery of high-quality medical education and patient care.
- Coordinate clinical rotations for internal medicine residents at the designated site, ensuring exposure to a wide variety of medical cases and subspecialties to fulfill their training requirements.
- Supervise the daily educational activities of residents, including morning reports, teaching rounds, case discussions, and simulation sessions.
- Guarantee high-quality supervision by attending physicians, providing residents with proper feedback and performance evaluations.
- Designed comprehensive wellness program tailored for internal medicine residents while chairing wellness committee. Facilitated engagement in activities aimed at improving mental and emotional well-being. Promoted a culture of wellness within the residency through targeted initiatives.
- Integrate residents into appropriate hospital committees
- Ensure that the site meets all ACGME requirements for residency training, including case mix, patient volume, and attending supervision.
Physician Practice Co-Owner
Armstrong Medical Group
07.2019 - Current
- Directed daily operations for 30-provider hospitalist group by efficiently scheduling staff and resources. Managed financial processes encompassing budgeting, billing, and reimbursement strategies.
- Develop and execute business strategies to grow the practice and improve service offerings.
- Negotiated exclusive multimillion-dollar contracts for hospitalist services across various systems and continued position through exemplary performance.
- Lead provider performance management, including formal evaluations, productivity benchmarking, and targeted coaching to drive quality and efficiency.
- Oversight of group P&L, including budgeting, expense management, and margin optimization
- Recruit, train, and mentor hospitalist staff to cultivate a collaborative and efficient team environment.
- Execute regular performance evaluations and deliver feedback for professional development.
Medical Director
Essential Hospice
08.2024 - Current
- Provide medical oversight for hospice services, ensuring delivery of high quality, patient centered end of life care.
- Establish and maintain clinical standards for patient assessment, care planning, and symptom management to optimize quality and consistency of care.
- Lead interdisciplinary teams, aligning physicians, nursing, social work, and spiritual care to deliver coordinated, holistic patient management.
- Drive clinical communication and team effectiveness through structured interdisciplinary collaboration and case review processes.
Speaker Bureau Member
Pfizer Paxlovid
08.2023 - Current
- Served as medical science liaison, connecting pharmaceutical company with medical professionals. Offered detailed clinical and scientific information about Pfizer’s product line. Established and nurtured relationships with healthcare providers to support initiatives. Participated in clinical research efforts to boost awareness of therapeutic options.
- Chosen from hundreds of nationwide applicants as one of six speakers acknowledged for success in COVID-19 mortality rates and enrollment in research opportunities.
- Invited to join a multidisciplinary advisory panel in Houston, Tx collaborating with physicians from various hospital systems to discuss COVID-19 and its treatment modalities.
- offer thorough and exact information concerning Paxlovid within virtual and real-time contexts, clinical data, and therapeutic areas for healthcare providers, researchers, and key opinion leaders (KOLs).
- Lead dialogues regarding new scientific findings and treatment alternatives.
Inpatient Medical Director
HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland
03.2020 - 07.2024
- Achieved reduction of length of stay from 135% to 105% in nine months. Decreased home length of stay to 88%, ranking among lowest in division.
- Orchestrated multidisciplinary throughput strategy elevating discharge efficiency and streamlining transitions of care through coordination among physicians, nursing, and case management.
- Oversaw medical operations as director during COVID-19 for designated hero facility, managing 130+ critically ill patients daily at peak capacity.
- Expanded ICU capacity from 18 to 30 beds and initiated advanced therapies including ECMO and CRRT, markedly improving acuity capabilities.
- Achieved robust mortality and ventilator outcomes throughout pandemic while ensuring physician engagement and operational stability.
- Directed allocation and approval of Remdesivir therapy during initial supply constraints, establishing clinical criteria and overseeing appropriate use across all hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- Independently developed and implemented convalescent plasma program, treating 200+ patients and generating ~$400K in hospital revenue.
Primary Care Physician
Houston Methodist
08.2018 - 06.2019
- A board-certified Primary Care Physician providing high-quality, comprehensive medical care in a busy outpatient practice. Successfully manage a full panel of patients, delivering care that emphasizes preventive health, chronic disease management, and acute illness treatment. Recognized for building strong, long-lasting relationships with patients and achieving high levels of patient satisfaction.
Primary Care Physician
Texas Gulf Coast Medical Group
08.2017 - 06.2018
- Primary care physician at private outpatient practice.
- Established and grew a successful private practice, maintaining a loyal patient base of over 2500 patients while consistently achieving patient satisfaction ratings.
- Implemented and streamlined the use of EHR systems, improving clinical documentation and reducing administrative time by 13%
Education
MBA -
The University of Texas At Dallas
Richardson, TX02-2027
Internal Medicine -
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, Texas06-2017
M.D. -
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center
Lubbock06-2014
B.S. - Molecular Biology and Business Finance
University of Texas Dallas
05-2007
Skills
- Ability to foster collaboration among multidisciplinary teams
- Performance metrics and analysis
- Skills in stakeholder engagement and relationship building
- Exceptional time management skills, consistently achieving high productivity by efficiently handling multiple tasks and responsibilities within tight deadlines
- Skilled in prioritizing and optimizing workflows
- Patient safety advocacy
- Strategic leadership
COMMITTEE POSITIONS
- Ethics Committee, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2024
- Chief of Staff Elect, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2024
- Peer Review Chair, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2023 - 2024
- Utilization Management Chair, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2021 - 2024
- Crisis Committee Chair, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2020 - current
Leadership Positions
Chief of Staff Elect, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2024 (selected; transitioned to system executive role as Associate Chief Medical Officer)
Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) — In Progress
Kindred Hospital URC Medical Director, 2026
Ethics Committee, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2024
Peer Review Chair, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2023 - 2024
Utilization Management Chair, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2021 - 2024
Crisis Committee Chair, HCA Houston Healthcare, 2020 - current
Timeline
Medical Director
Essential Hospice
08.2024 - Current
Associate Chief Medical Officer
HCA Houston Healthcare
07.2024 - Current
GME Site Director
HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake
08.2023 - Current
Speaker Bureau Member
Pfizer Paxlovid
08.2023 - Current
Inpatient Medical Director
HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland
03.2020 - 07.2024
Physician Practice Co-Owner
Armstrong Medical Group
07.2019 - Current
Primary Care Physician
Houston Methodist
08.2018 - 06.2019
Primary Care Physician
Texas Gulf Coast Medical Group
08.2017 - 06.2018
MBA -
The University of Texas At Dallas
Internal Medicine -
University of Texas Medical Branch
M.D. -
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center
B.S. - Molecular Biology and Business Finance
University of Texas Dallas