The Tennessee Medical Foundation is delighted to announce leadership changes on its Board of Directors and Physician’s Health Quality Improvement Committee (PHQIC), including two new members.
“The Tennessee Medical Foundation is pleased to welcome new Board member Lee McLellan as Treasurer and new PHQIC member Dr. Brigham Scallion. We are also happy to announce that Dr. Clay Runnels and Dr. Eric Berg, III, have moved into the role of president and vice president, respectively, of our Board of Directors for 2024-2025,” said TMF Executive Director Jennifer Rainwater. “We at the TMF value our dedicated Board and Committee members and look forward to serving with them this year,” she added.
Dr. Runnels succeeds Dr. Michael Miller, who has moved into the ex officio role of past-president. Mr. McLellan succeeds Martin Akin of Nashville, who rotated off the board after serving eight years as treasurer.
In addition, Board member Dr. John Woods is now a co-chair of the PHQIC, alongside longtime Chair Dr. John D. Rosdeutscher of Nashville.
NEW LEADERS
TMF Board President Clay W. Runnels, MD, MBA, FACHE, FACEP, is chief physician executive of Ballad Health in Johnson City, TN, overseeing all clinical services, quality, service lines, Ballad Health Medical Associates, health research, and graduate medical education. Dr. Runnels is a licensed and ABEM-certified emergency physician and has served in various leadership positions in the health system since 2000. He has helped spearhead several award-winning projects, including initiatives to reduce time to treatment for oncology patients and to streamline the physician credentialing process. Dr. Runnels also participated in the development of regional stroke care protocols, as well as a teleneurology program. He received his BS from Texas A&M University and his MD from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
Vice President Eric W. Berg, III, MD, FCAP, FASCP, of Clarksville, is a graduate of the TMF Physician’s Health Program. He serves as chief of Anatomic Pathology Service at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell, KY, and is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. As a regional medical examiner for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, he participated in identification and autopsy examination of those killed in the September 11, 2001, Pentagon attack, the Space Shuttle Columbia explosion, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and other national and international crisis and terrorist events. Dr. Berg is a graduate of Mercer University School of Medicine in GA.
Treasurer Lee McLellan is an Investment Consultant with Pinnacle Asset Management in Nashville, and a Registered Representative with Raymond James Financial Services. “I am beyond thrilled to be able to serve an organization that has such a profound impact on a cause that has had an impact on my life and so many others,” he said. A native of Madison, Mississippi, McLellan graduated from The University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on Managerial Finance. He is a member of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.
PHQIC Member Brigham S. Scallion, DO, of Bells, TN, is a faculty associate professor of biology at Dyersburg State Community College. He holds degrees from Pikeville College, the University of Memphis, and Lambuth University. He is the father of a teenage daughter with Down syndrome and volunteers with the Down Syndrome Association of West Tennessee. In 2019 he was appointed by Governor Bill Lee to a three-year term on representing the state’s Northwest Development District on the state’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. He was reappointed for a second term to the council in 2023. Dr. Scallion received his medical degree from the University of Pikeville-KY College of Osteopathic Medicine.
New board leaders and members began three-year terms effective October 31, and can serve a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms before waiting a year to become eligible to serve again. PHQIC members may serve three consecutive three-year terms.
BOARD & PHQIC
The TMF Board oversees the mission and work of the Foundation and its Physician’s Health Program to assist Tennessee health professionals battling substance use disorders, mental, emotional, or behavioral health problems. Other members are: Subhi D. Ali, MD, Waverly and Nashville; Keith D. Gray, MD, Knoxville; Pat Lee, CPMSM, Chattanooga; Randy Ratliff, Esq, Brentwood; Perry C. Rothrock, III, MD, Memphis; Natascha S. Thompson, MD, Memphis; PHQIC Co-Chairs Dr. Rosdeutscher of Nashville and Dr. Woods of Jackson, TN; and Mary I. Yarbrough, MD, Nashville.
The PHQIC is tasked with clinical oversight of the Physician’s Health Program. Other members are: Dr. Berg; Dr. Runnels; Tim Davis, MD, Chattanooga; John Harris, MD, Memphis; Lorraine Johnson, RN, Knoxville; and Steve Tate, MD, Nashville.
ABOUT THE TMF
The Tennessee Medical Foundation is a 509(a)2 public charity overseeing the Physician’s Health Program with a stated mission to “protect patients through identification, intervention, rehabilitation, and the provision of advocacy/support for physicians and other health professionals impaired by addictive disease, mental or emotional illness.” In addition, the TMF provides impairment and health education and resources to health professionals, both licensed and in training, across Tennessee. Support the TMF at e-tmf.org/support.