Assaad Sayah, MD, FACEP

Assaad Sayah, MD, has served as SVP & Chief Medical Officer at CHA and President of CHA Physicians Organization since 2015. He first joined CHA in 2006, as Chief of Emergency Medicine before being  promoted to Senior Vice President of Primary and Emergency Care in 2013. In the emergency department, he led tremendous advancements at all three CHA hospitals, resulting in enhanced efficiency, quality, volume, and patient satisfaction. The implementation of Rapid Assessment, an electronic patient tracking system, and the addition of patient partners are among the many initiatives that have contributed to improved patient flow.

In 2009 when the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (now America's Essential Hospitals) publicized successful ED throughput strategies from top performing safety net hospitals throughout the country they honored CHA as a "high performer" candidate. Since then, Dr. Sayah has been invited to share these strategies and accomplishments at local, national and international national venues.

Dr. Sayah has also served as Chairman of CHA's Chiefs Council, CHA Medical Staff President, and he continues to serve on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. His research and publications focus on Emergency Department Operation, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and prehospital care, advanced directives, disaster planning, and process improvement.
He has received numerous awards for his work, including the President’s Award and Vanguard Award from the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, the America's Top Physicians distinction in 2007 and 2008 from the Consumers Research Council of America, and the EMS Physician of the Year Award from the Metropolitan Boston EMS Council.

Prior to coming to CHA, Dr. Sayah served in leadership roles at several area hospitals, including as Director of EMS for Brigham and Women's Hospital, Associate Chief for the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, and Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center. He received his medical doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and completed his residency in emergency medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan.