Baptist Memorial BestHealth program creates new leadership roles
MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 26, 2025–Baptist Memorial Health Care’s BestHealth Employee Wellbeing Program recently promoted Lia Lansky to chief wellbeing officer and Dr. Jake Lancaster to chief medical officer.
The BestHealth initiative is a wellness program designed to encourage and support team members in taking control of their health and well-being through wellness programs and tools and personal counseling. Lansky and Lancaster are the first to serve in these newly created positions, emphasizing Baptist’s commitment to the health and well-being of employees.
“Lia and Jake bring a wealth of knowledge to the teams they are leading with their many years of experience with Baptist and in the health care industry,” said Nancy Averwater, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care. “With these changes, BestHealth is better positioned to expand services and help team members lead healthier lives.”
Lansky has more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry. She has served as the system director of wellbeing for Baptist Memorial Health Care for seven years. As the chief wellbeing officer, she will provide leadership and oversight in strategic design, development and administration of a comprehensive well-being strategy for Baptist Memorial Health Care. She also will work in partnership with Baptist Medical Group to assist and support the integration of the well-being program into other Baptist-led initiatives related to population health management.
Lancaster will take on the new role of chief medical officer for BestHealth while continuing to serve as chief medical officer for Baptist Medical Group and chief medical information officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care. Lancaster also is active as an internist for Baptist Medical Group and is board certified in internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine and clinical informatics through the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Informatics Association, a fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association and author of “The Matter of Medicine.”
Baptist Memorial Health Care is one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health care systems and the largest provider of Medicaid in the region. Consistently ranking among the top integrated health care networks in the country, Baptist Memorial comprises 24 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, North and Central Mississippi and East Arkansas; a freestanding emergency department; more than 6,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group with more than 1,100 providers; Baptist Cancer Center; home, hospice and psychiatric care; walk-in and urgent care clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system that includes Baptist Health Sciences University and a college of osteopathic medicine. Baptist employs more than 22,000 people, and in fiscal year 2023 contributed more than $465 million in community benefit and uncompensated care to the communities it serves. For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.com.
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