Piedmont Macon hospitals welcome new chief medical officer

Macon, Ga. (March 30, 2026) – Claire Paris, MD, MBA, FHM, has joined Piedmont Macon Medical Center and Piedmont Macon North Hospital as the two hospitals’ new chief medical officer. 

Dr. Paris brings extensive experience in clinical leadership, quality improvement and physician engagement. She most recently served as CMO at UNC Health Lenoir, where she worked for more than eight years. 

During her tenure, she helped lead significant improvements in quality and performance, including reducing mortality rates by 30%, improving the hospital’s Leapfrog Safety Score from C to A, and raising physician satisfaction scores from the lowest to the highest in the system. In December 2025, UNC Health Lenoir was recognized by Leapfrog as one of just 16 Top Rural Hospitals in the nation. 

Dr. Paris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from North Carolina State University, a Doctor of Medicine degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

She was inducted as a Fellow of Hospital Medicine by the Society of Hospital Medicine and a Fellow in Hospitalist Leadership by the University of California at San Francisco. 

Dr. Paris is married to Nathan Paris, the chief marketing officer for an aviation company. Married for 29 years, they have three adult children. Their family also includes two long-haired German shepherds, Pilot and Keeper. In her free time, Dr. Paris enjoys exercise, traveling, tennis, golf, baking and cooking.