VHA Inc. has hired Trent T. Haywood, M.D., J.D., deputy chief medical officer for the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to fill the newly created position of chief medical officer.

As VHA’s chief medical officer, Haywood will work with more than 150 other physicians and nurses employed in the organization. In 2007, Haywood will focus on developing VHA’s best practices platform to drive quality across the VHA network, stimulating clinical innovation and supporting pay-for-performance.

When not serving in his government role, Haywood practiced emergency medicine at a Veterans Affairs hospital in the Chicago area.

Haywood holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a medical degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago; he completed his internal medicine residency at Loyola University. Haywood also holds a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law.