Centra Health announced in a news release Thursday that Andrew “Andy” T. Mueller, M.D. will be the president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Centra effective May 15.

“After a comprehensive national search process, the board is pleased to announce that we have selected a highly qualified individual to assume leadership of Centra,” Amy Ray, chair of the Centra Board of Directors, said in the release. “Dr. Mueller’s values and experience are consistent with Centra’s mission to care for our patients, their families and the communities of central Virginia. His proven track record of health care leadership, deep industry knowledge and his primary care background, make him uniquely qualified to lead Centra successfully into the future.”

Mueller succeeds interim CEO Michael Elliott and former CEO Emory Wayne (E.W.) Tibbs Jr.

Mueller, according to the release, began his employment career in college as a cooperative engineering intern at NASA’s Johnson Space Center where he worked in support of the Space Shuttle Program. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree with honors in electrical engineering at North Carolina State University and his Doctor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina.

While serving in the Air Force after medical school, Mueller was deployed overseas twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a flight surgeon. Most recently, Dr. Mueller served as a Senior Vice President at Novant Health, a large, multi-state integrated health care delivery system, according to the release.

“While at Novant Health, Dr. Mueller held increasingly responsible roles in ambulatory services, physician networks and clinical service lines,” the release cited. “During the last four years he served as President of the Greater Charlotte Market, the largest market within Novant Health. Under his leadership, the Greater Charlotte Market grew considerably across all service lines, developed new clinical programs and set new records for growth in outpatient volumes and new patient encounters. During his career, Dr. Mueller has had numerous experiences across many facets of the continuum of care and has a proven history of working collaboratively with independent as well as employed physicians. Dr. Mueller has a strong background with medical education programs and will advance the educational mission of Centra with local institutions of higher learning. Dr. Mueller has continued to practice family medicine throughout his career and plans to continue seeing patients, as time allows, in Lynchburg.”

“I am so excited to join the Centra team and become part of the central Virginia community,” Mueller said in the release. “It is a tremendous honor to serve as part of a truly integrated and comprehensive health care system that is widely known for the quality of care it delivers. I look forward to partnering with the entire medical staff to enhance care, grow strategically and create greater value for the patients and communities served by Centra. I am grateful and thankful to the Centra Board of Directors for this opportunity and look forward to helping them achieve the mission and vision of Centra Health.”

“I am confident Dr. Mueller will continue to develop our mission and deepen our commitment to our communities. We are excited to welcome Andy and his wife, Courtney and their three daughters to the Centra family,” Ray said.