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CareFirst Welcomes Seasoned Health Equity Leader as the New Head of Public Health
Dr. Bryan O. Buckley to lead CareFirst’s strategy for advancing and achieving better health outcomes for the people and communities in the region
Baltimore and Washington, D.C. – Today, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), one of the country's largest not-for-profit healthcare organizations, welcomed Dr. Bryan O. Buckley, DrPH, MPH, MBA, as the new Head of Public Health.
In this role, Dr. Buckley will champion health equity initiatives and lead the strategic development and execution of the public health team’s work. This includes developing a health equity data infrastructure and frameworks to understand disparities in health outcomes, cultivating and aligning public and private partnerships, and supporting the planning, execution, and evaluation of tactics to advance equitable health outcomes.
“In pursuit of CareFirst’s vision of health equity and achieving optimal wellbeing for all members, addressing social drivers of health (SDOH) and eliminating barriers to access are key focus areas that need to be led by an expert in the field,” said Lester Davis, who leads the teams championing community and public health initiatives as CareFirst’s Vice President, Chief of Staff. “We believe we found that leader in Dr. Buckley. His previous experience and knowledge leading public health initiatives and strong commitment to health equity make him an ideal person to lead us in the next phase of this work.”
Prior to joining CareFirst, Dr. Buckley served as Director of Health Equity Initiatives for the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), where he combined his interest in achieving equity in healthcare access and outcomes with his experience in patient quality and safety. There, he led NCQA’s enterprise health equity strategy, integrating health equity concepts across its offerings. During COVID, he was a research fellow at MedStar Health’s Institute for Quality and Safety and before that served as the Manager of Strategic Initiatives at BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts.
“Public health is about cultivating community partnerships across the region to improve the health and wellbeing of people where they live, work and play,” Dr. Buckley said. “It’s about extending lives and impacting future generations of families. Never did that mission become more compelling to me than during the pandemic when the issue of health equity became undeniable. Public health professionals became architects of a more equitable healthcare system, and I’m excited to bring the knowledge I have learned across the nation to CareFirst.”
Dr. Buckley’s leadership will further position CareFirst’s ability to serve as a proactive partner with community-based organizations, health departments, academic institutions and employers to develop strategies across all industries that better serve people throughout the region and meaningfully impact accessibility, affordability and quality of care for all.
He serves on several boards, including the American Public Health Association, Food & Friends, Creating Healthier Communities and the American Heart Association of the Greater Washington Region. He was also a fellow in the inaugural cohort for Leaders of Color and remains heavily involved as a Harvard alumnus, including on the Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. Additionally, he has been recognized on Becker’s Black Healthcare Leaders to Know list (2023 and 2024).
He received his Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) in Public Health Leadership & Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and he also currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine.
About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
In its 87th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit healthcare company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.5 million individuals and employers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2023, CareFirst infused $233 million in support of regional community impact to improve overall health and advance accessible, affordable, equitable, high-quality healthcare. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit www.carefirst.com.