Morton Plant Hospital, the acclaimed Floridian health institution, announced the appointment of Dr. Robert Kopec as the new Vice President and Chief Medical Officer (CMO), effective from March 30, 2025. This appointment comes as his predecessor, Dr. Jeffery Jensen, prepares for retirement from BayCare in early May. Dr. Kopec’s stellar service as the CMO of Morton Plant North Bay Hospital, which began in April 2022, laid a solid foundation for his new role at Morton Plant Hospital.
In his capacity as the CMO, Dr. Kopec will work conjointly with the medical staff and the hospital president, Matt Novak, to ensure top-tier medical care is within easy reach of the public. An integral part of his responsibilities will be to groom the incoming physicians on hospital protocols and keep the medical staff updated with the ever-evolving health regulations. Dr. Kopec will also extend his clinical expertise over physicians, ensuring steadfast regulatory compliance while monitoring the quality of services and representing the hospital in meetings within BayCare and the community.
The pace at which BayCare’s physician enterprise is expanding has been noteworthy, and their delight on welcoming Dr. Kopec as VP and CMO reflects their commitment to medical excellence and innovation, as stated by BayCare Chief Physician Executive Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan. Dr. Kopec’s tenure at BayCare has been marked by invaluable contributions, particularly during the strenuous COVID years, and they look forward to his continued leadership.
Dr. Kopec, who comes with over 13 years of diverse leadership experience within the BayCare Health System, considers it a privilege to have been part of an organization that takes patient-centered care so seriously. He anticipates synergistic collaborations with the team at Morton Plant Hospital to meet their shared goals.
A benchmark in advanced medical technologies and patient care, Morton Plant hospital was established in Clearwater in 1916. The hospital, home to 599 beds, catered to over 27,454 discharges, witnessed 2,050 births, serviced 93,251 emergency department visits, performed 14,036 outpatient surgeries, and conducted over 3.3 million lab tests in 2024 alone.
Dr. Kopec kicked off his journey with BayCare Medical Group in 2012, serving as a hospitalist at Mease Countryside and Mease Dunedin hospitals until 2020. He acted as the Morton Plant Mease medical director for infection prevention and control and played a vital role in improving patient outcomes and curtailing clinical infections. His contribution to dealing with the uncertainties posed by COVID-19 has been immeasurable. Apart from his current role, he also sits on the COVID-19 Medical Advisory Board for Pinellas County Schools.
Having obtained his medical degree back in 2000 from Ross University School of Medicine, Dr. Kopec holds board certifications in infectious disease and internal medicine and also earned his master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2023.