TOWNSHEND — Dr. George Terwilliger has recently joined Grace Cottage as chief medical officer, emergency department medical director, and hospitalist director.
He assumed these positions after the July 30 retirement of former Chief Medical Officer Dr. Christopher Schmidt and the decision of former Emergency Department Director Dr. Kimona Alin to dedicate her time exclusively to her role as a hospital physician.
“I came to Grace Cottage because of the people who work here - they all put the patient first,” Terwilliger said in a news release. “I've long been aware of the great care given here by the doctors, advanced practice providers, nurses, and allied health providers. Everything I've seen since I started here has validated that perception.”
As a member of the senior leadership team, Terwilliger oversees the medical care of all patients and the functions performed by medical staff. He may be called upon to help assess and diagnose needs and plans of actions for individuals and families.
Terwilliger will be responsible for setting medical policies, guidelines, and for ensuring strict safety and quality programs and procedures. He serves as leader, mentor, and team builder, and will also serve as a part-time physician in the emergency department.
Formerly the medical director of Chelsea (Vermont) Family Health Center, and chief resident at UMass Family Practice during the 1990s, Terwilliger has been an emergency department physician at Gifford (Randolph), Cheshire (Keene, N.H.), and Porter (Middlebury) Medical Centers, prior to becoming Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's emergency department site director in 2013.
A lifelong Vermonter, Terwilliger is a graduate of the University of Vermont and the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He did his postgraduate training at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, Mass.