Nicole Shields, MD, named Medical Director of Clinical Informatics

Knoxville, Tenn. – October 2023— Covenant Health is pleased to announce Nicole Shields, MD, FAAFP, as the health enterprise’s new medical director of clinical informatics, effective Oct. 1, 2023.

Clinical informatics uses data and health information technology to improve health and the delivery of health care services. Dr. Shields will provide medical leadership in the areas of strategy, planning, development, preparation of clinical content and implementation of clinical information systems. This includes core clinical systems, computerized physician order entry and provider documentation across Covenant Health’s inpatient facilities, emergency departments and ambulatory settings.

For more than 10 years, Dr. Shields has served the community in Tazewell, Tennessee as a primary care physician at Claiborne Primary Care, a member of Covenant Medical Group. She will continue her clinical work in primary care as she adds this new position to her responsibilities. In her new role, she will be working with Mandy Grubb Halford, MD, Covenant Health’s chief medical officer and chief medical informatics officer, along with other health system leaders in informatics and clinical quality, to sustain and optimize provider content in the organization’s integrated electronic health record.

“Technology is an integral part of the care of our patients,” said Dr. Shields. “Clinical informatics focuses on providing the right information to the right person, in the right intervention format and through the right channel, at the right time. I look forward to promoting excellent patient care while supporting our healthcare teams and helping them do what they do best in an efficient and effective way.”

“I am so pleased to announce that Dr. Shields is stepping into this leadership role,” said Dr. Halford, who also is a senior vice president at Covenant Health. “She will be an asset to our clinical leadership team and to the entire health system. Dr. Shields’ understanding of medical informatics will optimize Covenant’s use of data and information to support physicians, caregivers and health system operations. Most of all, her passion for excellence will guide our technology initiatives so that our patients experience the best possible care and health outcomes.”

Dr. Shields is board-certified in family medicine. She received her medical education at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville and completed her family medicine residency at Duke University in North Carolina. Dr. Shields embodies Covenant Health’s Pledge of Excellence by putting patients first and striving for excellence in every endeavor.