“I’m a very curious person. I love the interesting, complicated stuff,” said Dr. Brady Dutton Beecham, the new Chief Medical Officer at Gothenburg Health. “I’m intrigued by complex systems, and a hospital is a very complex system. My role as CMO is to focus on the health of the hospital, which in turn has an impact on people’s health. It’s a huge challenge, and I want to make a difference.”

As of June 1, Gothenburg Health is pleased to announce Dr. Beecham in her new role. While she began as a locum provider in 2022 and has continued to take call in the Emergency Department, she will officially serve in two capacities moving forward. On the clinical side, she will see patients in an acute and emergency setting, while covering hospital and OB rounds. As the CMO, she will work to improve hospital systems.

“As a doctor, I work to help the individual. As a CMO, I work to help the hospital as a system,” Dr. Beecham said.

Born and raised in Lincoln, Dr. Beecham is a Nebraskan at heart. Her interest in the interactions between the natural world and humans led her to get a degree in Biology and Environmental Science Policy from Duke University. Her first job was with the health department as an epidemiologist when the West Nile virus was first discovered. Her interest in public health led her to Kerala, India on a Rotarian scholarship where she received her Masters of Public Health.

“No matter where you go, the body is the same. Having a body is such a universal experience,” she said.

After returning from India, she started medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. During medical school, she took a year off and lived in South Africa to do clinical trials for HIV, which she said was a successful study and allowed her to see the science being developed.

In her third year of medical school, she said she was required to do a rotation in a rural health setting, which she did in Lexington. “Being a doctor in a small town was wonderful and made me decide to become a family doctor because you get to do a little bit of everything,” she said. “You’re part of the community. You’re needed and helping people.”

After completing her Residency in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Beecham came back to full spectrum family medicine as a Staff Physician at Lexington Regional Health Center. During her time there, she volunteered as the Medical Director for Two Rivers Health Department and was serving in that capacity when COVID-19 arrived.

“It changed all of our lives in ways we didn’t expect,” she said, “but for me, one of the positive changes was the chance to join the team at Gothenburg Health.”

Dr. Beecham said she has received such a great welcome from Gothenburg Health and is excited to be part of a great team. “This is a great place to help people. It’s a great culture with a focus on community,” she said. She has enjoyed her work in the emergency room as it provides a different view of the body and a different moment in an illness or disease. “It’s made me a better doctor and great to know that I can help people in a different setting. The Emergency Department is intense clinical work,” she said.

Dr. Beecham married Aravind Menon, an epidemiologist at Two Rivers, whom she met during her time in India. The couple reside in Lexington with their son Remy (8) and daughter Nora (4). She said she loves to chase them around, put puzzles together, ride bikes, and cook with them.