Carla C. Braxton MD, FACS, FACHE

Carla C. Braxton MD, FACS, FACHE, is the chief quality officer for Houston Methodist West and Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospitals. In this role, Braxton oversees a comprehensive quality and patient safety program and incorporates medical staff leadership into the program. She oversees the integration of quality, patient safety, performance improvement, risk management and infection control into the daily operations of the hospital, among her many other responsibilities.

Under her leadership, Houston Methodist West Hospital received the 2020 Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum Award for Quality and Patient Safety, ranking No. 7 of 100 hospitals in the Complex Teaching Medical Centers cohort. Houston Methodist West has a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade A and is on the journey to Magnet redesignation.

Braxton is an active surgical critical care specialist who enjoys patient care. She also remains active academically when time allows, sharing peer-reviewed articles in publications such as the NEJM Catalyst.

Braxton completed her general surgery residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a two-year trauma and injury biology research fellowship at Cornell Medical Center. She completed her surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, then a master’s degree in business administration at Columbia Business School in New York. She is Lean Six Sigma-certified and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and of the American College of Healthcare Executives.