Saint Agnes Medical Center has named a new chief medical officer, and he’s coming to the Fresno hospital by way of Adventist Health and Ghana.

Dr. Bessant Parker not only has his doctor of medicine degree, but also a masters of business administration, according to a news release from the hospital.

His previous company, Reset Kidney Health, helped people with chronic kidney diseases across many states through virtual and at-home visits.

The hospital said his ability to solve problems through “simple actionable solutions for complex business and patient care issues” would translate well into his leadership role at the hospital.

“His experience with business development, operational management and physician leadership will be instrumental in supporting our healing mission as we seek to improve access to the highest quality care for our community through strengthened relationships with physicians and their care networks across the Central Valley,” said Gurvinder Kaur, president and market leader for Saint Agnes.

Parker succeeds Dr. John Evanko, who was named chief medical officer at Saint Agnes in January 2024.

Trips to the Hospital After Soccer Made Parker Want to Be a Doctor

Before coming to the U.S. to pursue his medical career, Parker earned his medical degree in Ghana, where he grew up.

He previously told Adventist Health in a 2019 news release that his frequent trips to the hospital from soccer injuries sparked his interest in medicine. He didn’t pursue his medical degree until after working as a high school teacher in Ghana, establishing a tutoring school to help young adults earn the equivalent of a GED.

Parker completed his internal medicine residency through Columbia University’s affiliate at the Harlem Hospital Center in New York. After that, he received his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

In 2019, he became medical officer for Adventist Health hospitals and clinics in Mendocino County. He left Adventist Health to become CEO of Reset in 2022, according to his LinkedIn.

Kaur, who became Saint Agnes president in January 2024, came from Adventist Health’s Central Valley Network.

Reset Kidney Health Focused on At-Home Technology

In 2023, Reset partnered with health platform Healthy.io to give people with chronic kidney disease access to testing systems at home through their smartphones.

The company that year commissioned a pilot study that looked at the role virtual health monitoring could play in kidney health.

The limited study showed promising results, with a majority of patients showing either stability or improvement according to the National Library of Medicine.