DAYTONA BEACH – SMA Healthcare is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Yusef A. Canaan as the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Canaan brings nearly 20 years of medical experience to SMA Healthcare, where he will provide medical leadership and oversight to all SMA Healthcare programs, establish strategic goals for medical programming and services, and ensure all medical services adhere to and exceed standards.
“We are thrilled that Dr. Yusef Canaan is joining our leadership team,” said CEO Ivan Cosimi. “We had the advantage of having him serve in a contract Psychiatrist role for SMA in the past which provided us with an invaluable opportunity to get to know him, his work style and his leadership approach. As the behavioral health and substance use fields continue to face unprecedented challenges, we know that Dr. Canaan is the ideal team player for our growing agency and we look forward to him leading our medical services and strategy for many years to come.”
Canaan is a board-certified psychiatrist by the National Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is licensed to practice in Florida, Indiana, and Michigan. He obtained his Medical Degree (M.D.) from Instituto Technologico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) in 2002.
He previously served as Chief Resident at Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami and as a Staff Psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. Most recently, he spent the last four years as a Telemedicine Physician for the Indiana State Department of Corrections.
“I am looking forward to taking on this new challenge, and joining a team that I know is committed to the same goals of bringing compassionate, professional, and ethical healthcare to the communities of Central Florida which we serve,” said Dr. Canaan. “I look forward to learning from this great team of professionals which is already established in SMA. I also hope to bring some fresh ideas to the clinical side of the administrative team; I am truly happy to be taking on this role.”
###