Dr. Joseph Carmichael recognized as a CMO to Know by Becker’s
Colorectal surgeon is linchpin in transformation of UCI Health into a leading academic health system
Orange, Calif. — Dr. Joseph Carmichael, the chief medical officer and senior vice president at UCI Health, has been recognized as a CMO to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review.
His profile says:
“Carmichael is a linchpin in the transformation of UCI Health transformation into a leading academic health system recognized for high-quality, safe care, including numerous Leapfrog ‘A’ hospital grades for its flagship hospital.
“He leads a physician network across [six] hospitals and their associated ambulatory locations, and at UCI Health—Orange he leads a physician team with more physicians of excellence recognized by the Orange County Medical Association than any other hospital in the county. The UCI Health inpatient and ambulatory network ranked as a top performer in the 2025 Vizient quality and accountability study, making it one of only five health systems nationally to do so.
“He is also a colorectal surgeon known for innovative laparoscopic and robot-assisted approaches, as well as complex open abdominal surgery.”
Carmichael is a nationally leading colorectal surgeon who has impacted countless lives with innovative laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical approaches to treating diseases of the colon and rectum, as well as complex open abdominal surgery. Carmichael performed the first robot-assisted rectal cancer resection in Orange County after joining UCI Health — Orange. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research publications.
He is currently the principal investigator on a phase 3 clinical trial of iltamiocel, a cellular treatment made from a patient’s own muscle cells, to treat obstetric injury-related fecal incontinence, a seldom-discussed complication of vaginal childbirth.
He sees patients at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center in Orange.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).