Dr. Martha Presley Returns for CMO Role as Dr. David McRay Returns to Full-time Clinical Care
Published on March 5, 2025
Alive announced that Dr. Martha Presley has returned to Alive to fill its Chief Medical Officer position as Dr. David McRay retired the role on April 1 of this year. The only nonprofit hospice in Middle Tennessee, Alive provides nearly 1.5 million dollars in charity care each year so no one in our community has to die alone.
Dr. McRay is retiring from the CMO role to return to full-time clinical care at Alive as a hospice physician.
“We are incredibly grateful to Dr. McRay for his loving service to our patients and their families throughout his tenure with Alive and for continuing to fulfill the CMO duties while we searched for a worthy replacement,” said Alive’s Interim CEO and Chief Operating Officer, Joseph Hampe. “He led our clinical teams through the COVID pandemic. Dr. McRay’s dedication to our mission and his leadership during this unprecedented crisis were phenomenal. We are delighted that he will continue to care for Alive patients as a physician here.”
Dr. Presley worked with Alive from 2019-2020 as Medical Director of its palliative care program. Under her leadership, the Alive Palliative Care Team expanded its services in the TriStar Health system. She also worked with Alive during her residency and fellowship training at Vanderbilt.
“I feel called to support Alive’s mission. The Alive clinical experience is exemplary and has been led by clinicians with true ‘hospice hearts,’ Dr. Presley said. “Alive is such an important part of this community in providing services that don’t exist elsewhere, such as financial support for patients, grief support for families, outreach, and a residential option. All my family members that have passed away on hospice have passed away with Alive.”
“It is a true pleasure to welcome Dr. Presley back to Alive. Her personal connection to Alive and her professional experience providing hands-on care as well as growing clinical programs and managing the business side of care make her the perfect fit for this complex, demanding role,” said Hampe.
Dr. Presley looks forward to supporting and strengthening Alive’s position as a non-profit in a rapidly evolving industry. “I believe we can expand our community footprint in long-term care spaces, increase our education and training of future providers, and refine our clinical model to deliver care more effectively with our partners. Alive is well poised to succeed while remaining true to its mission,” she said.
About Dr. Martha Presley
Dr. Presley holds an M.D. from Vanderbilt Medical School and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School. She is Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine. Dr. Presley is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and also on faculty in the School of Medicine teaching Quality Improvement & Patient Safety. She recently served as the Chief Medical Officer at Physician Housecalls, LLC, a home-based geriatric and palliative care practice with over five thousand patients based in Oklahoma and Kansas and as a Senior Consultant to the CMO and Lead Physician for Aspire Health over multiple markets.