Dr. Pavan Palepu has been appointed to serve as chief medical officer at Southeast Behavioral Hospital. His appointment became effective Wednesday.

As the facility's chief medical officer, Palepu is responsible for the coordination, supervision and evaluation of medical services within the behavioral hospital, located at 639 S. Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau. In addition, he will help develop hospital policies and clinical protocols, as well as ensure Southeast Behavioral Hospital complies with medical staff bylaws and adheres to standards and recommendations issued by The Joint Commission, a not-for-profit that accredits U.S. health care organizations and programs.

Palepu has been working in the behavioral health field since 2012 and has extensive experience working with health care providers and counseling services in Southeast Missouri, including Missouri Delta Medical Center, Bootheel Counseling Services, SEMO Behavioral Health, SoutheastHEALTH, and the behavioral health unit at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

He received an undergraduate degree in economics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and his medical degree at St. Matthews University School of Medicine on the Cayman Islands. He completed a dual residency in family medicine and psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa and is a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Southeast Behavioral Hospital, which opened in February, is a partnership between SoutheastHEALTH and Universal Health Services, which is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The 102-bed facility provides inpatient psychiatric care and outpatient services for patients age 18 and older and has plans to expand services to geriatric and adolescent patients in need of behavioral health care.

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