Jim Walton, D.O., MBA, is Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer for Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, Texas. In this role he provides executive leadership for the improvement of health care quality, focused on health care disparities in the areas of health care access, delivery and outcomes. Dr. Walton works with executive leaders of BHCS’ operating units, which includes 15 hospitals and over 100 ambulatory care clinics, to analyze, report and improve avoidable differences in health care access, care delivery and outcomes. With these collaborations Dr. Walton works to identify evidence-based interventions and innovations to reduce or eliminate observed disparities.

Dr. Walton, whose career spans more than two decades in health care management, clinical practice and research pertinent to community health improvement, is dedicated to serving medically vulnerable populations, working to improve health care access and outcomes. He joined the Baylor System in 1996 as medical director of the Office of Community Health Improvement and has led the Office of Health Equity since 2006. Additionally, since 2002 he has served as the Medical Director of Project Access Dallas, a network of more than 2,000 volunteers, 15 hospitals, two national diagnostic laboratories and 10 local charitable health clinics providing comprehensive health care access to over 3,000 uninsured people living in Dallas County.

Dr. Walton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Texas 1978; a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center 1982, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan in May 2009. He is board certified in internal medicine & has an adjunct faculty appointment at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health. He is married, has four sons and enjoys golf, hiking, reading and gardening in his recreational time.