Biography

Bernardo “Bernie” Fernandez, M.D. has served as a director of our Bank since 2017. Dr. Fernandez has served since 2014 as the Chief Executive Officer of Baptist Health Medical Group, a network of more than 250 physicians in multiple specialties spanning from Broward, Dade and Monroe County and is the holder of the John and Margaret Krupa Distinguished Chair. Prior to joining Baptist Health South Florida, Dr. Fernandez, an internist who specializes in vascular medicine, from 2006 to 2014 served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Cleveland Clinic Florida, a renowned academic medical center with locations in Weston and West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2013, Dr. Fernandez was honored by The Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives with the prestigious award of National Hospital CEO of the Year. Also, in June 2013, he was appointed to the Florida Board of Medicine by Governor Rick Scott until 2017. During his tenure, he was elected vice chairman in 2014 and Chairman of the Board in 2015. Dr. Fernandez is a native of Cuba and received his medical degree from the Ponce School of Medicine in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and completed his internal medicine residency and vascular medicine fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He is Board-certified by the American Board of Vascular Medicine and a Fellow of the Society of Vascular Medicine and the American College of Physicians. Dr. Fernandez is an active member of the South Florida community, which includes, among his various activities, being a member of the Orange Bowl Committee and a member of the Board of trustees for St. Thomas University. He also served on the selection panel for the White House Fellows Program, one of America’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service, in 2011 and 2017.  In January of 2022, Dr. Fernandez was appointed to the board of directors of International Money Express, Inc., a leading money remittance services company.  Dr. Fernandez received his M.B.A. from the University of Miami, School of Business in 2011 and is also a graduate of the Wharton School of Business’s Executive Development Program.