As a child, Dr. Tim Lietz was captivated by the action-adventure medical drama Emergency!, the iconic series that followed a paramedic-firefighter duo who raced to save lives.
The fast-paced, lifesaving intensity left a lasting impression. Throughout school, he gravitated towards the sciences, driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact on society. Yet it wasn’t until his fourth year of medical school that the influence of television came full circle. Choosing emergency medicine, he found the opportunity to do a little bit of everything, embracing high volume and variety, and stepping into the same dynamic, lifesaving world he once watched unfold on television.
In 1994, Dr. Lietz became the 16th MEMA physician, and the last physician of five hired to begin serving the newly built Novant Health Matthews Medical Center.
It was his first job out of residency, and he was excited to be part of the team. “I was searching for an independent practice that valued their physicians, where they were part of the business with the ability to make meaningful decisions and changes to the practice”, shares Dr. Lietz. And that is exactly what he found with MEMA.
He spent 17 years as the Emergency Department Medical Director of Matthews Medical Center building the emergency department team and a continued solid relationship with Novant. In 2014, seeing an opportunity to jump into a different leadership role, Dr. Lietz became CEO of MEMA. This new position allowed him to work with leadership to strengthen MEMA relationships and opportunities using a different vantage point. Within the same year, Dr. Lietz also stepped onto the North Carolina Medical Board (NCMB), as the first board member representing emergency medicine, where he served for 6 years, including serving as president of the organization in 2018.
From his first day on the job until his last, company culture has been a high priority for Dr. Lietz.
Throughout his leadership tenure with MEMA, he has been guided by the principle to “treat people with fairness and integrity.” He worked to help build an organization where trust was not just encouraged but expected. As a servant leader, he prioritized empowering others, ensuring medical directors and emerging leaders had access to development opportunities, from leadership courses to open, honest discussions.
For 30 years, Dr. Lietz led, grounded in a simple belief: take care of patients first and everything else will follow.
That mindset strengthened teams, partnerships and the business alike, fueling growth from four departments to seven and earning an exceptional 90% physician retention rate – among the best in the country. He is especially proud of the whistleblower lawsuit in which MEMA helped recover over 75 million dollars for the Federal Government, an effort that reflected the group’s commitment to servant leadership and supporting long, sustainable physician careers. Additionally, he reflects that during COVID-19, MEMA leadership worked tirelessly to secure PPE when it was scarce and to reassure clinicians so they could safely care for patients.
Michael Icenhour, former COO of MEMA, shares how much he enjoyed working with Dr. Lietz. “Tim was always collegial, inclusive, and a supportive team leader. By fostering transparency, fairness, and a culture of continuous learning, he leaves behind not only a legacy of stability but a framework for leadership that will endure well beyond his tenure.”
Three decades in, Dr. Lietz’s work is far from finished.
Rather than stepping away, he is stepping forward and channeling his experience into new healthcare initiatives where he can continue building meaningful relationships and serving the community he cares so deeply about. Next, he will lend his leadership to Elon University’s new Physician Assistant program here in Charlotte, investing in the next generation of providers. As MEMA approaches its 50th anniversary, he looks ahead with pride and anticipation, confident the foundation he helped strengthen will continue to shape the future of emergency medicine for years to come.