Behnke,

MD, Named Chief Executive Officer of Lexington Clinic

LEXINGTON The Lexington Clinic board of directors has appointed Stephen J. Behnke, MD, MBA, as the organization’s new chief executive officer (CEO).

Behnke has assumed leadership responsibilities for the oldest and largest group practice, which includes 30+ specialties and has more than 25 locations throughout Central Kentucky.

“It is an honor to be chosen to lead such a prestigious organization like Lexington Clinic,” says Behnke. “I look forward to building on its rich history and foundation and working with our clinicians and employees across the organization as we continue to deliver the highest quality integrated health care to our patients.”

Prior to joining Lexington Clinic, Behnke has served as chief executive officer, president, medical director and as an attending physician at MedOne Hospital Physicians from 2005 onwards, where his broad understanding and knowledge of overall operations enabled him to play a pivotal role in the Ohiobased organization’s growth over the years. As a seasoned healthcare executive with 14+ years of administrative experience, Behnke brings not only impressive experience, but also a new and energizing vision to Lexington Clinic. “Armed with my years of experience at MedOne, I hope to bring the same spirit of innovation, humility and excellence to the team, patients and community in Lexington,” says Behnke.

Behnke obtained his MD/MBA dual degree from University of Louisville and is board certified in internal medicine. He has also served as a clinical assistant professor of hospital medicine at the Ohio State University prior to joining MedOne Hospital Physicians.

Lexington Clinic was founded in 1920 and is Central Kentucky’s oldest and largest group practice. Lexington Clinic has more than 180 providers and serves more than 600,000 patients every year. Lexington Clinic has providers in 30+ different specialties and has more than 25 locations throughout Central Kentucky.

Franklin De La Cruz, MD, Joins CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group in Bardstown

Benjamin Neltner, MD, Joins CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group in Lexington

De La Cruz

BARDSTOWN Franklin De La Cruz, MD, has joined CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group in Bardstown as an obstetrician and gynecologist. As a practicing physician who has worked in the field for decades, he’s now treating the second generation of mothers in the Bardstown area.

Raised in the Dominican Republic, De La Cruz first considered a career in general surgery and completed his undergraduate education at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo and earned his medical degree at Cetec University. Now, he cares for the patients that he helped deliver more than 20 years prior.

“It’s fulfilling to bring someone into life, and then continue to care for them and their offspring whenever they decide to start families,” says De La Cruz. “It’s a full-circle moment that allows me to feel like I’m part of the families I care for.”

Following medical school, De La Cruz gained experience at Pan American Hospital, Miami General Hospital, University of Miami and Westchester General Hospital, where he held various clerkships in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology. While in his obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in Puerto Rico, De La Cruz enrolled in the National Guard and served from 1989 to 1993, until he completed his program. He later moved to Kentucky to join the Kentucky National Guard and served in a variety of military leadership roles until he received honorable discharge from the Inactive Reserve in 2002. Professionally, he’s maintained an OB-GYN practice at the Bardstown Women’s Center since 1993 and served as the Chief of Medical Staff at the Surgical Center of Elizabethtown from 2004 to 2005.

De La Cruz is currently part of the Passport Health Plan Quality Medical Management Committee, serves as a member of the Kentucky Medical Association Community and Rural Health Committee, and is an associate professor at the University of Kentucky.

LEXINGTON Benjamin Neltner, MD, has joined CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group – Primary Care in Lexington. Born and raised just outside of Covington, Kentucky, Neltner is excited to return to his home state and treat the underserved populations across the commonwealth.

Kentucky native and pediatrician, while attending the UofL School of Medicine. Upon graduation, the couple moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where Neltner completed his family medicine residency at the University of Virginia. He and his wife are excited to be back home in Kentucky and get to work.

Neltner

“The main reason I went into medicine was to serve,” says Neltner. “CHI Saint Joseph Health values taking care of the community and indigent populations, and I value serving the truly underserved.”

At 15, Neltner discovered his passion for medicine while volunteering at a hospice center in Northern Kentucky. “I saw the immense good that physicians can do for their patients, especially at the end of life – it was inspiring.”

Neltner’s mission to serve is evident through his years of volunteering at various hospice centers and clinics in Kentucky and Virginia, where he provided complimentary medical care to uninsured and underinsured patients. His services included grief counseling and nursing assistance, as well as preventive care and chronic disease management. Neltner has many leadership experiences, including serving as a primary care provider to refugees at the University of Virginia International Family Medicine Clinic. He is also a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association, and he is board-certified in family medicine.

Now at CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group, Neltner is dedicated to providing primary care to the Lexington community through a “shared decision-making and research-based” philosophy.

“The decisions I make are only a small aspect of a patient’s overall health,” says Neltner. “It really takes a relationship with each patient that is built on trust to make decisions together and to fully treat them.”

Neltner attended UofL where he earned his BA in science and his medical degree. He met his wife, Caitlyn Neltner, MD, a Winchester,

“The biggest challenges facing Kentuckians right now is the lack of resources,” says Neltner. “CHI Saint Joseph Health is making a difference for our community by providing these resources through serving underserved patients, and I’m proud to be a part of this vision.”

George Dimeling, MD, Joins

CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group in Lexington

LEXINGTON George Dimeling, MD, has joined CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group in Lexington as a cardiac surgeon – a field he has been passionate about since high school when he had the opportunity to observe a heart transplant. The experience, which he called “life-changing,” has continued to motivate him throughout his life.

Dimeling

Dimeling and his wife recently moved to Kentucky from Cleveland, Ohio, to be closer to family. “I find the mission of CHI Saint Joseph Health to be in line with my personal goals,” said Dimeling. “My wife’s family is from the area, and we wanted to reconnect in the post COVID era.”

Before medical school, Dimeling enrolled in the U.S. Navy. He later attended the University of Virginia where he earned a BA degree; he earned a MS degree from Georgetown University, and later completed his medical degree at Drexel University. He completed an internship and residency at Stanford University Hospital and is currently pursuing his MBA. Since 2017, Dimeling has worked as an adult cardiac surgeon in the Norfolk, Virginia, and Cleveland, Ohio, areas. He is board-certified from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Dimeling is a member of the Lexington

Medical Society, Kentucky Medical Association, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Western Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the Fellow of American College of Cardiology. In 2020, he also began serving as a board member for the American College of Cardiology – Ohio Chapter.

Bilal Aslam, MD, Joins

CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group in Lexington

Gastroenterologist brings years of experience to Lexington and surrounding communities

LEXINGTON Bilal Aslam, MD, has joined CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group –Gastroenterology in Lexington. Hailing from a family of physicians, Aslam set his sights on the medical field at a young age and never looked back. With his family as his support, Aslam adopted a medical philosophy that’s created close ties that span well beyond his bloodline.

“I try to treat all my patients like family,” says Aslam. “It’s caring for my patients, but also educating them to the point that they understand the risks and benefits of what you’re doing … this can be challenging, so ensuring I’ve established a familial type of relationship gives my patients a sense of ease and positivity during treatment.”

At age 12 Aslam’s family moved from New York City to Morehead, Kentucky. “Basically, I’ve been in Kentucky for the last 22 years,” says Aslam. He attended the UK for his undergraduate education and medical school, as well as his residency fellowship.

Aslam has also taught rising high school seniors at the UK’s Area Health Education Center (AHEC), where he implemented an interactive, lab-based introductory physiology curriculum. Aslam is fluent in both the Urdu and Punjabi languages, with career interests in advanced/therapeutic endoscopy, gastrointestinal bleeding, and systems-based practice.

“I’m very much looking forward to being part of the CHI Saint Joseph Health,” says Aslam. My kids were all born in Kentucky. My sister is a resident at the UK, so my ties to this place are very strong.”

Aslam’s wife, Leslie, is a triple board-certified psychiatrist.