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Presenter Bios
Presenter Bios
Chad Patrick is CEO of Mission Hospital, an operating division of HCA Healthcare, located in Asheville, North Carolina, which serves as the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care in Western North Carolina and the adjoining region. Mission Hospital is licensed for 815 beds and houses the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital – the region’s only children’s hospital. The flagship hospital of Mission Health, Mission Hospital was ranked as one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics from 2009 to 2015.
Appointed to Mission in July 2019, Patrick had served as CEO of HCA Healthcare’s Orange Park Medical Center in Jacksonville, FL, for the previous six years. Under his leadership the hospital opened a heart and lung center, pioneered robotic lung lobectomy surgery, doubled the size of the hospital’s ER and opened an inpatient rehabilitation center. In addition, the Orange Park team expanded services, including opening a new 42-bed patient tower, Level II trauma center, Graduate Medical Education program, two successful freestanding ERs, and pediatric ER and surgical services.
Prior to joining HCA Healthcare, Patrick served as the Division President for RegionalCare Hospital Partners, a five-hospital healthcare system. Preceding his role at RegionalCare, he served as President and CEO of Meadowview Regional Medical Center, CEO of Dayton Heart Hospital, Executive Vice President/COO for the Southwest Ohio Region at Catholic Health Partners and began his career as a respiratory therapist.
Patrick studied health services administration at the University of Central Florida where he received his Masters of Healthcare Administration; previous, he received his bachelors of science in respiratory therapy from Ohio State University.
Stephanie Young has been the Executive Director for the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System (WNCVAHCS), in Asheville, North Carolina since February 2018. There, she directs the operations of a level 1c medical center and three Community Outpatient Clinics to provide health care services to 47,000 Veterans in a 23-county service area.
During her tenure, the facility was recognized as No. 1 Best Place to Work for three consecutive years and has received other national recognition as a VA leader for patient experience.
Ms. Young began her federal service career with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in 1992 as a Medical Support Assistant and has since served in various VA leadership roles. Prior to her current appointment, she was Director for VA Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS), Danville, Illinois from 2016 to 2018; Acting Medical Center Director, VAIHCS, Danville, Illinois from 2015 to 2016; and Associate Medical Center Director, Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, Saginaw, Michigan from 2010 to 2015.
Additionally, Ms. Young recently served for 10 months as the Acting Network Director for the VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6). Ms. Young earned a Bachelor of Science Information Technology from University of Phoenix and holds an Associate in Science from Delta Community College.
James “Jay” Kirby earned a BS degree in Business Administration and a MHA degree in Hospital Administration from the University of South Carolina and received an MBA in Business Administration from Elon College. Mr. Kirby has spent 21 years working in administrative healthcare leadership. Since August 1, 2011 he has served as President and CEO of Pardee Hospital and works for UNC Health Care System through a management agreement. Mr. Kirby previously worked at Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, South Carolina, where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Mr. Kirby serves on UNC Health Care System’s Round Table and the Pardee Hospital Board of Directors. He also frequently speaks to community groups and serves on the boards of United Way of Henderson County, the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Hendersonville Rotary Club.
Victoria Dunkle
Victoria Dunkle is the Communications and PR Director at AdventHealth Hendersonville. She leads strategy and distribution of the internal and external communications for this faith-based health care network serving Western North Carolina. Her job allows her to work closely with initiatives designed to help the people of our community Feel Whole and experience their best health and quality of life possible through whole-person care - body, mind and spirit.
Prior to joining AdventHealth Hendersonville, Victoria was a News Anchor working at television stations in Pennsylvania, Michigan and at WLOS in Asheville, NC.
Victoria is a sought-after public speaker. She brings her fun-loving, sincere personality to a variety of topics for organizations and Church groups.
In addition to public speaking, Victoria writes and presents Bible Studies to women’s groups, including classes at Biltmore Church.
She is also active with several local non-profits including serving on the boards of the Buncombe County Schools Foundation and Safelight. She is also Co-Chair of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s WomanUP program.
But the leading focus of her life is her family. She and her husband, Dave, have two children. They spend as much of their time as possible enjoying time together. They are fans of music, theatre, hiking, traveling and discovering all the adventures to be had right here in Western North Carolina.
Teresa Herbert, MD, MPH, FAAP serves as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for AdventHealth Hendersonville. In this role, she is responsible for safety and quality for patients and team members. Dr. Herbert has practiced Pediatrics in Hendersonville since 1999 and served in leadership roles at AdventHealth since 2006. She was Chief Medical Officer for Advent Health Medical Group and Chief of Staff before assuming her current role.
Dr. Herbert trained in Great Britain, earning her medical degree from the University of Nottingham School of Medicine. She moved to Rochester New York in 1991, completing a pediatric residency and fellowship training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She is a member of the Royal College of Physicians (UK), board certified in Pediatrics, and holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Rochester, Rochester NY.
Dr. Herbert has served as lead on the AdventHealth Hendersonville COVID-19 response, developing safety protocols for patients and care teams, and overseeing medical care within the hospital and outpatient practices. She has worked closely with other health systems in the region, as well as county and state health departments to implement best practices and responses to the pandemic. She is the coordinator for COVID-19 vaccine education, management, and distribution at AdventHealth Hendersonville.
Dr. Herbert is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Western Carolina Medical Society. In addition to this, she has been working on the Safer Opioid Prescribing Initiative at AdventHealth Hendersonville. She is passionate about Physician Well-being and Burnout. Under her leadership, the organization was awarded the Medicus Integra Award for continued commitment to physician well-being.
Dr. Herbert is married with three children. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, fly fishing and playing old-time banjo and guitar.
Stacie Saunders is the Buncombe County Public Health Director. She started her current position in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020. Much of her work is focused on the county’s COVID-19 response in addition to strategic planning and growth of the health department.
After receiving a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Stacie’s public health career began in 2007 at the Alamance County Health Department. She served as Public Health Director from 2014 until 2020 before relocating to Asheville.
Stacie has served on numerous local and state boards and councils which promote public health. Most recently, she served on the NC Department of Health &Human Services COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Council, the NC Testing Surge Workgroup and as a Steering Committee Member on the NC Institute of Medicine Task Force for the Future of Local Public Health. Stacie was the President of the NC Association of Local Health Directors in 2021 and is currently holding the Past-President Officer position.
In her brief tenure, Stacie has brought much distinction to the department. She is the co-recipient of the Ron H. Levine Public Health Award for 2022 that has been conferred to all NC public health directors for their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, Buncombe County recently was named the 2022 Health Department of the Year by the NC Public Health Association.
Alex F. Howard - Vice President of Impact – Health & Wellness, Dogwood Health Trust
Before joining Dogwood, Alex served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at Appalachian State University. In this role, Alex provided leadership to the departments of Counseling and Psychological Services, the M. S. Shook Student Health Services, University Recreation, and Wellness and Prevention Services. In his efforts to enhance the holistic functioning of all students, Alex was deeply involved in the process of educating and engaging a variety of stakeholders, such as the University’s Board of Trustees and members of the broader Watauga County community, as well as students and their parents/guardians, faculty and staff of the university. During his time at Appalachian State University Alex developed a variety of student support services, assisted with the modification of university policies, managed various research projects and maintained his love for teaching in the classroom by serving as an instructor in the Beaver College of Health Sciences.
Prior to his work at Appalachian State University, Alex served as faculty and the Undergraduate Program Director within the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. Alex, a native of Sampson County, NC, received both his Doctorate and Master of Public Health from the University of Kentucky. In addition, he also earned a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from High Point University. Throughout his professional journey, Alex has intentionally sought opportunities to serve others and his communities, serving as an advisor to multiple student organizations at Appalachian State University, coaching youth baseball and serving as a member of the Board of Directors for both the Blue Ridge Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross and ATLAS (Achievement Through Liberal Arts and Sciences), a non-profit dedicated to improving access to higher education for High Country high school students that qualify as first-generation college attendees.
Nikki Harris, Director of Philanthropy, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
She loves to strengthen relationships between mission driven organizations and donors. Nikki received her BA in Sociology at University of North Carolina at Asheville. She has been with Planned Parenthood in WNC for almost 8 years. Nikki has prior experience in non profit leadership including Susan G Komen and Organizing for America.
Frank Castelblanco, AHEC Director & Chair, Continuing Professional Development, MAHEC - frank.castelblanco@mahec.net Click here for bio
Peg O’Connell is the chair of Care4Carolina, a coalition of 154 organizations committed to finding a North Carolina solution for closing the health insurance coverage gap. She has over 25 years of experience in legislative, public, regulatory and governmental affairs, in addition to healthcare, media and grassroots advocacy at the state and federal levels. She has been active in North Carolina working to enhance public health by improving access to healthcare and reducing the prevalence of smoking and obesity.
An attorney by profession, Peg has spent most of her career in government affairs and communications. She graduated magna cum laude from Marietta College, earning a BA in history and political science, and received her law degree from the Ohio State University College of Law.
Pam Jaillet has been involved with NAMI Western Carolina since the mid 1990’s when a family member was diagnosed with a serious mental health condition. She feels that the support and education provided by NAMI WC was crucial to her loved one’s recovery. In the past, she has served on the Board of Directors as Secretary for 2 terms and is currently the coordinator and a teacher of the Family-to-Family Education Program. Pam was hired in August of 2019 to serve as the Executive Director for NAMI WC and works part-time in the NAMI office. Pam is a retired Asheville City Schools teacher and has lived in Asheville since 1979. She enjoys spending time with her two grown children and her granddaughter as well as spending lots of time outdoors hiking and biking.
Doug Harris and his wife have a 46 year old daughter that lives with bi-polar disorder. Doug has been involved with NAMI Western Carolina for over 10 years. Doug teaches NAMI’s Family to Family education class and facilitates it’s Family Support Groups. Currently, Doug is on the Board of Director and the treasurer of the organization.
Bill Hathaway - Click here for bio
Ways to Get Involved
Ways to Get Involved
Volunteer in one of the many areas of care offered by Care Partners.
Volunteer at the Rathbun Center (The Rathbun Center is a non-profit corporation that provides lodging and other supportive services in a "home like" environment, free of charge, for patients and or their caregivers coming into Asheville, North Carolina for medical treatment)
Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Volunteer at the VA Hospital
Volunteer with the American Red Cross - Western North Carolina (see volunteer listings on website)
Volunteer as a medical interpreter - The ABC Kids project is developing an interpreter bank of “on-call” interpreters to go with patients to their doctor appointments. Applicants must be proficient in English and Spanish, written and oral, and have some training in medical interpretation or a willingness to be trained. Phone Number: 828-274-2267
The Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) Foundation
The WCMS Interpreter Network (WIN) provides trained and tested bilingual medical interpreters for non-English speaking patients to communicate effectively with their medical providers. Although WCMS is a nonprofit, interpreters are contract based and are compensated for their skills and time.
Please call 828-274-0650 or email win@mywcms.org if you are interested in learning more.
Resources
Resources
Subscribe to Dogwood Health Trust Newsletter
"Failed Medicaid expansion negotiations reveal N.C. hospitals' might" (Article recommended by Daivd Worley)
NAMI Resources
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