Darcel F. Walker is a seasoned marketing and communications professional with a proven track record in strategic leadership and cross-functional communication. With extensive experience in healthcare marketing, Darcel has led initiatives that enhance brand visibility, optimize media strategies, and drive organizational growth.

In previous roles at CaroMont Health, Darcel managed multimillion-dollar budgets, led brand campaigns, and executed integrated marketing strategies. Her experience includes oversight of digital platforms, corporate communications, and media production, with a strong focus on maximizing brand impact and supporting organizational priorities. Additionally, Darcel has contributed to academic institutions as an adjunct instructor and held leadership roles in community service organizations, including the Junior League of Gaston County and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.

Darcel holds a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America. In her free time, Darcel enjoys traveling and is learning to play golf.

Dr. Brian Burrows, MD, is the interim Chief Medical Officer for Duke Regional Hospital. He was appointed to this role in November, 2024.

Dr. Burrows has spent the past 14 years with Duke University Health System, most recently serving as the ED Medical Director and Chair for Duke Regional Hospital, since 2019. 

Dr. Burrows is known for his exceptional leadership, and for developing key continuous improvement initiatives. He has spearheaded numerous patient flow processes in the Emergency Department (ED), and during the COVID-19 pandemic he co-led the development and operational structure of the new Behavioral Health ED adjacent to the hospital. 

Dr. Burrows earned his medical degree from East Carolina University in 2010, and completed his residency at Duke University Medical Center in 2013.

Morgan Jones, MSPH, FACHE is the Chief Strategy Officer at Duke University Health System. In her role, she is responsible for leading clinical enterprise strategic planning, business development and growth, strategic intelligence, project management, and consumer insights.

Jones has focused her career on expanding access to high quality healthcare. In her prior work she crafted legislation to create a High-Risk Insurance Pool for the state of North Carolina which provided insurance to uninsured and underinsured North Carolinians; at the Department of Veterans Affairs she led creation of a Regional Crisis Call Center, was instrumental in establishing the Office of Rural Health, and also served as a key strategic and administrative leader in VA hospitals. Over the past decade she has provided strategic leadership and guidance to Duke, through development of an Ambulatory Network and partnerships which resulted in servicing new geographies and a doubling of patients across broader geographies.

Jones also serves on the Academy Chief Strategy Officer Forum, as past President Elect with the Southeast Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and Fellow and Board Member of the Carol Emmott Foundation. She has been recognized as a Triangle Business Journal “40 Under 40”, Modern Healthcare “Emerging Leader”, North Carolina State Impact award winner, Bernstein Scholar, and Carol Emmott awardee.

Jones holds a Master of Science in Public Health in Hospital Administration and Health Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Stacy L. Waters, MBA is the vice president of Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs, leading the philanthropic, engagement, and strategic advancement programs across Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Health System, and key connected centers, institutes, and initiatives. She also serves as an advisor to support university leadership as it relates to philanthropy in healthcare, education, and research, including the Duke University School of Nursing.

With her years of experience in academic medicine, complex health systems and organizational consulting, Waters expertise is focused in the areas of building and leading best in class teams; executing campaigns; securing transformational gifts; designing grateful patient programs; and enhancing the alumni and volunteer experience.

Waters joined Duke in November 2024 from Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, South Carolina, where she served as the inaugural president of the Roper St. Francis Foundation and vice president of Roper St. Francis Healthcare. In this role, she created the health system’s first strategic plan and campaign strategy for philanthropy, significantly increasing fundraising and securing the largest gift in the institution’s history.

Prior to her tenure at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Waters held senior leadership positions as the first Associate Vice President of Development for the Dell Medical School and UT Health at The University of Texas at Austin and as Associate Vice President of Development at UChicago Medicine and the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. In these roles, she demonstrated her ability to build and scale comprehensive development programs; cultivate alumni, donor, and patient relationships; and lead successful fundraising campaigns.

Waters reports to Duke University Health System CEO Craig Albanese, MD, MBA and Duke University Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and School of Medicine Dean Mary E. Klotman, MD.

She attended the University of Chicago and received her MBA from the Booth School of Business.

Colleen Shannon is the Vice President of Compliance and Administration at Duke University Health System (DUHS). She is responsible for implementing and overseeing the Health System’s compliance and privacy programs and facilitating the DUHS enterprise risk management process. Shannon also coordinates activities with the Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP) and School of Medicine leadership to advance our collaboration and prioritize services. Shannon reports to the DUHS Compliance/Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and Health Affairs Chancellor and DUHS President and CEO. Shannon co-chairs the DUHS Privacy and Security Steering Committee and administers various facilities’ compliance committees. 

Shannon joined DUHS in July 2007 and has 26 years of health care regulatory experience. Prior to joining DUHS, Shannon was the Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer for OhioHealth, an integrated multi-hospital health system in Columbus, Ohio. Shannon served as a Regulatory and Licensing Attorney for Cole Managed Vision, a 50 state vision benefit administrator, developing its privacy program at the inception of HIPAA privacy regulations. She also served in multiple positions within The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, including staff counsel, Chief Operating Officer of Lakewood Hospital and Chief Integration Officer, Western Region, Cleveland Clinic. 

Shannon is a graduate of the University of Virginia Law School. Shannon served as Chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Compliance Officers’ Forum (COF) and established the AAMC COF, Privacy Committee. Shannon serves as a member of American Association Hospital, Chief Compliance Officer Forum and is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and Association of American Medical Colleges Compliance Officers’ Forum.

Paul Vick is the Associate Vice President for Government Relations at Duke University Health System. He has headed Duke Health’s government relations office since its inception in 1999. He has more than three decades of experience in government relations and public policy work at the federal, state and local levels, including a three-year stint in Washington, DC, as chief of staff to United States Senator (and Duke University President) Terry Sanford.

During his career at Duke, Vick was director for nine years of Duke University’s Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs and has held several other university positions overseeing local, state and federal relations, alumni affairs, and special events. He has served as an elected official at the local level as well as an appointed member of numerous state and national boards. He spearheaded the creation of Project Medical Education, as a coalition of America’s leading medical schools and hospitals working together to inform Congress about medical education, and served for four years as its executive director.

A 1966 graduate of Duke University, he holds a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A. Eugene Washington, MD, MPH, MSc, is Chancellor Emeritus at Duke University. An internationally renowned clinical investigator and health policy scholar, Dr. Washington has been a leader in assessing medical technologies, developing clinical practice guidelines, and establishing disease prevention policies, particularly in women’s health. The thread that runs throughout all of this work is improving quality of healthcare and eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in health outcomes. His research and numerous publications have greatly impacted the practice of medicine in prenatal genetic testing, cervical cancer screening and prevention, noncancerous uterine conditions management, and reproduction-related infections. His executive leadership has inspired academic health systems to adopt public health principles as core to their mission. His service to the nation through professional and government boards and committees has emphasized the importance of health equity and community engagement in health policy and public discourse.

Dr. Washington has held academic leadership positions and senior executive posts in three prominent academic health systems. Previously, Dr. Washington was the Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University, where he also served as President and CEO of the Duke University Health System from 2015-2023. Dr. Washington was appointed as Chancellor Emeritus in 2023. Just prior to Duke, Dr. Washington served as Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences, Dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Chief Executive Officer of the UCLA Health System. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Washington served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. There, he co-founded and directed the Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations, one of the first centers of excellence conducting research on health services for minority populations. Before joining the faculty at UCSF, Dr. Washington was an epidemiologist and clinical investigator at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.

Dr. Washington is known as one of the most vocal proponents in the U.S. of Academic Health Systems adopting health improvement as their ultimate mission, beyond the traditional missions of research, education and patient care. At Duke University, he initiated and led the transition of Duke Medicine to Duke Health, which is today demonstratively more focused on socio-economic determinants of health and building healthy communities. At UCLA, Dr. Washington consolidated disparate and widespread projects into a comprehensive and organized community engagement entity that magnified the impact of these activities. And at UCSF, he strengthened the institution’s commitment to service by building lasting partnerships with the community and by creating alignment across the entire enterprise.

Dr. Washington has also impacted the national health and healthcare agenda through his thought leadership. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) (now the National Academy of Medicine) in 1997 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014. He chaired the Boards of Directors of both the California HealthCare Foundation and The California Wellness Foundation, served on the Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and was a director of Johnson and Johnson. Dr. Washington is founding Chair of the Board of Governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a national research organization authorized by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

Catherine Liao, MSPH is the vice president for Government Relations for Duke Health. She is responsible for leading and overseeing a comprehensive federal and state government relations program that aims to strengthen Duke Health’s identity and reputation on biomedical research, education, training and service.

Prior to joining Duke, she worked on Capitol Hill for six years managing health, education, labor and housing appropriations issues for a senior member of Congress. She also worked at the North Carolina Institute of Medicine reviewing federal health reform legislation and making recommendations for implementation at the state level. She also completed an administrative fellowship and served in the office of the chief of staff at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Liao was selected to participate in Leadership North Carolina Class XXVI, which aims to inform, develop and engage committed leaders across the Tar Heel State. She is also one of 18 fellows in the Class of 2019 of the Carol Emmott Fellowship, a national program that develops and empowers female leaders to leave a mark on health care.

Liao holds a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master of science in public health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Michael Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, is the Associate Chief Nurse Executive (ACNE) of Academic Partnerships and Innovation for Duke University Health System, Professor of Nursing and Global Health, and Interim Dean of the Duke University School of Nursing. He previously served as Associate Dean for Global and Community Affairs from 2014-2023 and as the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education and Director of the Accelerated BSN Program for the School of Nursing from 2008-2014.

His research focuses on the psychosocial aspects of HIV using mixed-methods, particularly focusing on intimate partner violence, HIV-related stigma, and interventions to promote engagement in HIV-oriented primary medical care. Additionally, through his research, he has documented the role of the professional and advanced practice nurse in the prevention, care and treatment of persons at risk for or living with HIV.

Dr. Relf’s work examining the intersection of intimate partner violence and HIV risk behaviors among men who have sex with men received international press attention. As a co-investigator on a President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funded project to build nursing capacity in the context of HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa, Dr. Relf, in collaboration with colleagues from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Zimbabwe, published the Essential Nursing Competencies related to HIV and AIDS endorsed by the International Council of Nurses, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. In collaboration with Dr. Julie Barroso from the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Relf has tested the efficacy of an internalized stigma reduction intervention among women living with HIV in the United States. He is now collaborating with partners in Rwanda (University of Rwanda) and Tanzania (Muhimbili University of Health and Applied Sciences) to adapt the intervention to the culture and context in these two countries.

Dr. Relf’s work examining the intersection of intimate partner violence and HIV risk behaviors among men who have sex with men received international press attention. As a co-investigator on a President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funded project to build nursing capacity in the context of HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa, Dr. Relf, in collaboration with colleagues from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, published the Essential Nursing Competencies related to HIV and AIDS endorsed by the International Council of Nurses, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. In collaboration with Dr. Julie Barroso from the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Relf has tested the efficacy of an internalized stigma reduction intervention among women living with HIV in the United States. He is now collaborating with partners in Rwanda (University of Rwanda) and Tanzania (Muhimbili University of Health and Applied Sciences) to adapt the intervention to the culture and context in these two countries.

Dr. Relf is an Advanced HIV/AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (AACRN) and certified nurse educator (CNE). Prior to joining the School of Nursing in 2008, Dr. Relf was a tenured faculty member and Chair of the Department of Nursing at Georgetown University and the Associate Medical Administrator/Director of Nursing and Clinical Support Services at Whitman-Walker Clinic. He earned his BS with a major in nursing from South Dakota University, his MS in nursing administration in healthcare services from Georgetown University and his PhD in nursing from Johns Hopkins University. He has been a visiting professor at Queen University Belfast (Northern Ireland), the University of Zululand (South Africa) and Fudan University (China). In September 2023, he was appointed a Consulting Professor at the Fudan University School of Nursing (Shanghai, PRC). He is a 2019 Fellow of the NLN’s Academy of Nursing Education and a 2008 Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Jason A. Carter is the Chief Operating Officer and interim President for Duke Regional Hospital and joined the team in November, 2023. Jason has more than 15 years of senior management experience working for healthcare organizations across North Carolina and the Southeast.

Prior to joining Duke Regional, Jason served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the University of Maryland Medical System where he managed clinical and non-clinical operations of the medical center and its ambulatory operations.

Jason received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Appalachian State University, and his master's degree in Business Administration from Winston-Salem State University. He was born and raised in North Carolina.

Lisa M. Goodlett, CPA, MBA, FACHE, is the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer for Duke University Health System (DUHS). Goodlett joined DUHS in the spring of 2024. In this role, Goodlett is a thought leader in designing and funding various growth and partnership opportunities, while working in concert with the DUHS senior executive team to enhance fiscal stewardship in meaningful and applicable ways. Goodlett is ultimately responsible for the overall financial integrity of DUHS – a highly complex, integrated system of care.

Prior to joining Duke, Goodlett served as the System Chief Financial Officer for the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), an integrated health system with over 750 care locations and 16 hospitals throughout South Carolina. MUSC grew from $2.4B to over $5.7B during her seven-year tenure.

Goodlett holds an accounting degree from Clemson University in conjunction with a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina and is a certified public accountant. Goodlett has served as a Baldrige Performance Excellence Examiner through the Department of Commerce.

David Gallagher, MD, SFHM, is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Duke University Hospital, bringing more than 25 years of extensive experience in physician leadership roles. As CMO, he plays a pivotal role within Duke University Hospital's senior leadership team, actively contributing to the institution's strategic direction and objectives.

Before assuming the role of CMO at Duke University Hospital, Gallagher served as the Chief of Duke Hospital Medicine Programs and Associate CMO. He received his MD degree from George Washington University, followed by the completion of internal medicine residency at the University of California San Francisco. He joined Duke in 2006, after previously holding leadership positions in Hospital Medicine at Sutter Health in Sacramento, CA.

Gallagher is a Professor of Medicine at Duke University, with a career focus on the Clinician Leader - Administrator track, emphasizing clinical practice advancement. Gallagher's scholarly work encompasses a range of topics, including hospital readmissions reduction, venous thromboembolism risk assessment, physical activity promotion for hospitalized elderly patients, and enhancement of hospital workflow processes.

Gallagher remains actively involved in clinical practice as a hospitalist, fulfilling his role as an attending physician for Duke Hospital General Medicine Teaching Services, where he provides patient care. He is board-certified with the American Board of Internal Medicine and has earned recognition as a Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine (SFHM) through the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Sheryl Thompson, MBA, CPA, serves as Vice President of Clinical Care Finance for Duke University Health System (DUHS) and Divisional Chief Financial Officer for Duke University Hospital (DUH). In this role, Thompson’s responsibilities include a wide range of activities supporting the hospital entities within DUHS, including monthly financial reporting, budget, capital, business planning & implementation, revenue management, and support of clinical laboratories finance.

Thompson also works in collaboration with the clinical departments of the School of Medicine on evolving funds flow, and on routine operating budgets and transactions with the Faculty Practice Plan - with a focus area of contracting for physician services and collaboration on business development.

Prior to joining Duke, Thompson served as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Memorial Hermann Health System – Katy & Cypress Hospitals in Katy and Cypress, Texas.

Thompson received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin and her MBA from North Carolina State University.

Thompson is originally from Houston, Texas and currently resides in Durham, NC with her husband and their son.

Chantal Howard, MSN, RN, CEN, NEA-BC serves as the Chief Nursing and Patient Care Officer (CNPCO) for Duke University Hospital and a registered nurse with over 30 years of experience.

In this role, Howard provides leadership, management, and fiscal responsibility for patient care services to achieve excellent patient care and enhance quality. Howard is also responsible for nursing practice across the continuum of care within the hospital and outpatient/ambulatory care services - delivering oversight and direction while establishing and maintaining a system for developing, reviewing, approving and disseminating standards for clinical practice.

Prior to her current role, Howard has served in multiple nursing leadership positions, including Vice President of Nursing, Director of Emergency Services, Director of Nursing for Cardiovascular Services, and Emergency Department Nurse Manager.

Howard holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing and is currently enrolled in the Duke University School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Howard also holds two professional board certifications as an advanced nurse executive and emergency nursing.

Howard is active in the community and a member of several professional organizations including: the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Association for Nursing Leadership (AONL), the North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders (NCONL), the Emergency Nursing Association (ENA), and the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN).

Howard currently serves on the board as President-elect for the North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders, is a board member of the Wake County EMS Research Board, and is a member of the Wake County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team. Howard partnered with INTERACT, the domestic violence agency in Wake County, and Durham Crisis Center in Durham County to implement the lethality assessment program, which screens victims of domestic violence who are at high risk of being killed. She implemented one of Brooklyn, New York’s first Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Programs and has presented on both a state and national level on disaster management, stroke management, and nursing leadership.

Jonathan Bae, MD, CPPS serves as the Chief Quality Officer for Duke University Hospital, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Patient Safety and Clinical Quality for Duke University Health System and Associate Professor of Medicine for Duke University School of Medicine. Bae leads several health system quality programs including safety, survival improvement, and publicly reported reputation programs — as well as leading strategic planning efforts for quality of the clinical enterprise.

As Chief Quality Officer for Duke University Hospital, Bae is responsible for the overall clinical direction, leadership, and operational management of quality and safety programs. Bae's key areas of focus are reducing inpatient mortality, enhancing patient safety, hospital-based performance improvement, and improving workforce well-being.

Prior to his current role, Bae has served in several key roles in quality improvement and patient safety including, Medical Director for Mortality and Quality Review, Associate Medical Director for Quality for Hospital Medicine, and Chief Medical Resident for the Medicine Residency Program. 

Bae received his B.S. from Duke University and his MD from the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed his Medicine and Pediatrics training at Duke University Medical Center. 

Bae is originally from Ellicott City, Maryland and currently lives with his wife and his two sons in Cary, NC.

Gregory Pauly, MHA is Group President of Acute Care Services for Duke University Health System, President of Duke University Hospital and Vice Dean of Clinical and Academic Integration for Duke University School of Medicine. In these roles, Pauly will provide oversight of the strategic direction, fiscal management, and program development for all acute care services across Duke University Health System, Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital campuses. As Vice Dean, Pauly will collaborate closely with clinical chairs, vice deans, IT leaders and other leaders in the School of Medicine and Duke University Health System to further strengthen the clinical and academic missions.

Prior to these roles, Pauly served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations for Mass General Brigham Health System and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Massachusetts General Physicans Organization (MGPO). During Pauly’s more than 20-year career at Mass General, Pauly developed multiple system-wide service lines, launched the capacity management program and led extensive work to reduce barriers to discharge and length of stay. Pauly was also instrumental in enhancing the integration with system physicians through new employment and compensation models as well as developing new plans for provider growth.

Pauly is an accomplished health care executive with proven experience in hospital operations, ambulatory practice management, strategic business planning, and clinical program development. With his vast experience in the operations and administration of a large academic medical center and ambulatory care network, Pauly brings a wealth of knowledge and visionary leadership.

Michael J. Pencina, PhD, is Duke Health's Chief Data Scientist and serves as Vice Dean for Data Science, Director of Duke AI Health and Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the Duke University School of Medicine. Pencina's work bridges the fields of data science, health care, and AI, and builds upon Duke’s national leadership in trustworthy AI.

Pencina partners with key leaders to develop data science strategies for Duke Health that span and connect academic research and clinical care. As Vice Dean for Data Science, he develops and implements quantitative science strategies to support the School of Medicine’s missions in education and training, laboratory and clinical science, and data science.

Pencina co-founded and co-chairs Duke Health's Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight Committee and serves as co-director of Duke’s Collaborative to Advance Clinical Health Equity (CACHE). He spearheads Duke’s role as a founding partner of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) whose mission is to increase trustworthiness of AI by developing guidelines to drive high-quality health care through the adoption of credible, fair, and transparent health AI systems.

Pencina is an internationally recognized authority in the evaluation of AI tools and algorithms. Guideline groups rely on his work to advance best practices for the application of algorithms in clinical medicine. He is actively involved in the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical studies with a focus on novel and efficient designs and applications of machine learning for medical decision support. He interacts frequently with investigators from academic and industry institutions as well as regulatory officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Widely noted as an expert on risk prediction models, Dr. Pencina has authored or co-authored 400 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited over 111,000 times. Thomson Reuters/Clarivate Analytics has recognized him as a “highly cited researcher” in clinical medicine from 2014-2021 and social sciences from 2014-2022. He serves as deputy editor for statistics at JAMA-Cardiology and associate editor for Statistics in Medicine.

Pencina joined the Duke University faculty in 2013, and served as director of biostatistics for the Duke Clinical Research Institute until 2018. Previously, he was an associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Boston University and the Framingham Heart Study, and director of statistical consulting at the Harvard Clinical Research Institute. He received his PhD in Mathematics and Statistics from Boston University in 2003 and holds master’s degrees from the University of Warsaw in actuarial mathematics and business culture.