Terry McDonnell, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC is the Chief Nursing Executive and Senior Vice President at Duke University Health System, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Duke University School of Nursing, and Watts College of Nursing, Board Chair. In her leadership role, she collaborates with Chief Nursing Officers and system leaders to foster a culture of belonging and purpose among frontline clinical teams, ensuring that patients and their families receive exceptional, patient-centered care. She continues to work as a Gastrointestinal Oncology Nurse Practitioner at Duke Cancer Institute.

Previously, McDonnell served as Vice President of Clinical Operations and Chief Nursing Officer at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, where she oversaw clinical operations and professional staff, enhancing the delivery of high-quality, patient-focused services. Her leadership and management skills were instrumental in the success of the center's operations. An acute care-certified nurse practitioner, she specializes in gastrointestinal cancers and is a Clinical Associate of Medicine at the University of Washington. McDonnell has also contributed as a clinical preceptor at Harvard Medical School and the MGH Institute of Health Professions.

Recognized for her empowering leadership style, McDonnell excels in developing high-performing teams through collaboration and engagement. Her commitment to compassionate care has earned her several accolades, including the National Pancreas Foundation Compassionate Caregiver Award.

McDonnell holds undergraduate degrees in English and Economics from Boston College, a Master’s in Acute Care Nursing, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Administration from the MGH Institute of Health Professions.

Kristin Merritt, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CCRN-K, is Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Duke Regional Hospital and a registered nurse with over 28 years of experience.

Prior to assuming her role as CNO, she was Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) in Neurosciences for Duke University Health System and was responsible for neuroscience nursing practice and clinical and administrative operations across the health system. Merritt also served as the Duke Raleigh Hospital ICU and Neuroscience Stepdown Nurse Manager from 2012 to 2016 and as Neuroscience Service Line Director from 2016 to 2018. Before joining the Duke team, Merritt worked in over 29 hospitals throughout the United States as a staff nurse, travel nurse, and nursing leadership position.

Merritt holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice in Leadership from East Carolina University. She graduated from The Healthcare Management Academy GE Chief Nurse Officer Fellowship in 2021. She also graduated from the 2012 Nurse Manager Fellowship program at the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL). In addition, Merritt holds two professional board certifications in nurse executive advanced and critical care nursing.

She is a member of the following professional organizations: American Nurses Association (ANA), AONL, American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), AACN – Greater Raleigh Area Chapter, and North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA).

Merritt is active in the community. She serves as a clinical assistant professor for East Carolina University Department of Advanced Nursing Practice and Education and a member of the East Carolina University Doctorate in Nursing Practice Advisory Board. She has been a member of the AONL Membership Committee for the last three years, a member of the Wake Early College Health and Sciences Advisory Board, a reviewer for the American Nursing Credential Center (ANCC) Magnet Conference and an expert reviewer for AACN Circle of Excellence, Chapters, and Evidence-Based Practice, and for the North Carolina Great 100 Nurses Selections committee.

Barbara Griffith, MD, began her tenure as President of Duke Raleigh Hospital, a Campus of Duke University Hospital in October 2021. Prior to joining Duke Raleigh, Griffith served as President and CEO of Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, La.

Griffith’s healthcare experience includes 20 years of clinical practice and more than 15 years in a variety of leadership roles that have spanned hospital leadership, operations, physician practice management, clinical affairs and board governance.

Griffith served as chief medical officer for Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, N.C., for seven years. In her role, she led business development and strategy for clinical programs while focusing on excellence in patient care quality and safety.

Earlier in her career, Griffith served as president and CFO of Durham Emergency Physicians, the medical practice that staffed Duke Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department. As an active leader within Duke Regional’s medical staff of more than 1,000 providers, she served as medical staff president. Her emergency medicine background brings a broad understanding of all aspects of healthcare, particularly the needs of patients and families in today’s healthcare environment.

Board Certified in emergency medicine, Griffith obtained her medical degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She trained in emergency medicine at Christiana Care in Newark, Del. Her business training includes healthcare executive education at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians and American College of Healthcare Executives.

Michael H. Merson, M.D., is founding director of Duke Global Health Institute and the Wolfgang Joklik Professor of Global Health at Duke University. He joined the Duke faculty in November 2006. Merson was named Vice Chancellor for Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Affairs in March 2010. Most recently, Merson was named the Vice President and Vice Provost of Global Affairs at Duke University in June 2011.

Merson graduated from Amherst College (BA) and the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center. After serving as a medical intern and resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, he worked in the Enteric Diseases Branch at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA and then served as the Chief Epidemiologist at the Cholera Research Laboratory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His research focused on the etiology and epidemiology of acute diarrheal diseases, including cholera, in developing countries and on the cause of travelers’ diarrhea in persons visiting these countries.

In 1978, he joined the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Medical Officer in the Diarrheal Diseases Control Program. He served as director of that program from January 1980 until May 1990. In August 1987, he was also appointed Director of the WHO Acute Respiratory Infections Control Program. In May 1990, he was appointed as Director of the WHO Global Program on AIDS. This program was operational worldwide and responsible for mobilizing and coordinating the global response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

In April 1995, he joined Yale University School of Medicine as its first Dean of Public Health and as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, positions he held until December 2004. In 2001, he was named as the Anna M. R. Lauder Professor of Public Health in the Yale University School of Medicine. From 1999 to 2006, he also served as Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University, which undertakes research on HIV prevention in vulnerable and underserved populations in this country and abroad. He also led a number of training programs that strengthened the capacity of scientists in Russia, China, India and South Africa to undertake HIV/AIDS prevention research.

Merson has authored more than 175 articles, primarily in the area of disease prevention. His most recent contributions concern HIV policy and prevention in developing countries and broader global health issues. He is the senior editor of Global Health: Disease, Programs, Systems, and Policies, which is a leading global health textbook in the United States.

He has served in advisory capacities for UNAIDS, WHO, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, World Bank, Doris Duke Foundation, World Economic Forum, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and on several NIH review panels and advisory committees. He is a member of the Commission for Smart Global Health Policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Merson has received two Commendation Medals from the U.S. Public Health Service, the Arthur S. Flemming Award for distinguished government service, the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medal and two honorary degrees and is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine in the National Academy of Sciences.

Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH, an internationally recognized epidemiologist who has worked on the front lines of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 treatment and research, is the director of the Duke Global Health Institute.

Beyrer, who has worked on COVID-19 vaccine trials since 2020, currently serves as senior scientific liaison to the COVID-19 Vaccine Prevention Network. He is past president of the International AIDS Society, the world’s largest body of HIV professionals and has served as advisor to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, the National Institutes of Health’s Office of AIDS Research, the U.S. Military HIV Research Program, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the Open Society Foundations, among numerous other organizations. The author of “War in the Blood: Sex, Politics and AIDS in Southeast Asia,” he has conducted collaborative research in Thailand for 30 years.

Before coming to Duke, Beyrer was the inaugural Desmond M. Tutu Professor of Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he also was a professor of epidemiology, international health, nursing and medicine. At Johns Hopkins, he directed the T32 Training Program in HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Science and served as associate director of the JHU Center for AIDS Research and the Center for Global Health. He was the founding director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights.

Beyrer received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2014 and serves on the Academy’s Board for Global Health, and on the Committee for Human Rights.

Megan Haymaker joined Duke Raleigh Hospital, a Campus of Duke University Hospital as Chief Human Resources Officer in August, 2022. Haymaker brings more than 15 years of healthcare experience to the team, and comes to us from Indiana University (IU) Health, where she most recently served as Vice President of Human Resources, East Central Region.

In her role, Haymaker held responsibility for 3 hospitals and 3,000 team members, as well as an employee physician group. Some significant successes under her leadership include leading member engagement and retention, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Her region was recognized as 2022 LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and also expanded diversity recruitment efforts to include international nurses, Afghan refugees, and intentional outreach to universities and community organizations.

Haymaker has led organizational projects and participated in key strategic initiatives, including serving as an HR lead for the IU Health system COVID-19 response, as well as previous leadership experience in talent acquisition and compensation.

Haymaker is a tremendous asset to the Duke Raleigh team, and is passionate about growing our teams, and nurturing the professional development of our staff.

Dr. Ted Boyse, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer for Duke Raleigh Hospital, a Campus of Duke University Hospital. He was appointed as chief in July, 2022. Prior to this, Dr. Boyse served as Associate Chief Medical Officer for one year.

Over the past 18 years, Dr. Boyse has made important and varied contributions to Duke Health System. He has held multiple leadership roles at Duke Raleigh Hospital, including eleven years as part of the hospital’s medical executive committee, holding the roles of department chair, president elect, and president.

Dr. Boyse is known and recognized for his commitment to valuing and developing people while creating effective care environments through process improvements. He brings unique insight into how Duke Raleigh can best grow and support its medical staff, expand services, and further Duke Health’s commitment to delivering the best patient care.

Dr. Boyse earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, completed his Radiology Residency at the University of Michigan and his Musculoskeletal Radiology Fellowship at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in St. Louis.

Mary Martin is the Chief Operating Officer for Duke University Hospital. In her role as COO, she and her senior leadership team oversee Duke University Hospital, a 1000+ bed (adult and pediatric), quaternary care, Level 1 trauma and academic medical center with more than 15,000 employees.

Throughout her career, Mary has been known for leading teams in project efficiencies, capacity management, and process improvement including Lean implementation. In her role as interim president, Mary leads the hospital’s senior leadership team in key priorities such as employee engagement and retention, utilization and efficiencies, reduction of workplace violence, and clinical quality and safety.

As COO, Mary has served as incident commander of Duke University Hospital’s COVID response, maintained services with zero layoffs during the pandemic and activated a new patient tower a year ahead of schedule. Mary also led teams to implement the CARE Hub, a world-class patient flow and transfer center to facilitate movement of patients between the three Duke hospitals and from outside hospitals.

Before coming to Duke in 2019, Mary held increasing leadership positions in University Hospital, a 600-bed hospital within Michigan Medicine/University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, Mich. She served as Associate Hospital Director for major clinical services and operational areas that include: Surgical Services, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Psychiatry; Operations and Clinical Services. Mary previously served as director of Lean Performance Improvement and a member of the Mayor’s Cabinet for the City of Detroit, and in senior leadership roles with Detroit Medical Center.

Mary completed her undergraduate degree with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, with a related area of study in French, from James Madison College at Michigan State University. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Rackham Graduate School at The University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Jevon Peterson is the Chief Operating Officer for Duke Raleigh Hospital, a Campus of Duke University Hospital and has served the hospital for six years in various leadership roles, spanning facilities and hospital operations. Most recently, he served as Assistant Vice President, Hospital Operations. He has led large-scale projects such as the development and construction of the hospital’s new South Pavilion. Jevon brings a wealth of experience to the team and a unique insight into how Duke Raleigh can grow in Wake County. A community leader, Jevon also serves as vice chair of Raleigh Midtown Alliance.

Ian Lee Brown is the Vice-President and Chief Employee Experience Officer at Duke University Health System.

In his role, Brown leads the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging strategy and well-being and workplace safety initiatives. He ensures these elements are embedded within the system’s culture, so employees can live their authentic selves and deliver exceptional care to our diverse population of patients.

Prior to this role, Brown served in various senior-level roles in national healthcare, senior living and educational organizations, leading culture, diversity, talent, community outreach and operations. In these roles he had responsibility for leading over 1,200 employees and managing budgets in excess of $200 million.

Brown has served as a board member for numerous charitable organizations whose missions have included higher education, advocacy for the older adult population, including LGBTQ+ elders, youth, healthcare, affordable housing and hunger.

Brown completed undergraduate studies at Brooklyn College in New York City. He earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Chicago’s Lake Forest College and both a Master of Science in Applied Behavioral Science/Organizational Development and Graduate Certificate in Senior Housing and Healthcare from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School in Baltimore. At Hopkins, he also spent a year in the Mid-Atlantic Health Leadership Institute at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dexter Nolley, MEd, SPHR, is Interim Chief Human Resources Officer of Duke Raleigh Hospital.Nolley has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, including employee relations, mediation, performance management, team building, and training and development. He joined Duke Staff and Labor Relations in 2000 and most recently was Divisional Chief Human Resources Officer for Duke Primary Care.Nolley holds a bachelor of arts degree in communication from Mercer University and a master of education in counseling degree from Georgia Southern University; he is also a member of the Society for Human Resources Management.

Dexter Nolley, MEd, SPHR, is Chief Human Resources Officer of Duke Regional Hospital, a position he has held since 2014. 

Nolley has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, including employee relations, mediation, performance management, team building, and training and development. He joined Duke Staff and Labor Relations in 2000 and most recently was Divisional Chief Human Resources Officer for Duke Primary Care.

Nolley holds a bachelor of arts degree in communication from Mercer University and a master of education in counseling degree from Georgia Southern University; he is also a member of the Society for Human Resources Management.

Edward Buckley, MD, is Vice President for Duke-NUS Affairs. He is also Vice Dean for Education at the Duke University School of Medicine, a role he has served in since 2008, and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology.

As Vice Chancellor for Duke-NUS Affairs, he has been involved with the development of the Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School (Duke-NUS) education program since 2001 and currently co-chairs the Duke-NUS Academic Committee.  As Vice Dean for Education, Buckley provides administrative oversight for all of the education and degree granting programs for the School of Medicine. These include all aspects of the medical student program, Physicians Assistant Program, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Pathology Assistant Program, Clinical Research Masters degree and the Clinical Leadership Masters degree. He is also responsible for the Office of Curriculum, Financial Aid, Registrar, Admissions, Library, and the Medical School Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure process. 

Buckley is the James P. and Heather Gills Professor of Ophthalmology and the director of the pediatric ophthalmology fellowship program at Duke. He is a renowned expert in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus and has trained over 45 clinical and 10 research fellows.

Buckley has served as president of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology  and Strabismus (AAPOS), chair of the American Board of Ophthalmology, chair of the Section of Ophthalmology of the American Academy of Pediatrics, president of the American Orthoptic Society, and is the current editor-in-chief of the Journal of AAPOS. He has received the Life Time Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and AAPOS.

Buckley received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and his medical degree from Duke University. He completed an internship in medicine and a residency in ophthalmology at Duke before performing a two-year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and neuro-ophthalmology at the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He returned to Duke in 1983 as assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology.

Leigh Bleecker, MBA, MHA, is the Assistant Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Duke Raleigh Hospital, a Campus of Duke University Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital. She has been a part of the Duke Health Finance team since 2002. Leigh has also had the privilege of serving as Interim President of Duke Raleigh Hospital on two occasions.

Prior to joining Duke Health, Bleecker worked as a financial consultant with OSI Systems in Atlanta, Georgia.  She is a native of North Carolina, originally from Fayetteville.

She received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MBA and MHA from Georgia State University.

In 2007, Bleecker received the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award and was named CFO of the Year in 2012.

She is active in community outreach and serves on several community boards, including current board member of Urban Ministries of Wake County, member of Holt Brothers Foundation, former treasurer and board chair of InterAct of Wake County, and former NC Commissioner of Tryon Palace. Bleecker began volunteering in 2001 as a camp counselor for Camp Sunshine, a summer camp for children with cancer and still serves in that role today.

Michael Spiritos, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer of Duke Raleigh Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University Health System. Spiritos’ specialties include internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. He joined Duke Raleigh Hospital as chief of medical oncology in 2007, PDC Wake County representative in 2008 and chief medical officer in 2013.

Spiritos graduated from Harvard University in 1978 and completed his medical degree at Cornell University Medical College in 1983. He completed his internship in medicine at the New York Hospital and his fellowship in hematology-oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Priscilla Ramseur, DNP, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, serves as Chief Nursing Officer of Duke Raleigh Hospital, a Campus of Duke University Hospital. She is responsible for providing leadership, management and fiscal control for patient care services, with the goal of achieving excellent patient care utilizing the principles of quality management systems while maintaining a culture of collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork, and continuing to strengthen patient and team satisfaction.

Prior to her current positions, Ramseur served as the associate chief nursing officer, clinical operations director, nurse educator and staff nurse in perioperative services at Duke University Hospital for 25 years. She was also a staff nurse at Duke Regional Hospital.

Ramseur graduated with a bachelor of science degree in nursing from North Carolina Central University, as well as a doctor's of nursing practice, master's of science in nursing and post-master’s certificate in nursing administration from Duke University. She is a certified nurse executive and operating room nurse. She has received awards from NC Great 100 Nurse, Duke University School of Nursing MSN Program as Leadership Preceptor, Triangle Healthcare Heroes - Health Care Manager, Chi Eta Phi, Pi Chapter Nursing Legend Award and Duke University Friends of Nursing in perioperative nursing.

She serves on the Board of Directors for InteAct, North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders and Leadership North Carolina Triangle Regional Council. She is affiliated with the Central Carolina Black Nurses Council, NC Nurse’s Association, AONL, AORN, Chi Eta Phi Sorority Inc. - Pi Chapter Sorority, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. – Durham Graduate Chapter.

Christopher Plowe is an acclaimed scientist and malariologist recognized internationally for his groundbreaking work on the molecular epidemiology of drug-resistant and "vaccine-resistant" malaria.

Prior to coming to DGHI in 2018, Dr. Plowe was the Frank M. Calia, MD Professor of Medicine and founding director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of Maryland. His malaria research group at the University of Maryland oversaw research in Africa, where he helped establish field research sites in Mali and Malawi, and in Asia, where he is a frequent traveler to new field sites in Myanmar.

While much of today's research on malaria focuses on developing new drugs or vaccines that might save lives in the future, Dr. Plowe's strategy aims to save lives right now by developing new tools to help countries eliminate malaria. His team is using molecular and genomics approaches to track the emergence and spread of drug resistance and to map the "silent reservoir" of malaria parasites responsible for transmission of new infections. He is also working to develop a vaccine that will be effective against genetically diverse malaria parasites that have shown the ability to escape the effects of first generation malaria vaccines.

Dr. Plowe received his MD degree from Cornell University Medical College and his MPH at the Columbia University School of Public Health. He completed his residency at St. Luke's Hospital in and his clinical infectious diseases fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

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