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.

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.

Mike Datto, MD, PhD is an AP/CP/MGP board-certified pathologist, vice chair of clinical pathology for the department of pathology at Duke University and the medical director and associate vice president for Duke University Health System Clinical Laboratories. In his role as associate vice president, Datto is responsible for maintaining the standards of the College of American Pathologists and CLIA/CMS within all clinical laboratories at Duke. 

Specifically, Datto oversees clinical testing; develops quality management systems and proficiency testing programs; provides consultation with ordering physicians; develops strategic plans in line with patient, physician and health system leadership needs; coordinates research and development; ensures adequate and appropriately trained personnel; and provides profession interpretation for molecular diagnostic testing including the wide range of PCR, quantitative PCR, sequencing, NGS and FISH based tests for inherited genetic diseases, hematologic malignancies, solid tumors and infectious diseases.

In the past, Datto worked in the Lab of Xiao-Fan Wang, defining the mechanisms by which transforming growth factor beta exerts its cellular actions in health and disease. Following the completion of medical school, Datto trained as a resident in pathology at Duke. He has been on faculty in the department of pathology ever since.

Outside of Duke, Datto has served on many national committees as a leader in laboratory medicine, including service to the College of American Pathologists as the Chair of the Accreditation Committee, and overseeing the accreditation decisions for all CAP accredited laboratories.

Datto received a BA from Johns Hopkins University in Biology. He went on to receive his MD and PhD from Duke University as part of the Medical Scientists Training Program.

Richard P. Shannon, MD serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Duke University Health System. In this role, Shannon works in partnership with our Nurse, Physician and Administrator triads to oversee governance, strategy and operational outcomes for our comprehensive centers of excellence, including Neurosciences, Heart, Oncology and Musculoskeletal.

As Chief Quality Officer for Duke Health, Shannon is responsible for the overall direction, leadership and operational management of the quality and safety programs of Duke Health, and provides leadership in strengthening a quality culture where everyone is engaged and respected.

Shannon received his BA from Princeton University and his MD from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed his training in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, his cardiovascular training at Massachusetts General Hospital, and was the Francis Weld Peabody Fellow and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School before becoming the Claude R. Joyner Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Prior to joining Duke Health, he served as executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Virginia, where he worked with faculty and staff to transform the UVA Health System into the premier health care provider in Virginia. Shannon has also served as the Frank Wister Thomas Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and as Chair of the Department of Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Shannon has received numerous teaching awards from Harvard Medical School, Drexel University College of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Shannon’s investigative interests are in the areas of myocardial metabolism and heart failure, specifically the role of energetics in the progression of heart failure. Shannon’s lab was the first to discover the beneficial CV actions of incretins which formed the basis for Ventrigen, LLC, a company designed to develop incretins for the use in treating heart failure.

Shannon's pioneering work in patient safety is chronicled in the chapter “First, Do No Harm” in Charles Kenney’s The Best Practice - How the New Quality Movement is Transforming Medicine. His innovative work also has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, on CNN and CNBC news segments, and on ABC's "20/20", and was a centerpiece for the PBS report entitled "Remaking American Medicine." 

Shannon is an elected member of honorary organizations, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and served as a senior fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently is a teaching fellow for the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. He is a Director of the National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center Research Hospital Board; and a member of the Boards of Directors of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., where he chairs the Quality Health Improvement Committee.

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.

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.

Jason A. Carter is the President and Chief Operating Officer 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.

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.

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.

Thomas Owens, MD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Duke University Health System. With more than two decades of experience at Duke Health, Dr. Owens serves as the principal senior leader overseeing health system operations, working with enterprise leaders across Duke Health to deliver outstanding clinical outcomes and remarkable patient experience across Duke’s network and the full continuum of care, from the hospital to ambulatory settings to care in homes and the community.

In his previous role as Senior Vice President, Dr. Owens managed DUHS-employed physicians, Duke Primary Care, Duke HomeCare and Hospice, Graduate Medical Education, population health management programs, and payer value-based contracts through Duke Connected Care. As President of Duke University Hospital, our academic medical center was consistently ranked as North Carolina’s No. 1 hospital for quality. In 2021, he and his DUH team opened the 350-bed, Duke Central Tower. 

In 2020, Dr. Owens played a critical role in leading DUHS’s COVID response, collaborating with state government officials, operational leaders and frontline team members to care for our community, patients, and team during the pandemic. In partnership with colleagues in the Private Diagnostic Clinic, community practices and the Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Owens served as DUHS’s lead executive in planning the Duke Health Integrated Practice, projected to open July 1, 2023.

Previous roles at DUHS and DUH include Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Chief of Duke Hospital Medicine Programs, Co-Director of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency programs, and more.

Dr. Owens received his M.D. with honors from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. He completed his Internal Medicine and Pediatrics training at Duke University Medical Center.

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 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.

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.