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Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association elects new board

Chris Graham

Virginia Hospital & Healthcare AssociationThe Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) elected the 2018-2019 slate of officers to its Board of Directors during the VHHA Annual Meeting this week in Williamsburg.

The Board unanimously elected Valley Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Mark H. Merrill as Chairman; Mary Washington Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Michael P. McDermott as Vice Chairman; and Carilion Clinic Chief Operating Officer and Carilion Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer Steven C. Arner as Secretary-Treasurer. Other Board officers include Sentara Healthcare Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael V. Gentry, the immediate past Chairman of the VHHA Board; and VHHA President and Chief Executive Officer Sean T. Connaughton.

In addition to the Board officers, VHHA’s Executive Committee also includes Augusta Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mary N. Mannix, UVA Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Pamela M. Sutton-Wallace, and Inova Vice President and Inova Fair Oaks Hospital CEO John L. Fitzgerald.

The Annual Meeting brings together hundreds of hospital and health system leaders and other health care stakeholders from across the Commonwealth and beyond for a collaborative experience. In addition to the election of new officers, recipients of VHHA’s Outstanding Service Awards are recognized at the Annual Meeting. This year, VHHA presented the Distinguished Service Award to John L. Fitzgerald, CEO of Inova Fair Oaks Hospital; the Excellence in Governance Award to Alda L. White, Immediate Past Chair of the Mary Washington Healthcare Board of Trustees; the Excellence in Governance Award to Robert “Bob” Fort, Past Board Chair of Sentara Healthcare; and the Meritorious Service Award to Nathaniel L. Bishop, D.Min., President of the Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

Emerging health care leaders who received awards in the new 4 Under 40 category are also being honored. The award recipients include Brannelly Batman, Nurse Manager with UVA Health System; Taryn Overman, Emergency Department Senior Director with Virginia Hospital Center; Ryan Stuhlreyer, Vice President for Chronic Conditions with Bon Secours Virginia Health System; and Amanda Wilson, Medical Quality Coordinator with Augusta Health.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].