Roger L. Harrell, MHA

Health Officer
Dorchester County Health Department

Roger Harrell was born and raised in New Bern, North Carolina. He has been a Marylander since 1973. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he obtained his B.S. Degree in Business Administration in 1971 and earned his Master of Hospital Administration degree at the Medical College of Virginia in 1973.

He has served in Senior Executive Positions in investor owned, public and private healthcare entities. Roger has served as the Chief Public Health Official for Dorchester County Maryland since 1997.

He is active in his community and serves on numerous Community Boards:

• District Governor, Rotary District 7630, 2011-2012.
• Immediate Past President of the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center and Past president 2011-2013.
• Past President of the Public Mental Health Authority.
• Past Campaign Chair for the County United Way Campaign.
• Current Member of the Governor of Maryland’s Councils on Cancer Control and Prevention, and Wellness Council.
• Recipient of the Clara Barton Award from local American Red Cross Chapter for volunteer work.
• Part time lecturer on the Faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
• Recipient of the Cambridge Rotary Club Public Service Person of the Year award.
• Recipient of Cambridge Rotary Club Lifetime Achievement Award.

Richard Colgan, M.D.

Academic Title: Professor
Primary Appointment: Family & Community Medicine
Administrative Title: Executive Vice Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine.
Director, Maryland Area Health Education Program

Education and Training

Catholic University of America, BA, Biology, Cum Laude, 1977; Johns Hopkins University, PhD candidate, Biochemistry, 1978; Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico, MD, 1982 Prince Georges General Hospital and Medical Center, Fifth Pathway followed by Post-Graduate Year 1, 1983 – 1984; University of Maryland Hospital, Family Practice Residency, 1984 – 1986, Chief Res. 1986

Personal Statement

Dr. Colgan has served as lead investigator on many research projects, including the Medical Student Experience with Primary Care Physicians, the Patient Centered Medical Home, and Care for the Underserved in Maryland, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration.

Dr. Colgan has been listed in Best Doctors in America, was chosen by the School of Medicine’s student body as its nominee for the Association of American Medical Colleges’ annual humanism award and was inducted into the school’s Humanism Honor Society as well as Alpha Omega Alpha. In 2008, he was awarded the American Medical Student Association’s Golden Apple clinical faculty teaching award by the University of Maryland School of Medicine class of 2008. Dr. Colgan is a retired colonel in the Maryland Defense Force, serving the state of Maryland as a volunteer physician in the 10th Medical Regiment, for which he is the recipient of the Maryland Defense Force Humanitarian Service Medal for Meritorious Direct Participation in Humanitarian Service in 2008.

Positions and Employment

1986- 1998 Full spectrum family medicine, private practice, Annapolis, Maryland 1998- Full spectrum of clinical family medicine 1998 – 2005 Medical Director University Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 2004 – 2005 Director of Clinical Operations, Director Student Health, Employee Health, 2005-2012 Director of Medical Student Education,2012 – 2019 Vice Chairman Clinical Operations and Medical Student Education; 2015- Director, Maryland Area Health Education Center;2015- Director, Executive Health Program;2019- Executive Vice Chairman

Research Interests and Publications

Center on the physician patient relationship, humanism in medicine, care for the underserved, infections in primary care, specifically urinary tract infections. Dr. Colgan is the author the author of two books: Advice to the Young Physician: On the Art of Medicine and Advice to the Healer: On the Art of Caring, both published by Springer. He has authored more than 80 publications, including those published in JAMA, American Family Physician, Annals of Family Medicine, Academic Medicine and Clinical Infectious Disease.

DR. SANDRA GARBELY-KERKOVICH

Senior VP and Chief Dental Officer
Choptank Community Health System

Sandra Garbely-Kerkovich, DMD, has been the Vice President/Chief Dental Officer for CCHS since 2013. Dr. Garbely serves as a member of the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) She is also an active member Maryland Dental Action Coalition (MDAC). She is also a contributing member of the Community Foundation of the eastern Shore Adult Oral Health Task Force. Dr. Garbely is a member of the American Dental Association (ADA), the Maryland State Dental Association (MSDA), and the Maryland Eastern Shore Dental Association (ESDA).

She was on the advisory Board for the PIOHQI whose focus is on the Oral Health Integration Model into Primary care. She is on the Board of Director’s at the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center and active member of the Eastern Shore Oral Health Task Force.

Dr. Garbely’ s most recent appointment is as a Special Government Employee on the National Advisory Council for the National Health Service Corps under the Bureau of Health Workforce and the Health Resources and Services Administration where she hopes to continue to add influence in bringing quality healthcare providers to underserved populations.

Dr. Garbely has been an advocate and testified at the Maryland Legislative level in support of Maryland Medicaid Oral health Adult Dental Senate Bill #150 /House Bill #86.

Dr. Garbely graduated from Tufts University School of Dentistry in Boston Massachusetts in 1990 with a DMD degree. She worked as a general dentist at a private practice outside of Boston, Massachusetts from 1990-1995. Dr. Garbely joined the National Health Service Corps. (NHSC) and was a member from 1995 -2000. She served as Dental Director for a local Community Health Center from 1998-2000. She was the Dental Director and was instrumental in helping with the growth and expansion and providing direct patient care for the underserved populations of the local Wicomico County Health Department Dental Center (The Village Dental Center) in Salisbury, Maryland. Dr. Garbely was also a consultant and Dental Director and helped with the opening and providing direct patient care for the underserved population for the Worcester County Dental Center in Berlin, Maryland. Dr. Garbely was in private practice in Maryland from 2000-2013 until she became the Chief Dental Officer for Choptank Community health, from 2013 to present. Dr. Garbely holds academic appointments with the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, mentoring fourth year dental students in community-based oral health. She serves as external faculty member for the NYU/Langone Medical Center’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program. She also participated as a volunteer in the Maryland Eastern Shore Mission of mercy in 2013 and 2015.

Jennifer Schermerhorn, LMSW

Clinical Associate Professor/Director of Graduate Field Education
College of Health and Human Services
Salisbury University School of Social Work

Jennifer Schermerhorn, LMSW, holds her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work from Salisbury University. She currently serves as the Director of Graduate Field Education and is a clinical associate professor in the School of Social Work at Salisbury University. Her practice background includes over ten years of experience in long-term care as a nursing home social worker. Jennifer is a Community Educator volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association, delivering education programs to both the local community and virtually. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Mid-Atlantic Field Consortium, the treasurer of the Social Work Distance Education Field Consortium as well as on numerous committees within the School of Social Work. Jennifer is also the chair of the Salisbury University School of Social Work Alumni Advisory Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center.

Katherine Rodgers, MPH

Board Chair
Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center

Kat Rodgers is the chairwoman of the Board of Directors for the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center. She is the director of Community Health Initiatives for TidalHealth. In this role, she leads strategies to achieve health equity and reduce total cost of care through community-integrated health care initiatives. She oversees the Community Wellness and Nutrition/Diabetes Education teams in TidalHealth’s Population Health Management Division. She has a diverse experience in coalition building, provider relations, leadership and building public health infrastructure. Prior to her roles at TidalHealth, she held various leadership roles at Worcester County Health Department. Currently she serves on several boards and commissions including the Wicomico County Commission on Women and the Sussex County Health Coalition. Kat is a Mississippi native who graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism-News Editorial, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. She holds an Master of Public Health from University of Maryland - College Park. She resides in Salisbury, Md. with her husband, two sons, and their dog, Ryker.

Community Involvement:

Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, Board member
Sussex County Health Coalition, Board member
Wicomico County Commission on Women
TidalHealth Diabetes Advisory Board
Center for Living Well Advisory Board

Coalition Membership:

Delaware Diabetes Coalition
Delaware Hypertension Network
Wicomico Local Health Improvement Coalition
Worcester Local Health Improvement Coalition
Somerset Local Health Improvement Coalition
Lower Shore Vulnerable Population Task Force
Lower Shore Health Equity Collaborative

Lana Sherr, PharmD, BS Pharm

Secretary, Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center
Assistant Dean for Professional Affairs
Assistant Professor, Pharmacy Practice

Dr. Sherr is the Assistant Dean for Professional Affairs at UMES SOP; she assumed this role in October 2017. She is also the Residency Program Director of the UMES/Apple Discount Drugs PGY-1 Community Pharmacy Residency, and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administration. Dr. Sherr earned her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree and Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Degree from the Lebanese American University in Byblos, Lebanon. She then went on to pursue a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency with emphasis on Ambulatory Care and Public Health at Samford University, McWhorter School of Pharmacy in Birmingham, AL. She developed and maintained a clinical practice site in the Ambulatory Care clinics at Chesapeake Health Care, (f.k.a. Three Lower Counties Community Services) in Salisbury, MD and Pocomoke, MD prior to assuming her new role in the Office of Professional Affairs. In her current role, Dr. Sherr focuses on student professionalism, continuing professional development, community service, and interprofessional education and collaborations. Dr. Sherr teaches in pharmacotherapy modules and in the Professional Development course series. She is a member of several professional organizations including ASHP, AACP, APhA, and Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center. Her areas of interest include interprofessional education, post-graduate education, public health, chronic disease prevention and management, continuing professional development, and professionalism in pharmacy.

Addie Eckardt

State Senator, District 37
Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, & Wicomico Counties

Elected to the Maryland Senate in 2014, Senator Eckardt represents the 37th Legislative District and is a Member of the following Senate committees: Budget and Taxation Committee, Health and Human Services Sub Committee; Pension Oversight; Administrative, Executive, Legislative Review Joint committee; Joint Committee on Audit; Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families; and several others. She currently serves on the Behavioral Health State Advisory Board and the Maryland Environmental Trust.

First elected in 1994 to the Maryland House of Delegates, she served for 20 years in the Maryland General Assembly representing District 37B, Dorchester, Caroline, Talbot and Wicomico Counties. She was a member of the House Economic Matters Committee for 8 years and the House Appropriations Committee for 12 years serving on the following subcommittees: Health and Human Resources, Capital Budget, and Pension Oversight. She was a member of the Joint Committee on Welfare Reform; the Joint Committee Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review; the Joint Committee on Access to Mental Health Services; the Joint Committee of Children, Youth and Families, the House Special Task Force on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, and Spending Affordability. Senator Eckardt retired as a full-time Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist employed at the Eastern Shore Hospital Center after 30 years. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, School of Nursing with a Masters of Science degree and maintains certification as a Psychiatric Nurse Clinical Specialist by the American Nurses Association. Past part time employment includes as needed in the School Health Nurse program of the Dorchester County Health Department. She continues to provide pro bono services within her clinical specialty in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing both in Inpatient and community based organizations and consultation.

She serves as a Board Member of the following organizations: Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center; Mid Shore Regional Council; Channel Markers Foundation, Inc.; Sailwinds, Inc. Senator Eckardt also retains membership in the American Nurses Association through the Maryland Nurses Association District IV. She is past president of the Maryland Nurses Association and Chesapeake Health Planning System, Inc.

Other accomplishments include: Graduate of the Flemming Fellows Institute, Shore Leadership Inaugural Class and has completed Leadership Maryland - 2001. She has served on the Health Committee for both the National Conference of State Legislatures and American Legislative Exchange Council. In 2003, 2005, and 2007 she was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women and as a three time winner, was inducted into the Circle of Excellence. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her legislative and community activities.

She is married to Dick Eckardt of Cambridge and they have three married sons and nine grandchildren.

Nicole Morris

Nicole is a career Public Health Nurse with over 20 years of experience working to improve the health of individuals, families and communities on Maryland's Eastern Shore. She currently serves as the Director for the five-county Mid Shore Health Improvement Coalition, bringing together diverse sectors to address pressing health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cancer and contributing upstream social and environmental factors such as housing and food insecurity, bias and stigma, and access to healthcare.

Nicole concurrently serves as the Director for Chronic Disease Prevention at Kent County Health Department where she leads a team to address policy, systems and environmental contributors to tobacco use and obesity. During her tenure at KCHD, Nicole received statewide recognition from the Maryland Department of Health for the development of a pilot employee wellness initiative Get Healthy Kent leading to the adoption of the statewide program Healthiest Maryland Businesses, for which Nicole served as a subject matter expert and Regional Lead. Nicole received honors from the CDC as Outstanding Technical Assistance Provider for the national employer program Work@Health, for which she trained small and large businesses in best practices to support the health of their workforce. She has years of prior experience working at the University of School of Medicine, where she led a regional office to address health disparities by providing continuing education opportunities for Eastern Shore clinicians.

Nicole graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland, Baltimore with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in 2003, and summa cum laude with a Master's degree in Community/Public Health Nursing in 2007. She was the recipient of the Cynthia Northrop Award, presented to the Outstanding Graduate of the Community/Public Health Nursing Specialty.

Jan Willis, LAc, LCSW-C

Jan lives on a small farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with her husband surrounded by nature and animals.

Professionally, Jan is a Licensed Acupuncturist with a private practice in Easton, MD. She treats patients experiencing physical pain, functional medical issues and behavioral health issues.

Jan is also a Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of experience providing and administering mental health services in a variety of settings including schools, public housing, outpatient, inpatient and forensic. Jan provides consulting services to Local Management Boards in the area of Needs Assessments and Strategic Planning.

David Timms, M.DE., NRP

David Timms is the Director of Health Professions and the Director of Healthcare Simulation at Chesapeake College. He has worked for Chesapeake College for 7 years, and he has been a paramedic for over 20 years, the majority of that time with Talbot County Emergency Services. David has a Master’s Degree in Distance Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. He holds a number of instructor certifications and teaches local emergency services personnel. Mr. Timms volunteers as the President of the South Caroline Little League and is an active member of the Preston Volunteer Fire Company. David and his family live in Preston, and love taking advantage of the numerous outdoor opportunities the Eastern Shore has to offer.

Keith Davidson

Keith is the Director for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Wor-Wic Community College and has over 25 years of higher education experience in student support services. He has spent the past 20 years living and working in Wicomico County building relationships and leveraging resources to serve the community.

Del. Tom Hutchinson

Member of House of Delegates since January 11, 2023. Member, Health and Government Operations Committee, 2023- (health occupations & long-term care subcommittee, 2023-; public health & minority health disparities subcommittee, 2023-).

Member, Mid-Shore Regional Council, 2023-; Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, 2023-.

Born in Cape May, New Jersey, May 25, 1965. Attended Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, New Jersey; Dickinson College, B.S. (computer science), 1987; Loyola University Maryland, M.B.A., 2002. Vice-President, Health Care Investment Analysts, 1992-2000. Vice-President, The Jackson Organization (healthcare market research), 2002-07 Vice-President, Health Stream, Inc., 2007-12. Vice- President, iVantage Health Analytics, Inc., 2012-15. Vice-President, Quality Health Strategies, 2015-17. Managing Director, The HGH Group, 2017-19. Vice-President, Alliance Franchise Brands, 2018-20. President and Owner, Hutchinson Homes Services, LLC, 2020-. Member, Cambridge Business and Professional Leadership Group, 2010-; Cambridge Main Street, 2011- (board of directors 2013-17); Cambridge Rotary, 2012-16; Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce, 2012-; Cambridge Center Advisory Committee, 2014-17; IronClub MD, 2014-. Board of Trustees, Chesapeake College Foundation, 2015-17. Member, Dorchester County Farm Bureau, 2022-; Dorchester Seafood Heritage Association, 2022-.

Terry Satchell

Terry is a Project Manager for Population Health at the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health where he is working on programs involving advance directives, diabetes prevention and the continuum of care, and timely follow up of discharged patients. Since 2000, he has worked as a RN in the ICU and the informatics and education departments, and served as the EMS/Nurse Liaison.

Terry graduated in 2000 with the first class of graduates from the combined MGW/Chesapeake College class. He has a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Villa Julie College.

Terry is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society and the Golden Key Honor Society. He is a life member of the Easton Volunteer Fire Department, having been a firefighter and paramedic. Terry also serves on the Talbot County EMS Advisory Board and Talbot County Commission on Aging. Terry is an Easton native and lives in Easton with his wife, Luanne and their two sons. He enjoys family time, fishing and sports.

Virgena Saunders

Virgena is a woman of many talents. Born and raised in Salisbury, Maryland, she has always been passionate about healthcare and education. After completing her studies, Virgena began her career in the medical field as a certified medical assistant. She spent over 12 years working in various roles in the healthcare industry, wearing multiple hats and performing multiple skills.

However, Virgena's love for education was always present. After gaining extensive experience in the medical field, she decided to transition into teaching. She began working at Cecil Community College as a Healthcare Careers Instructor, where she has been making an impact since 2019.

As an AAMA-certified medical assistant, Virgena brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom. Her students appreciate her practical approach to teaching and her ability to relate to their experiences. Virgena's passion for healthcare and education is evident in the way she engages with her students and encourages them to pursue their dreams.

But Virgena's interests don't stop there. She is also a yoga and meditation teacher, who cares deeply about humanity. She believes that taking care of oneself is just as important as taking care of others. Her students appreciate her holistic approach to healthcare and her emphasis on self-care and mindfulness.

Virgena is a true inspiration to her students and colleagues alike. Her dedication to healthcare, education, and humanity is unparalleled. She has made a significant impact on the lives of many, and her legacy will continue to inspire others for years to come.