About the Board

City: Durham
Term ends: October 31, 2025
Specialty: Family Medicine
Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Professional Background:
Dr. Sangvai is a Family Physician from Durham and is President of Duke Regional Hospital. He is a professor of family medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry at the Duke University School of Medicine and a professor in the Program in Education at Duke University. Dr. Sangvai graduated from The Ohio State University and received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio, where he also completed postgraduate training in family medicine. Dr. Sangvai earned a Master of Business Administration from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and a Juris Doctor degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law. He was admitted to the NC State Bar in October 2024.

City: Raleigh
Term ends: October 31, 2026
Specialty: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Certification: American Board of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation
Professional Background:
Dr. Rao-Patel is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician who practices with Carolina Rehabilitation and Surgical Associates, providing inpatient rehabilitation care at WakeMed Hospital. She treats patients recovering from stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and other complex medical conditions, with a focus on restoring function and promoting independence. Previously, Dr. Rao-Patel served as Associate Vice President at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, where she led care management operations for government-sponsored health plans, including Medicare Advantage and the Federal Employee Program. She earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans, completed her internship in Internal Medicine at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, and her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

City: Bladenboro
Term ends: October 31, 2025
Specialty: Family Medicine
Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Professional Background:
Dr. Rich is a family physician practicing with Bladen Medical Associates in Elizabethtown. He earned his medical degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University and completed a family medicine residency at East Carolina University/Pitt County Memorial Hospital. Dr. Rich is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. He is the American Academy of Family Physicians representative to the National Academy of Medicine – Opioid Collaborative (Prescribing Guidelines Working Group) and a member of the NC Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee.

City: Rocky Mount
Term ends: October 31, 2027
Specialty: Internal Medicine, Hospitalist
Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine
Professional Background:
Dr. Bonner is the Chief Medical Officer of OIC of Rocky Mount. His clinical practice focuses on improving health literacy in his community and eliminating racial health disparities. Dr. Bonner continues to teach students and residents from North Carolina’s medical, nursing, and physician assistant schools. Dr. Bonner earned his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, and completed his internal medicine residency at Vidant Medical Center/Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Dr. Bonner also earned a Master of Business Administration from the East Carolina University School of Business. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

City: Eden
Term ends: October 31, 2026
Specialty: Family Practice
Certification: American Board of Osteopathic Family Physicians
Professional Background:
Dr. Bradley is a family practice physician who currently serves as Chief Medical Officer of UNC Health Rockingham in Eden, where she is also Medical Director of the Hospitalist Program and Medical Director of the Respiratory Therapy Program. Dr. Bradley earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an American Osteopathic Association (AOA) approved Family Medicine Emphasis Internship and Residency at the St. John Health System Oakland General Hospital in Michigan. She also earned a Master of Arts in Medical Sociology from Michigan State University and later earned her Master of Business Administration from East Carolina University College of Business.

City: Cary
Term ends: October 31, 2026
Professional Background:
J. Nelson Dollar is the Executive Director for Child and Adolescent Health Policy at UNC Health. He formerly served as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Speaker of the North Carolina House and was a member of that Chamber for 14 years most notably serving as the Senior Chair of the House Appropriations Committee along with Chairing the Health and Health Care Reform Committees. Mr. Dollar has been a media and public relations consultant for over 25 years. He holds Masters and Bachelors degrees from Appalachian State University.

City: Morganton
Term ends: October 31, 2025
Specialty: OB/GYN
Certification: American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professional Background:
Dr. Hall currently practices gynecology with Blue Ridge Women's Care in Morganton, after more than two decades of busy OB/GYN practice. He earned his medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed postgraduate training in OB/GYN at Greenville Hospital System in Greenville, SC. Since becoming part of Carolinas Healthcare System - Blue Ridge, Dr. Hall has held numerous leadership positions within the system, including President of the Medical Staff. In addition, he is a past President of the Piedmont OB/GYN Society in Hickory.

City: Willow Spring
Term ends: October 31, 2027
Professional Background:
Vicki Harry is a wife, mother, grandmother, small business owner and former teacher. Born and raised in Maryland, Harry attended Towson State University, earning a degree in Community Health Education, and then taught Health Education and coached basketball at a public middle school. In 1997 Harry and her family moved to North Carolina, where she continued her teaching career with Wake Christian Academy in Raleigh, teaching Chemistry, Yearbook, Math, Bible, and History. She also coached basketball for four years and went on to become the school's Director of Development. In 2013, Harry opened a business, "Thanks a Latte Coffee and Gift Boutique", in Holly Springs, which later opened a second location in Angier. Harry and her husband, Paul, have three married children and ten grandchildren ranging in ages 9-3, all living in Wake County.

City: Goldsboro
Term ends: October 31, 2027
Certification: American Nurses Credentialing Center - Family Nurse Practitioner
Professional Background:
Dr. Johnson is the System Administrator for Advanced Clinical Practice (Physician Assistants, Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses) at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, she practices at East Carolina University (ECU) Division of Nephrology and Hypertension in Greenville. Dr. Johnson has worked in various healthcare organizations across the United States due to her husband’s service with the United States Air Force. Dr. Johnson entered the nursing profession as a diploma nurse in Rapid City, SD, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from South Dakota State University. She then trained as a Family Nurse Practitioner in the master’s degree program at the ECU College of Nursing, where she also earned her PhD in Nursing. Dr. Johnson serves as an Assistant Research Professor and Preceptor Development Coordinator with the ECU College of Nursing.

City: Pembroke
Term ends: October 31, 2025
Professional Background:
Mr. Malcolm, an attorney, is one of three public members of the Board. His legal expertise is in tribal enterprises, corporate governance, compliance, healthcare governance and government ethics, among other topics. Mr. Malcolm currently serves as President and CEO of Lumbee Tribe Holdings, Inc., in Pembroke, NC. Previously, he served as vice president of legal affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary for Lumbee Tribe Enterprises, LLC and as general counsel for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke for more than a decade after serving as associate general counsel for Fayetteville State University. He currently serves on the NC State Bar Council and previously served on the NC State Board of Elections. Mr. Malcolm earned his law degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law after serving seven years on active duty as an officer and aviator in the U.S. Air Force.

City: Greenville
Term ends: October 31, 2026
Specialty: Trauma/Critical Care Surgery
Certification: American Board of Surgery
Professional Background:
Dr. Newell is a trauma and critical care surgeon who serves as an Associate Medical Director and Attending Surgeon at both ECU Health and Vidant Medical Center. He is also a Professor of Surgery at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and has published numerous articles, textbook chapters, abstracts, research projects and presentations in his field of expertise. Dr. Newell currently serves as Vice Chair of Diversity at the Brody School of Medicine. Dr. Newell earned his medical degree at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed postgraduate training in General Surgery at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center at New York Medical College in the Bronx, where he was Chief Resident. He also completed a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, also at New York Medical College. Dr. Newell later earned a Master of Medical Management degree at Carnegie Mellon University.

City: Cary
Term ends: October 31, 2027
Certification: National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants
Professional Background:
Mr. Pineiro is the co-owner of FamHealth Primary Care in Raleigh, where he practices full scope primary care, including chronic disease management. A graduate of the Duke University PA program, Mr Pineiro’s clinical experience includes behavioral health and emergency medicine as well as preventive medicine. In addition, Mr. Pineiro is an Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies with Campbell University PA program, where he teaches during the didactic year of the curriculum. He holds a Master of Health Professions Education from Campbell University.

City: Pinehurst
Term ends: October 31, 2027
Specialty: Anesthesiology
Certification: American Board of Anesthesiology
Professional Background:
Dr. Anthony R. Plunkett is Chief of Acute Pain Service and Chief of Anesthesia for the U.S. Army Reserves, Womack Army Medical Center, Ft. Liberty. He also serves as Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Plunkett earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. He completed residency training in anesthesiology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, where he also completed a fellowship in Acute Pain Medicine. Dr. Plunkett is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and serves as an oral board examiner for that organization.