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Leadership

Executive leadership team 

Our leadership team is dedicated to advancing children's health in our community and is driven by a passion to put children first. 

Elias Neujahr, MHA, MBA 
President
Email: Elias.Neujahr@vcuhealth.org 

Read more about our president.  

 


Karen Hendricks-Munoz, MD, MPH

Karen Hendricks-Muñoz, MD, MPH 
Interim physician-in-chief, CHoR
Interim chair, Department of Pediatrics
Professor and chief, Division of Neonatal Medicine
Inaugural William Tate Graham Professor of Neonatal Medicine

Email: Karen.Hendricks-Munoz@vcuhealth.org

 


Ellen Derry, DNP, NEA-BC, NPD-BC
Associate chief nursing officer
Email: Ellen.Derry@vcuhealth.org

 


C.D. Anthony Herndon, MD

C.D. Anthony Herndon, MD
Surgeon-in-chief
Professor and chief, Division of Urology
Email: claude.herndon@vcuhealth.org

 


David A. Lanning, MD, PhDDavid A. Lanning, MD, PhD 
Associate chief medical officer
Professor, Division of General Surgery
Email: david.lanning@vcuhealth.org 

 


Jeniece S. Roane, PhD, RN, NE-BC 
Vice president of operations
Email: jeniece.roane@vcuhealth.org 

 


Gisela Chelimsky, MDGisela Chelimsky, MD 
Vice Chair of diversity, equity and inclusion
Professor and chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Email: Gisela.Chelimsky@vcuhealth.org 

 


Marieka Helou, MD, MPHMarieka Helou, MD, MPH 
Vice chair of education
Associate professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology
Email: marieka.helou@vcuhealth.org 

 


Rajanya Shah Petersson, MD, MS, FACSRajanya Shah Petersson, MD, MS, FACS 
Medical director for ambulatory surgical care
Professor and section director, otolaryngology
Email: rajanya.petersson@vcuhealth.org

 


Frank Petruzella, MD, MS Frank Petruzella, MD, MS  
Medical director of pediatric emergency services and strategy
Chief, Division of Emergency Medicine
Email: Frank.Petruzella@vcuhealth.org

 


Matthew Schefft, DO, MSHA 
Associate chief quality and safety officer
Associate professor, Division of Hospital Medicine
Email: Matthew.Schefft@vcuhealth.org 

 


India Sisler, MD 
Vice chair of faculty development
Interim division chief and clinical director,
Division of Hematology and Oncology
Email: India.Sisler@vcuhealth.org 

 


Gary Southard Jr., MBAGary Southard Jr., MBA 
Senior administrator
Department of Pediatrics
Email: gary.southard@vcuhealth.org 

 


Jessica Stewart-CollinsJessica Stewart-Collins 
Senior administrator
Northside Campus
Email: Jessica.StewartCollins@vcuhealth.org 

 


Lauren Doyle Strauss, DO
Vice chair of clinical operations
Chief, Division of General Neurology and Headache, VCU Health
Email: Lauren.Strauss@vcuhealth.org

 


Nursing leadership

Sharon Cone, PhD, RNC, NNP
Director of nursing for women and infants’ health

 


Jennifer Farmer, MSN, RN, CCRN, CPN, CPST, NRP
Director of nursing for pediatric long-term care
Transitional Care Unit

 


Bridget Hutchinson, MSN, RN, CPENBridget Hutchinson, MSN, RN, CPEN
Director of nursing for acute care pediatrics, critical care and child life
Email: bridget.hutchinson@vcuhealth.org

 


Jaime Lovelace, MSN, BS, RN, PMH-BCJaime Lovelace, MSN, BS, RN, PMH-BC
Director of nursing, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Email: Jaime.Lovelace@vcuhealth.org