Hospital Leadership
Gregory J. Argyros, MD, MACP, FCCP
President
Gregory J. Argyros, MD, MACP, FCCP, was appointed president of MedStar Washington Hospital Center effective July 1, 2018.
He joined MedStar Washington Hospital Center in 2012, and most recently has been senior vice president, Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Argyros provided overall clinical leadership and oversight at the Hospital Center, with key responsibilities of quality of care, medical education and research.
Dr. Argyros spent 25 years in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army, most recently serving as Chief of Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Director of Education, Training and Research for the National Capital Region. In these roles, Dr. Argyros had the responsibility of merging Walter Reed with the National Naval Medical Center.
Dr. Argyros graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Walter Reed, and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Dr. Argyros completed a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Walter Reed.
Dr. Argyros is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine, and is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Argyros was named a Master of the American College of Physicians (ACP), an honor given only to those physicians who “demonstrate personal character, positions of honor, contributions toward furthering the purposes of the ACP, eminence in practice or in medical research, or other attainments in science or in the art of medicine.”
Emily Briton
Senior Vice President
Chief Operating Officer
Emily M. Briton is the senior vice president and chief operating officer at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
In this role, she oversees all hospital operations and the business and administrative operations of all clinical service lines and procedural areas.
Briton joined MedStar Health in 2011 as the corporate administrative resident. She was involved in many strategic systemwide projects for the corporate executive team and system leadership team. After completing her administrative residency, she joined the operations team in the Washington region of MedStar Health, where she focused on supporting and enhancing service line integration. She continued that work, building significant experience in integrating service lines across MedStar Health, in her roles of director of operational support for the Washington region integrated service lines, followed by her roles as assistant vice president and vice president of service line operations. She was responsible for systemwide operations for Radiology, Pathology, Anesthesiology, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, hospital medicine, Behavioral Health and Gastroenterology. She supported and facilitated operational collaboration between service line leadership and various MedStar entities, initiating processes to assure an integrated strategy for growth and recruitment.
In 2018, she joined MedStar Washington as vice president of Professional Services and, in collaboration with the Chief Medical Officer, she was responsible for managing integrated and regional systemwide lines of business, including Anesthesiology/Pre-Anesthesia Testing/Pain Management, Radiology, Behavioral Health, Otolaryngology, Gastroenterology/Endoscopy Suite, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Endocrinology and our Gender Affirmation Program.
Jeffrey Dubin, MD, MBA
Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer
Jeffrey S. Dubin, MD, MBA, serves as Sr. Vice President, Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer for MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Dubin is responsible for clinical leadership and oversight, along with quality of care, medical education, and research. Dr. Dubin also serves as a Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Dr. Dubin has a long and impressive background of clinical and administrative service in Emergency Medicine, at both the Hospital Center and within MedStar Health In addition to serving as chair of the Emergency Medicine department since 2015, Dr. Dubin was also medical director for MedStar Health Urgent Care in MedStar Ambulatory Services. He was vice chair of MedStar Washington Hospital Center Emergency Medicine, medical director for the department, and has been an emergency medicine physician at the Hospital Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and Children’s National Health System.
Dr. Dubin received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago Hospitals. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.
William Gayne
Chief Financial Officer
Bill Gayne is Chief Financial Officer at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Health Research Institute. Working with the corporate MedStar finance team, Bill is responsible for developing and maintaining a strategic financial plan, annual operating and capital budgets, providing financial analysis of new programs, financial reporting and analyses, and patient revenue activities.
Previously, Bill served as Chief Financial Officer for a large academic medical center. His responsibilities included all accounting and auditing activities, capital and operating budgets, long-range financial planning, reimbursements, cash management, accounts payable, payroll, decision support, benchmarking, and cost accounting.
He has also provided consulting and audit services to various healthcare organizations. Bill is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the College of William and Mary.
Karen L. Jerome, MD, FACP
Vice President and Chief Quality Officer
Karen L. Jerome, MD, FACP, is vice president and chief quality officer at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Jerome provides leadership and strategic direction to the hospital teams focused on quality improvement and outcomes measurement and reporting, patient safety and risk management, and infection prevention and control. She coordinates this activity to ensure alignment with MedStar Health corporate strategy. She also provides quality and safety education for the graduate medical education programs, and focuses on provider well-being.
In addition, Dr. Jerome manages institutional accreditation and regulatory readiness, and works collaboratively with hospital leadership to ensure ongoing readiness.
In her previous position, Dr. Jerome served as the medical director for Quality & Care Management at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md., where she concentrated on care management, patient safety, performance improvement, clinical informatics, customer relations, employee health, infection control, and accreditation & regulation. Dr. Jerome was also in private practice in Internal Medicine for ten years.
Her undergraduate degree is from Brown University, and her medical degree was earned at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Jerome completed her internship and residency in Primary Care Internal Medicine at George Washington University Medical Center. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Tonya Washington, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer
Tonya Washington, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, is senior vice president and chief nursing officer, MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Washington has played an important Nursing leadership role at MedStar Washington Hospital Center for more than 20 years, first joining as a clinical manager, and later, head nurse of Pulmonary Medicine, followed by her role as head nurse, Cardiology. She was promoted to senior nursing director for Medical Surgical Nursing in 2008, and became assistant vice president of Nursing in March 2010. She served as interim chief nursing officer from July 2010 to April 2011, when she was named vice president for Nursing Operations.
Washington has more than two decades of experience in key hospital service lines. Her contributions to the Hospital Center include the Pathway to Excellence® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in 2017. Pathway-designated entities are considered among the best places for nurses to practice, and only 152 of 5,500 hospitals nationwide are Pathway-designated. Other recent accomplishments include securing national designations for Baby-Friendly® and Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE), as well as accreditation of the hospital’s Nurse Residency Program by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Washington was a member of the inaugural cohort of the MedStar Leader of the Future: Nursing Leadership Development Program. She is a member of the District of Columbia Organization of Nurse Executives and the American Organization of Nurse Executives.
Annamarie G. DeCarlo
Assistant Vice President and Chief Communications Officer
Communications & Public Affairs
Annamarie G. DeCarlo is the chief communications officer and assistant vice president, Communications & Public Affairs. She first joined MedStar Washington Hospital Center in 2001 in the Public Affairs & Marketing department, overseeing physician communications for six years.
As manager of corporate communications at Anne Arundel Medical Center for five years, she oversaw all communications related to the building of a new hospital tower and four parking garages. She returned to MedStar Washington in 2011 as director of internal communications and transitioned to the assistant vice president position in 2021.
DeCarlo is a native Washingtonian. She is a graduate of the Academy of Notre Dame in Northwest D.C. and earned her bachelor’s degree in government and politics, and journalism, from the University of Maryland in College Park. Her pre-healthcare communications career includes 10 years as a newspaper reporter in Washington and San Diego, California, and five years in higher education media relations and public affairs at The Catholic University of America and Trinity D.C. University.
She holds accreditation from the International Association of Business Communicators.
Michael Clarke, MBA, BSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC
Vice President, Nursing Excellence and Organizational Transformation.
Michael Clarke, MBA, BSN, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, CPHQ serves as Vice President, Nursing Excellence and Organizational Transformation.
Clarke came to nursing as a second career after 10 years of project management experience in the financial services industry. His clinical expertise includes cardiac surgery, heart failure, medical cardiology and interventional cardiology. He began his nursing career at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on the Cardiac Surgery Step-down Unit. In 2013, Clarke became an Assistant Nursing Director and was later promoted to Nursing Director of the Medical Cardiology and Cardiac Observation units.
As Director of Nursing Professional Development for MedStar Washington Hospital Center since 2015, Clarke played a vital role in leading the organization’s Nurse Residency Program to a successful accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). He also oversaw the modernization and expansion of the Center for Excellence in Nursing to include high fidelity simulation, a state-of-the-art Operating Room Simulation space, and the renovation of the Center for Excellence in Nursing Auditorium. Clarke holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Indiana University South Bend. He is certified as a Nurse Executive and in Nursing Professional Development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He was recognized as an Aresty Scholar for his commitment to professional development by the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania.
Paul Hagens
Vice President,
Human Resources
Paul A. Hagens, Jr. is vice president, Human Resources, responsible for compensation and benefits, employee and labor relations, and recruitment services.
His recent appointment, in early 2018, follows his earlier tenure at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, when he was director of Employee and Labor Relations from 2007 to 2013. During that time he was involved in all facets of the collective bargaining process, including union negotiations, grievances, arbitrations, disciplinary process, developing and implementing hospital policies, and providing consultation on personnel matters to all levels of management.
Hagens served as the vice president of Human Resources at Doctors Community Hospital in Lanham, MD, from 2013 to 2018. He oversaw all human resources functions, as well as employee health, security, guest services, telecommunications, and central transport.
He has demonstrated success throughout his career and believes that being a servant leader is the key to building engaged, collaborative teams focused on delivering exceptional patient first health care.
Hagens has more than 20 years of human resources experience, with more than half in healthcare leadership roles. He holds a degree in Finance from Towson University and will complete his MBA in 2019.
Mike Kelly
Vice President
Perioperative Services & Procedural Services
Mike Kelly is vice president, Perioperative Services & Procedural Services, and works in concert with Perioperative Services Medical Director Stan Chia, MD, to assure world-class, safe, and compassionate care for all surgical and procedural patients at the Hospital Center.
Prior to coming to the Hospital Center, Mike was vice president, Surgical Strategy and Development, at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. Before his position at Sunrise, Mike was director of Perioperative Services at Houston Methodist Hospital. Other positions he has held include network surgical services business manager at Seton Healthcare Family in Austin, Texas, and administrator of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
Mike received his undergraduate degree at St. Mary’s University, and a Master of Science in Health Care Administration degree from Trinity University, both in San Antonio. He is a certified Six Sigma Greenbelt.
Kenyetta Keys, MBA
Vice President
Operations
Kenyetta Keys, MBA, is the vice president of operations for MedStar Washington Hospital Center. An accomplished healthcare executive with 20 years of progressive leadership experience in hospitals, Mrs. Keys previously held the position as assistant vice president of support services. She is responsible for providing management oversight to support consistent, customer-driven, results-oriented, and high performance operations, supply chain functions and patient support services for the hospital. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in contracts and acquisitions.
Prior to joining MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Mrs. Keys served as senior director of supply chain and support services at Doctors Community Hospital for 9 years. She served as the President of the local Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) Chapter, the Mid-Atlantic Society of Healthcare Materials Management (MASHMM) for the 2018 and 2019 terms. She is currently serving on the board of the Healthcare Council of the National Capital Area (HCNCA) and on the educational advisory board of Health Connect Partners.
Previously, she served as Supply Sargent for the United States Army Reserves for eight years. Kenyetta enjoys traveling, reading, watching, and attending sporting events. She has one daughter and 6 grandchildren. Kenyetta lives in Prince Georges County, MD with her family.
Alice Parrish
Vice President
Hospital Support, Information Services
Alice Parrish is currently vice president, Hospital Support, Information Services at MedStar Health. In this role, Alice is responsible for customer relationship management at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, MedStar Harbor Hospital, MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, MedStar National Rehabilitation Network, MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Alice also serves as the facility IS lead for MGUH and MWHC.
Alice plays an integral role in championing application rationalization at MedStar. She and her team work to streamline the current application portfolio with the goal of improving efficiency, reducing complexity in our IT environment and realizing reductions in infrastructure and operational costs.
With a total of over 20 years experience in Information Systems, Personnel Management and Nursing, Alice is a veteran of information services in healthcare. Alice joined the MGUH staff in 1995 as a clinical analyst, and joined the MedStar team in 2001 as an IS application manager. In 2006, she began her tenure as a customer service AVP. In 2015, she stepped in to serve as interim IS support VP and AVP for MWHC in addition to managing MGUH and the Aria Oncology Team. As a nurse and IT professional, Alice has brought a unique perspective to her approach at providing guidance and counsel for both customers and IS staff.
Ira Rabin, MD
Vice President,
Medical Operations
Clinical Resource Management
Ira Y. Rabin, MD, is vice president, Medical Operations and Clinical Resource Management at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Rabin is responsible for the timely and appropriate clinical care for all patients in the hospital, through a focus on physician excellence and serving as a liaison between the clinical teams and other hospital departments for all aspects of resource utilization and performance improvement.
Dr. Rabin serves as the point of contact for regulatory issues, orders certification and physician credentialing. He leads the collection and analysis of all hospital metrics, including readmission statistics. Dr. Rabin is also involved in the clinical teaching for residents and students on the Medicine team.
Previously, Dr. Rabin served as physician advisor, where his focus was on leading physician rounding, facilitating communication for all hospital ancillary services, educating and advising medical teams on the discharge process and collaborating with skilled nursing facilities.
Dr. Rabin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, and is a member of the American College of Physicians.
Colin Semper, MBA, FAAMA
Vice President, Professional Services
Colin G. Semper MBA-Healthcare Management serves as Vice President of Professional Services of MedStar Washington Hospital Center. His responsibilities include strategic leadership and direction for professional services in the areas of Behavioral Health; Ambulatory Practice Operations; Ancillary and Rehabilitative Services; Cardiovascular Operations/MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute; Imaging and Radiation Safety; Oncology Services/Washington Cancer Institute; Trauma, Burn and Critical Care Medicine; and MedStar Medical Group Services.
In his previous position, Semper served as Chief Administrator of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM). In collaboration with the Chair of the Department, his responsibilities encompassed executive leadership and operational oversight of Orthopaedic Surgical Hospital Services at five hospitals, five surgery centers and four orthopaedic surgery ambulatory centers. During his tenure, Semper also served as mentor for the 2019-2021 classes of the JHM Administrative Fellows Program, mentor for the JHM “Vivien Thomas” Mentorship Program, and led as National Co-Chair for Leadership Transformation for the Academic Orthopaedic Consortium (AOC).
Semper retired from the US Air Force after 21 years of meritorious service as a clinical dietitian and medical group administrator. He earned a Master of Business Administration Healthcare Management degree and a Professional Certificate in Human Resources Management from the University of Phoenix. He holds a certificate in Executive Leadership from the Johns Hopkins Medicine Professional Development Program and is a fellow with the American Academy of Medical Administrators. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the American College of Medical Practice Executives.
Ariam Yitbarek, MS, BSN
Vice President, Nursing Operations
Ariam was the nursing director of 4E, before assuming her current role. She is a member of the Association of Nurse Executives, American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
Ariam Yitbarek, MS, BSN, received her BSN from the University of Maryland and her MS in Health Systems Management from George Mason University. Her primary area of expertise is in interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, heart failure, heart transplant and medical-surgical nursing. Ariam has 15 years of experience as a nurse. She started her career as a staff nurse at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. She came to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in 1998 to work on the Cardiac Surgery Step-down Unit. She was promoted to Clinical Manager in 1999, and became a nursing director of 4E in 2004. She became senior nursing director of Medical-Surgical Services and Medical-Surgical Specialties in 2009. In 2013, Ariam assumed responsibilities in a new area, Women’s & Infants’ Services and Ambulatory Nursing. She has since assumed additional responsibilities, adding Emergency Department to her scope of service in 2017. Ariam is a member of the Association of Nurse Executives, American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
Physician leadership
Stuart F. Seides, MD, FACP, FACC, FSCAI
Physician Executive Director
MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute
202-877-2851
Senior nursing leadership
Tonya Washington, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer
Tonya Washington, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, is senior vice president and chief nursing officer, MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Washington has played an important Nursing leadership role at MedStar Washington Hospital Center for more than 20 years, first joining as a clinical manager, and later, head nurse of Pulmonary Medicine, followed by her role as head nurse, Cardiology. She was promoted to senior nursing director for Medical Surgical Nursing in 2008, and became assistant vice president of Nursing in March 2010. She served as interim chief nursing officer from July 2010 to April 2011, when she was named vice president for Nursing Operations.
Washington has more than two decades of experience in key hospital service lines. Her contributions to the Hospital Center include the Pathway to Excellence® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in 2017. Pathway-designated entities are considered among the best places for nurses to practice, and only 152 of 5,500 hospitals nationwide are Pathway-designated. Other recent accomplishments include securing national designations for Baby-Friendly® and Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE), as well as accreditation of the hospital’s Nurse Residency Program by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Washington was a member of the inaugural cohort of the MedStar Leader of the Future: Nursing Leadership Development Program. She is a member of the District of Columbia Organization of Nurse Executives and the American Organization of Nurse Executives.
Ariam Yitbarek, MS, BSN
Vice President, Nursing Operations
Ariam was the nursing director of 4E, before assuming her current role. She is a member of the Association of Nurse Executives, American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
Ariam Yitbarek, MS, BSN, received her BSN from the University of Maryland and her MS in Health Systems Management from George Mason University. Her primary area of expertise is in interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, heart failure, heart transplant and medical-surgical nursing. Ariam has 15 years of experience as a nurse. She started her career as a staff nurse at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. She came to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in 1998 to work on the Cardiac Surgery Step-down Unit. She was promoted to Clinical Manager in 1999, and became a nursing director of 4E in 2004. She became senior nursing director of Medical-Surgical Services and Medical-Surgical Specialties in 2009. In 2013, Ariam assumed responsibilities in a new area, Women’s & Infants’ Services and Ambulatory Nursing. She has since assumed additional responsibilities, adding Emergency Department to her scope of service in 2017. Ariam is a member of the Association of Nurse Executives, American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
Michael Clarke, MBA, BSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC
Vice President, Nursing Excellence and Organizational Transformation.
Michael Clarke, MBA, BSN, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, CPHQ serves as Vice President, Nursing Excellence and Organizational Transformation.
Clarke came to nursing as a second career after 10 years of project management experience in the financial services industry. His clinical expertise includes cardiac surgery, heart failure, medical cardiology and interventional cardiology. He began his nursing career at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on the Cardiac Surgery Step-down Unit. In 2013, Clarke became an Assistant Nursing Director and was later promoted to Nursing Director of the Medical Cardiology and Cardiac Observation units.
As Director of Nursing Professional Development for MedStar Washington Hospital Center since 2015, Clarke played a vital role in leading the organization’s Nurse Residency Program to a successful accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). He also oversaw the modernization and expansion of the Center for Excellence in Nursing to include high fidelity simulation, a state-of-the-art Operating Room Simulation space, and the renovation of the Center for Excellence in Nursing Auditorium. Clarke holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Indiana University South Bend. He is certified as a Nurse Executive and in Nursing Professional Development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He was recognized as an Aresty Scholar for his commitment to professional development by the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania.
Sara Groff, MSN, CMSRN, RN-BC
Senior Nursing Director, Surgical and Oncology Services
Sara Groff, MSN, CMSRN, RN-BC, is the Senior Nursing Director for Oncology and Surgical Services. Her responsibilities include oversight over nursing operations and clinical practice of all inpatient surgical and oncology specialty nursing units, IV therapy, and partnering with our dialysis services team.
Groff has been with MedStar Washington Hospital Center for more than nine years, serving as a frontline clinical nurse, unit-based leader in Medical-Surgical nursing, and, most recently, as the Nursing Professional Practice Program Specialist in Nursing Professional Development. In that role, Groff identified opportunities for ongoing leader and staff development and for enhancing the nurse practice environment. Groff led the Hospital Center to becoming the first acute care hospital in Washington, D.C., to achieve the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Pathway to Excellence® designation in 2017. In addition, she served as the collaborative governance facilitator for the Professional Development Council and is a member of the healthcare equality task force.
Groff earned her MSN in Innovative Nursing Practice in 2018 from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She is a member of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, the Mennonite Health Fellowship, and the Association for Nursing Professional Development. Sara received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing with a focus in conflict studies from Goshen College in 2009.
Cassandra Lawrence, MSN, RN,
Senior Nursing Director, Perioperative Services
Cassandra Lawrence, MSN, RN, serves as Senior Nursing Director, Perioperative Services.
Cassandra Lawrence, MSN, RN has worked in Perioperative Services at MedStar Washington Hospital Center since 2003, and was appointed Senior Nursing Director for Perioperative Services in 2020. Her 17 years in Perioperative Services included nursing director of the Admissions Testing Center and Same Day Surgery Unit and director of the Third Floor Operating Rooms. She has served on MedStar Health Nursing committees and councils and was in the inaugural class of MedStar Health’s Nursing Leadership Development Program. Prior to working for MedStar Health, Lawrence worked at the Columbia Hospital for Women in Washington, D.C.,
Lawrence received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Howard University and her Master’s in Nursing Administration from George Mason University. She is a member of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN).
Yelena V. Tuerk, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CNRN
Senior Nursing Director, Women’s & Infants’ Services and Ambulatory Care
Yelena V. Tuerk, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CNRN serves as Senior Nursing Director, Women’s & Infants’ Services and Ambulatory Care.
Janice North Saale, MSN, RN
Senior Nursing Director, Critical Care and Neurosciences
Janice’s nursing expertise includes critical care nursing and leadership. She has served as a critical care educator and manager, inaugurating the clinical care facilitator role for the ICUs at the Hospital Center before moving into her current role.
Janice North Saale, MSN, RN, is senior nursing director, Critical Care, Neurosciences, and Emergency Services at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. She is responsible for resource and capacity management in the Department of Nursing and oversees nursing supervisor and nurse responder teams.
Nursing is a second career for Saale, who first earned a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from Drake University. She spent several years in hospital and corporate communications and public affairs roles before earning a BSN from the University of Maryland in 2002.
Saale came to the Hospital Center in 2003. Her nursing expertise includes critical care nursing and leadership. She has served as a critical care educator and manager, inaugurating the clinical care facilitator role for the ICUs at the Hospital Center. She was appointed nursing director of the neurological ICU and Stroke Center in 2010 and moved into the Senior Director role in 2015.
Saale earned an MSN from Loyola University in New Orleans in 2014, with a focus on healthcare systems management.
Rachel Watkins, MBA, BSN, RN, PCCN
Senior Nursing Director, Medical and Behavioral Health Services
Rachel Watkins, MBA, BSN, RN, PCCN, is the senior nursing director, Medical and Behavioral Health Services, at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. She is responsible for overseeing the operational and clinical performance of the Medical and Behavioral Health division, which includes seven medical units and four surgical units. She also has oversight for dialysis services and behavioral health.
Watkins began her nursing career in the MedStar Washington Emergency Department, where she piloted a program that cross-trained emergency nurses for working in the Level 1 Trauma Center. She also worked as a critical care nurse and as a forensic nurse examiner, collecting forensic medical evidence and serving as an expert witness in court. She moved into nursing leadership at MedStar Washington in 2015, serving on several units including as the interim nursing director for Medical Behavioral unit 2C, before becoming the nursing director of medical unit 4C, which was the only dedicated COVID-19 unit throughout the pandemic.
Watkins has developed and published research on strategies for nurse retention and engagement. She won Washingtonian magazine’s Excellence in Nursing Award in 2021 and the Nurses’ Choice Exceptional Nurse Leader Award in 2018. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners, where she chairs the committee on diversity, equality and inclusion. Watkins holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Villanova University and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. She completed the MedStar Health Nurse Leader Development Program in 2020.
Karen Wyche Latham, MSN, BSN, RN
Senior Nursing Director, Resource and Capacity Management
Karen is responsible for patient care services, all Nursing Office operations, supplemental staffing and oversees the RN, unit clerk and patient care technician float pools. In 2015, She helped design the Biocontainment Unit, in response to worldwide concern about Ebola patients.
Karen Wyche Latham, MSN, BSN, RN, is the Senior Nursing Director for Resource Management at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. She is responsible for patient care services, all Nursing Office operations, supplemental staffing and oversees the RN, unit clerk and patient care technician float pools. She also oversees capacity management.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Wyche Latham spent a portion of her career at the renowned Cleveland Clinic before relocating to the Washington, D.C., area and beginning her career at the Hospital Center as a medical surgical nurse on Unit 2D in 1995. Her experience includes perioperative services, and she opened the first Short Stay Unit in 1998. In 2007, Wyche Latham transitioned to the Nursing Supervisor role, where she spent several years learning operations and was instrumental in the initial design of the Biocontainment Unit, developed in 2015 in response to worldwide concern about caring for patients with Ebola. In 2014, Wyche Latham assumed the role of Nursing Director of Capacity Management, and assumed responsibility for Nursing Office operations, supplemental staffing and patient care services. In 2016, she was awarded a Nurse Manager Fellowship by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and the Leader of the Quarter Award from the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Board of Directors.
Wyche Latham received her BSN from the University of Toledo and her MSN from George Mason University. She is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing.
Additional information
Pathway to Excellence Designation®
Pathway to Excellence® honors hospitals which have a work environment where nurses’ contributions are valued, professional development is supported, and nurses are integral to decision-making. MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the first acute care hospital in the nation’s capital to achieve the prestigious designation.