Those elected are Gregory L. Jones, M.D., president; Janice L. Heckel, M.D., vice president; and William S. Ferrucci, M.D., secretary/ treasurer.

The Medical Staff and hospital administration expressed their appreciation for the services that Lawrence S. Wilson, M.D., provided during his term as president of the Medical Staff. Dr. Wilson is a urologist and has been a member of the Valdese Hospital Medical Staff since 1984. Dr. Wilson will continue to serve as a voting member of the Valdese Hospital Medical Staff Executive Committee and the Joint Conference Committee.

Incoming president, Dr. Greg Jones, a radiation oncologist and member of the Valdese Hospital Medical Staff since 1991, received his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia and completed his residency and internship training in internal medicine at St. Paul Medical Center at Dallas, Texas. In addition, he completed a residency training program in radiation oncology at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta and he is certified in Radiation Oncology from the American Board of Radiology.

Dr. Jones has served as the volunteer medical director for Hospice of Burke County for the past ten years and was the recipient of the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in 2001.

As President of the Medical Staff, Dr. Jones will serve as a member of the Valdese Hospital Professional Affairs Committee and the Valdese Hospital Board of Directors for the term of his medical staff office. He is a representative of the medical staff at the Blue Ridge HealthCare Board meetings. He will oversee all medical staff meetings and serve as chairman of the Medical Staff Executive Committee, and serve as ex-officio appointee to all other medical staff committee functions.

Dr. Janice L. Heckel, of Mountain View Pediatrics, completed her undergraduate education at the University of Chapel Hill and received her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. She completed her internship training at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital, Richmond, VA and completed her residency and chief residency at the Children’s Medical Center at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital. Dr. Heckel also completed a fellowship in pediatric hematology and oncology at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio and served as assistant professor of pediatrics while at the Medical College of Virginia and later at Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati. Dr. Heckel is board certified by the American Board of Pediatricians in general pediatrics and in pediatric hematology and oncology. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NC Pediatric Society and the NC Medical Society.

As vice president, Dr. Heckel will represent the Medical Staff as an ex-officio member of the Valdese Hospital Board of Directors and will be responsible for assuming all duties of the Medical Staff President in his absence. She is an appointee to the Medical Staff Executive Committee and the Medical Staff Bylaws Committee. As a member of the Medical Staff Dr. Heckel most recently served as the Medical Staff secretary/treasurer, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, member of the Infection Control Committee and Medical Care Evaluation Committee.

Dr. William S. Ferrucci, an emergency medicine physician with Mountain Emergency Medicine will serve as secretary/treasurer. Dr. Ferrucci completed his undergraduate studies at the Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and received his medical degree at Wayne State University of Medicine. He completed a family practice residency-training program at St. John’s Hospital, in Detroit, Michigan and is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, and is a Fellow in the American College of Emergency Medicine.

As secretary/ treasurer, Dr. Ferrucci will oversee record keeping for the Medical Staff meetings and supervise the accountability of Medical Staff funds. He will serve as a member of the Medical Staff Executive Committee, the Medical Staff Bylaws Committee, and as ex-officio appointee of all other medical staff committees or functions. Since 2000, Dr. Ferrucci has served as the department chairman of Emergency Medicine for the Valdese Medical Staff.

The 2003 chairpersons for the Grace Hospital Clinical Departments are: William S Ferrucci, M.D., Emergency Medicine; Jesse R. N. Consing, M.D., Department of Medicine; S.P. Neale, M.D., Pathology; Ivan Carrion, M.D., Pediatrics; John Lafferty, M.D., OB/GYN; Judith McGregor, M.D., Radiology; Frank Steele, M.D., Surgery; Larkin Selman, M.D., Medical Care Evaluation Committee.

Each clinical department chair is a member of the Medical Staff Executive Committee and will assist the Credentials Committee by reviewing applications for privileges and making recommendations relative to their respective disciplines.

Other responsibilities include presiding at all department meetings; following all clinically and administratively related activities of the department; continuous assessment and improvement of the quality of care and services provided; and for the orientation and continuing education of their departments.