PHMO Senior Leadership

John P Yeatts MD, MPH serves as assistant vice president (AVP) and chief medical officer (CMO) of Population Health at Duke Health, as well as executive director of Duke Connected Care, Duke’s accountable care organization (ACO). A practicing internist, Dr. Yeatts also serves as assistant professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine and serves as acting program director for the Management and Leadership Pathway for Residents, a residency program unique to Duke that seeks to train the next generation of physician executives.

Prior to enrolling in medical school, Dr. Yeatts worked at Goldman Sachs in London. A North Carolina native, he completed his undergraduate education as a Morehead scholar at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he also eventually earned his medical degree and masters in public health. He completed residency training at Duke University Hospital in internal medicine and the Management and Leadership Pathway. He lives in Durham, NC with his wife Emily and three sons.

Daniel Costello serves as DCC’s Chief Operating Officer. Previously, Mr. Costello was a senior policy and program examiner at the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in Washington, DC, where he was responsible for creating and implementing federal budgets and policies. Mr. Costello also served as a Presidential Management Fellow at OMB, and a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. He graduated from Boston University and received his MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Tara Kinard serves as the associate chief nursing officer for the Duke Population Health Management Office (PHMO). Prior to joining Duke PHMO, she served in a variety of roles with the Wake County Medical Society Community Health Foundation, including care management, practice/provider liaison quality and support, and leadership. She also served as a regional vice president for Community Care of North Carolina.

Tara is a driven and passionate leader with more than two decades of progressive experience in both acute and community settings, focused on improving care delivery across the care continuum for vulnerable populations. Tara has a commitment to patient-centered care and a passion for improving patient outcomes, care transitions, and addressing health disparities and unmet social needs that impact health. Tara is inspired by the team she serves and is dedicated to helping team members grow and achieve their professional goals. She is passionate about bringing together and empowering providers, multi-disciplinary teams, patients, and communities to deliver on common goals of improving health.

Tara obtained her nursing degree from Watts School of Nursing in Durham, her masters’ degrees from East Carolina University, and her doctorate of nursing practice degree with executive leadership specialty from Duke University School of Nursing. She enjoys spending time with family, can often be found on the Peloton leaderboard, and is active in extracurricular activities that involve her children.

Marcie Fuson has served as the Operations Manager and Director of Educational Programs in the Population Health Management Office since its inception in November 2016. A Durham native, Ms. Fuson has been at Duke since March 1979 and has more than 40 years of experience in financial and human resources management, grant submissions/monitoring, coordination of educational programs, and program management. Prior to joining PHMO, she served for 16 years as Director of Operations for the Division of Community Health in the Department of Community and Family Medicine. In her early career, Ms. Fuson served as the Program Coordinator for Duke’s National Faculty Development Workshop and Duke’s Faculty Development Fellowship Program. 

Dr. Smith has oversight of the clinical pharmacy programs and initiatives for the Duke Population Health Management Office and the Duke Connected Care network. He is also responsible for the ambulatory clinical pharmacy strategy across Duke University Health System. Dr. Smith graduated from the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at UNC Chapel Hill and completed a pharmacy residency in ambulatory care at Mission Hospital and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC. He is currently an adjunct assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and is board certified in both ambulatory care and geriatric pharmacy practice. Dr. Smith practices as a clinical pharmacist practitioner at the Duke Outpatient Clinic, an internal medicine resident teaching clinic. Prior to joining Duke Health in 2012, he practiced in an outpatient clinic at Mission Hospital. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, exercising, traveling, and gardening.

Dr. Churchwell serves as director of DukeWELL Care Management for PHMO's care management programs. She is fully licensed as a mental health counselor and clinical addiction specialist with over 15 years of administrative and clinical experience working with children and adults of varying backgrounds who suffer from chronic health concerns. Ms. Churchwell’s work supporting and advocating for underserved communities locally and internationally are a driving force personally as well as professionally. Ms. Churchwell is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee State Universities. She completed her doctorate in the Counseling and Counselor Education program at North Carolina State University, where she researched patient perceptions of trust and trust development in patient-provider relationships within primary care clinics that serve marginalized populations. Dr. Churchwell was awarded a Counseling Fellowship from NBCC and Affiliates in 2017.

In addition to the design and implementation of Healthy Planet—Epic’s population health module—Andrea Long oversees the development of IT infrastructure and analytical tools to optimize PHMO operations. Previously, she served as pharmacist analyst for ambulatory medication system configuration, holding certifications in both EpicCare Ambulatory and Willow Inpatient. Dr. Long received her BS in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As part of her continued clinical training, she completed a pharmacy practice residency at Duke University Hospital.

Tuwana Cash Garrett oversees human resources for the Population Health Management Office and is responsible for processing new hires, performance management, recruitment and retention, and payroll transactions. Ms. Garrett’s goal is to foster an environment that values diversity, employee development, and professionalism—while maintaining a dedicated focus on organizational effectiveness and customer service.

Melissa has been a part of Duke Health since 2005. She worked clinically as both a pediatric ICU nurse and lung transplant coordinator. She also served as the Patient Safety Officer at Duke Raleigh Hospital, and most recently lead the Duke Connected Care Provider Relations team. Melissa holds a Master of Health Administration from Pfeiffer University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety and is passionate about partnering with healthcare providers to improve the safety and quality of care we provide to our patients across the continuum.

Ms. Smith has a diverse marketing communications background across a variety of industries, with nearly fifteen years of experience in the healthcare space. Before joining Duke Health, Ms. Smith worked in the provider marketing group for a large national payer. Prior to that, she worked for a health system in Ohio, where she led a team focused on provider communication for an independent physician organization and clinically-integrated network. She has a BS in Communication from the University of Miami.

Jesse Vick's background is primarily finance. He graduated in 2009 from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, earning a BSBA. He lives in Granville County with his wife and two kids (son & daughter). They enjoy camping, sports, outdoor activities, and hanging out with family and friends.