Joseph Webb, D.Sc., MSHA, FACHE
Human Performance Sports Sciences
Classes of 1 976 and 1979

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nashville General Hospital (NGH) at Meharry, a publicly supported, community-based hospital of Meharry Medical College.  Dr. Webb joined NGH in January 2015, bringing 30 years of proven expertise in for-profit and not-for-profit healthcare organizations.  He most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for Common Table Health Alliance in Memphis, Tennessee.

Branded as a Visionary and Transformational leader, Dr. Webb has demonstrated success as both a fiscal and operational change agent.  Dr. Webb began his career with Healthcare Services of America at Coastal Carolina Hospital where he served as Chief Executive Officer of the private 100 bed Behavioral Health and Chemical Dependency Hospital.  He then spent 17 years with Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served as Vice President, Operations at Methodist LeBonheur UniversityHospital, and the Chief Executive Officer at Methodist LeBonheur South.  His prior experience also includes Chief Operations Officer at Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Dr. Webb is Board Certified in Healthcare Management and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).  He continues his professional development through the national chapter, active membership in the ACHE of Middle TN Chapter, and the National Association of Health Services Executives.

Dr. Webb obtained his Doctorate of Science in Health Services Administration and his Master of Science in Hospital and Health Services Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.  He also holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degrees in Health Physical Education from Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee.    

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Ricardo Boyce, Jr. D.D.S., F.I.C.D.
Dental Hygiene 
Class of 1991

Dentist.   Dr. Ricardo A. Boyce, Jr., a 1991 graduate of Tennessee State University with an Associate of Science Degree (AAS) in Dental Hygiene. He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery Degree (DDS) from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee in 1998. Dr. Boyce completed his General Practice Residency at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2001.
Dr. Boyce also completed an Oral Medicine Residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 2003 and a Fellowship at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. 

Dr. Boyce is a member of the Second District Dental Society in Brooklyn, a member of The New York State Dental Association, a member of The American Dental Association. He is certified with the North East Regional Board of Dental Examiners. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentistry.

Dr. Boyce has presented and published several articles in Dentistry. One of his recent works was a book Chapter titled "Treatment Planning for Restorative Implantology", from the Book, "Implant Procedures for the General Dentist." Dr. Boyce has combined the art of Oral Medicine and General Dentistry into his practice and teaching.

Dr. Boyce is the Director of the General Practice Residency Program at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, serves on the Graduate Medical Education Committee, and the Medical Board at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Kimberly Branch-Hayes, MD
Physical Therapy
Class of 1999

Medical Director. Dr. Kimberly Branch-Hayes is a native of Nashville, TN. She attended Hume-Fogg High School and followed in her parent’s footsteps to attend Tennessee State University (TSU) in 1995. She graduated from TSU with a degree in Physical Therapy in 1999. After completing her Undergraduate Degree, she completed Graduate Studies at TSU and obtained her MBA in 2001.

Having a desire to learn more
about the Human Body, she was accepted into Quillen College of
Medicine in Johnson City, TN and graduated with her Medical Degree (MD) in 2005. She completed her Residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri in 2009. Since that time, she has been practicing in Inpatient Rehabilitation Units in Nashville, TN as she has always had a love for the Rehab World. Dr. Brannch-Hayes is
currently the Medical Director of Life Therapies Inpatient Rehabilitation
Unit at St Thomas Midtown Hospital.

One of her greatest joys is to see patients improve their quality of life. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling with her husband Darrell and their 6 children, as well as, volunteering as much as possible. She is a member
of the Occupational Therapy (OT)
Advisory Board.

Marilyn Reaves, OTR/L
Occupational Therapy
Class of 1997

Occupational/Physical Therapy Lead Therapist. I currently supervise a staff of 41 incredible occupational therapists, assistants, physical therapists and assistants who provide intervention for students in 150 schools in the Metro Nashville area. 

In 1990,  she was widowed with five young children, no career training or job experience to speak of, that would allow her to properly take care of her family. Realizing the need for further education, Ms. Reaves began to study at Tennessee State University and was accepted into the Occupational Therapy program.
After receiving her degree, she began working as an Occupational Therapist with Metro Nashville Public Schools. She received immense joy and pleasure from working with children and facilitating their engagement and participation in the school setting. After 13 years, Ms. Reaves transitioned to the Assistive Technology Department for that district providing consultation and assessment to students and school staff regarding access to technology. It was amazing to be a part of opening doors to students’ success in their education through facilitating opportunities to expand their growth by lending expertise gained through being an occupational therapist!
On the heels of working for 4 years as an assistive technology facilitator, she was offered the position of Lead Therapist for the Occupational and Physical Therapy Department.  

Email: Marilyn.reaves@mnps.org

      
Celene Pitts, RHIA
Health Information Management
Class of 2000  

System HIM Director. Celena J. Pitts, RHIA, is a pioneering Healthcare Management professional with foresight and innovative ideas that help enterprise-wide healthcare organizations prepare for the future of value-based care, and focus on quality across the nation. Celena has approximately 20 years of healthcare experience providing oversight and direction in the following areas: revenue cycle operations, Health Information Management (HIM) operations, electronic health record (EHR) applications and migrations, coding inpatient/outpatient clinics and rural health, healthcare compliance, quality metrics, performance improvement, DRG validation, and coding instruction. Additionally, she has developed and managed clinical documentation improvement programs and hosted national webinars on various clinical topics, such as “respiratory failure”, “acute kidney injury”, and “compliant queries using prior encounters” to name a few.

 Celena has served in both executive management and consulting capacities within large academic, urban community hospitals, and commercial consulting firms. Her experience in the healthcare industry has focused on improving operational and financial performance in a variety of healthcare settings including for-profit, non-profit, and rural health. Celena received her Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee State University’s Health Information Management program and became board certified as Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) which is accredited by AHIMA, the national accrediting body for HIM professionals.  Additionally, she received a Masters of Divinity, (M. Div.) from Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL.

 Along this trajectory, Celena has worked at various organizations including a national leading consulting firm for healthcare solutions. During her tenure with 3M™, she was appointed as the champion for cultural initiatives and diversity and inclusion in the Health Information Systems (HIS) division. She now serves as System HIM Director for East Hawaii Health System. In this role, she oversees enterprise-wide data integrity, privacy, and security both clinical and financial. Her appointment has led to serving as the first African American woman to hold this role for the region. 

When asked where does the passion for this industry reside, she replied, “I am a champion for the integrity of health records, both clinical and financial. Accurate and complete health data helps statisticians develop evidence-based medicine protocols and highlights pathways to reduce medical errors. I believe everyone deserves to have their personal information protected and I am dedicated to the efficacy of the process.” Whenever Celena is not working, she enjoys singing, traveling the world, and giving back to the community through her beloved sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and church mission, United MegaCARE.

La'Darius C. Madison, MPH, RDN, LD
Public Health 
Class of 2014  

Assistant Professor of Nutrition and the Dietetic Internship Coordinator. Mr. La’Darius C. Madison received his Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition-Dietetics from Auburn University in 2012 and his Master of Public Health degree in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Tennessee State University in 2014. In 2017, he completed a Graduate Certificate and Dietetic Internship with a concentration in School Nutrition Administration at Georgia Southern University. While a student at TSU, La’Darius completed a competitive internship as a Cancer Prevention Trainee at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Also, while at TSU, Mr. Madison served as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, an MPH Ambassador, and Vice President of the Health Administration, Health Science, and Public Health Student Association. After graduation, La’Darius relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to begin his career in public health and nutrition; and in 2019, La’Darius C. Madison was recognized by the Tennessee State University Young Alumni Association in its Inaugural 40 Under 40 Honorees cohort for his work and dedication as the Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Georgia’s War Veterans Home.

Currently, La’Darius serves as an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and the Dietetic Internship Coordinator at Life University in Marietta, GA. Additionally, he is enrolled in the Doctor of Public Health program (DrPH) in Community Health Behavior & Education at Georgia Southern University with an expected completion of December 2020. La’Darius’s research interests include healthy aging and geriatric nutrition, food insecurity, and nutrition policy where he ultimately plans to conduct research aimed at increasing accessibility to healthy, nutritious foods for elders in rural communities throughout the South.

 La’Darius is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), the American Public Health Association (APHA), National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition (NOBIDAN), Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND), Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Phyllis J. Lawrence, 
Health Information Management
Class of 2015

Phyllis J. Lawrence received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from
Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. She is a member of
Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society and
Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. Dr. Lawrence began her
teaching career at Tennessee State University in 2005 as a psychiatric
clinical instructor in the Bachelor of Nursing Program. Dr. Lawrence
has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The courses she has taught includes:  Management and Leadership in Nursing, Professionalism in Nursing and Adult Nursing I/ II, Inter-professional Organization and Systems Leadership, Leadership in Nursing, Concepts of Professional Nursing and Transcultural Nursing and Global Health. In Fall 2007 – Spring 2008 Dr. Lawrence served as the Holistic Nursing Program Coordinator at Tennessee State University. Dr. Lawrence has worked in nursing administration for both government and private agencies throughout her 27-year nursing career. She has published in several peer-reviewed nursing journals and has made presentations in various forums on writing, publishing and total wellness. 

Twan Lansden, B.S., M.H.A., RRT
Cardio-Respiratory  Care  
Class of 1997   

On the Leadership Team at TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center as Director of Respiratory Therapy and Sleep.    Formerly, a Respiratory Therapy Manager with TriStar Hendersonville;  Cardiopulmonary Services Director for Williamson Medical Center, where he led the RT division of the nursery from a Level II to a Level II-B, Certified Smoking Cessation Counselor, Achieved AASM Sleep Lab Accreditation, Pulmonary Rehab Educator and opened the Respiratory Division of the Children's Hospital at Williamson Medical Center; Adjunct Professor at Tennessee State University.  He earned a master's in health services administration from the University of St. Francis in Illinois.
Hometown: Chattanooga, TN