{"id":17,"date":"2022-03-01T14:03:33","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T19:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/rare-disease-council\/?page_id=17"},"modified":"2026-02-17T11:38:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:38:59","slug":"council-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/rare-disease-council\/council-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Members"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Chair
\nGwen Traficant
\n<\/strong>Board member, Central Union Mission; Caregiver<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"Hermoinne\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Vice Chair
\n<\/strong>Hermionne Johnson, MSN, RN
\n<\/strong>Caregiver; CEO, Ayana\u2019s Hope Cells;\u00a0Clinical Nurse Educator<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Ijeoma Azubuko, MS
\n<\/strong>The Ruby Ball Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

John R Feore III, JD
\n<\/strong>Senior Director, Jeffrey J. Kimbell & Associates; Director, Health Policy and Advocacy, Institute for Gene Therapies<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Wes Fisher<\/strong>
\nPublic Policy Professional<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Michael Friedlander, PhD<\/strong>
\nVice President for Health Sciences and Technology, Virginia Tech; Executive Director, Fralin Biomedical
\nResearch Institute at VTC; Senior Dean for Research, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Professor
\nof Biological Sciences and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Stephen Green, MD, FIDSA
\n<\/strong>Hospitalist; Infectious Diseases Society of America, Fellow; American College of Physicians, Fellow Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Fellow; Medical staff, Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Gregory Josephs, MA
\n<\/strong>Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, Toastmasters International<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Paul Kruszka, MD, FACMG<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>Director of Pediatric Genetics, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Virginia<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Tiffany Kimbrough, MD, FAAP
\n<\/strong>Medical Director, Mother-Infant Unit; Assistant Professor, General Pediatrics; Children\u2019s Hospital of Richmond at VCU<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Sharon Kopis, Ed.D. MS, RN, FNP- C
\n<\/strong>CNE Professor Nursing, Liberty Nursing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"Angela\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Angela Olmsted, PharmD<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Christina Peroutka, MD, FAAP, FACMG<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Biochemical and Clinical Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Elissa Pierson<\/strong>
\nCaregiver<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Stephen Rich, PhD
\n<\/strong>Director, Center for Public Health Genomics; Harrison Professor of Public Health Services, University of Virginia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Elisabeth Scott<\/strong>
\nMother and Caregiver<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Judy Stecker<\/strong>
\nMother, Caregiver, Co-Founder Wheeler's Warriors Against Batten Disease,
\nEVP Burson; Former Senior Official U.S. Department of Health and Human Services<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

ex officio member
\n<\/strong>Marcus C. Allen, MPH
\n<\/strong>Program Director, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"Samantha\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

ex officio member
\n<\/strong>Samantha Hollins, PhD
\n<\/strong>Assistant Superintendent,
\nDepartment of Special
\nEducation and Student Services,
\nVirginia Department of Education<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

ex officio member<\/strong>
\nRachel E. Cain, PharmD, BS, RPh, ESMT, CCMT
\n<\/strong>Clinical Pharmacist II, Office of the Chief Medical Officer at Department of Medical Assistance Services<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

Vacant
\n<\/strong>Representative from Health Plan Companies<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chair Gwen Traficant Board member, Central Union Mission; Caregiver Vice Chair Hermionne Johnson, MSN, RN Caregiver; CEO, Ayana\u2019s Hope Cells;\u00a0Clinical Nurse Educator Ijeoma Azubuko, MS The Ruby Ball Foundation John R Feore III, JD Senior Director, Jeffrey J. Kimbell & Associates; Director, Health Policy and Advocacy, Institute for Gene Therapies Wes Fisher Public Policy Professional<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nCouncil Members - Rare Disease Council<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/rare-disease-council\/council-members\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Council Members - Rare Disease Council\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chair Gwen Traficant Board member, Central Union Mission; Caregiver Vice Chair Hermionne Johnson, MSN, RN Caregiver; CEO, Ayana\u2019s Hope Cells;\u00a0Clinical Nurse Educator Ijeoma Azubuko, MS The Ruby Ball Foundation John R Feore III, JD Senior Director, Jeffrey J. 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