Advancing Health Policy Information
For Surgery in the United States

George F. Sheldon, MD

GEORGE F. SHELDON, MD, FACS, is currently the Zack D. Owens Distinguished Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine of The University of North Carolina. Dr. Sheldon received a BA from the University of Kansas, earned his Medical Degree from Kansas University Medical School, and completed his surgical residency at UCSF. Dr. Sheldon was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1970 and received added certification in Surgical Critical Care in 1986. Dr. Sheldon served as senior assistant surgeon (lieutenant) in the U.S. Public Health Service, and has worked in academic medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Peter Brent Brigham Hospital at Harvard University, the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, and most currently at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Sheldon’s research activities have focused on the subjects of nutrition, clinical management of patients with injury, and surgical workforce issues. His research for the American College of Surgeons Institute for Health Policy Research focuses on the surgical workforce.

Thomas C. Ricketts, PhD, MPH

THOMAS C. RICKETTS, III, PhD, MPH, is Professor of Health Policy and Management and Social Medicine at the University of North Carolina Schools of Global Public Health and Medicine and co-director of the American College of Surgeons Institute for Health Policy Research. Since 2001 Dr. Ricketts has chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee for the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings TM.  In 2008 he was appointed to the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Rural Advisory Committee.  Dr. Ricketts is Editor of the North Carolina Medical Journal having previously served as Editor of the Journal of Rural Health from 1990 until 1996. Dr. Ricketts holds three degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a Morehead Scholar. His work with the American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute focuses on the future supply of surgeons and access to surgical care.

Anthony Charles, MD, MPH.

ANTHONY G. CHARLES, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine of The University of North Carolina.  Dr. Charles attended medical school at the University of Lagos College of Medicine and completed his surgical residency training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, UCLA, and the University of Michigan.  Dr. Charles is board certified in General surgery and surgical critical care.  Dr. Charles has received numerous honors and awards, including Teaching Attending of the Year and Best Surgical Resident in two consecutive years. His research for the American College of Surgeons focuses on the subspecialization of surgery and surgical workforce shortages. 

anthony_charles@med.unc.edu

Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP

ERIN P. FRAHER, PhD, MPP, is the Director of the North Carolina Health Professions Data System (HPDS) at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Dr. Fraher earned her BA from Wellesley College, her Masters in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley and her PhD at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.  For the past 10 years, Ms. Fraher has worked as a policy analyst and researcher in the United States and Canada on a variety of health care issues. Dr. Fraher’s work for the American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute focuses on variations in career trajectories for surgeons with respect to gender, age, and career cohorts.  Dr. Fraher is currently spending a year in Winchester, England, working for both the American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute and the (U.K.) National Health Service's Workforce Review Team.

Mark Holmes, PhD

MARK HOLMES, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. He received his BS in Mathematics and Economics (with Honors) from Michigan State University and his PhD from the Department of Economics at UNC-Chapel Hill. His interests include hospital finance, rural health, health policy, workforce, and patient-centered outcomes research. He is also a Senior Research Fellow and the Healthcare Economics and Finance Program Co-Director at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. His role in the ACSHPRI is analytical expertise, particularly in analysis of large datasets and econometric and spatial analysis.

mark_holmes@unc.edu

Katie Gaul

KATIE GAUL, MA, is a Research Associate at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. A geographer by training, Ms. Gaul earned her BS from Appalachian State University and her MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She primarily works with the North Carolina Health Professions Data System managing data and map requests, contributing to data analysis and reports, and providing technical assistance to other states interested in developing a health workforce data system.  Ms. Gaul's work for the American college of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute centers around cartography and other geographic issues, as well as designing publications and presentations.

Lindsee McPhail, MD

LINDSEE MCPHAIL, MD is a post-doctoral surgical research fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.  Dr. McPhail is currently pursuing an MPH at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health, with research interests in the rural general surgery workforce and in defining what constitutes a general surgeon.  Dr. McPhail completed her general surgery residency at the University of North Carolina, where she was awarded the Womack Scholar Award for leadership.  She holds both Bachelor's and Medical Degrees from University of North Carolina.

Stephanie Poley

STEPHANIE T. POLEY, PhD Candidate, is a Research Associate at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and the research coordinator for the American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute.  Ms. Poley earned a B.S. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Health Policy and Management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research with the ACS Institute focuses on utilization patterns of surgical services, the surgical workforce, and access to surgical services.  

Elizabeth Walker

ELIZABETH WALKER, MSPH, is a Research Associate at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Ms. Walker earned her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College and completed her master of science in public health degree at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her work for the American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute is in examining rural surgical services.