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VA Southeast Network (VISN7)

 

Leadership Team

Dr. David Walker, Network Director

Dr. David Walker | 678-924-5700

Network Director

Dr. David M. Walker was appointed the Network Director for the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7), Duluth, GA, effective July 2021. Prior to his appointment, he was the Interim Network Director for the VA MidSouth Healthcare Network (VISN 9) since January 2021, and the Director for the GV (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans’ Hospital and Clinics (GVMVAMC) in Jackson, MS, since December 2015. As Director of the VA Southeast Network, he oversees eight health care systems in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina with a $4.5 billion annual operating budget, that provide coverage for over 1.2 million Veterans. VISN 7 is the VA’s fourth largest healthcare network, with over 22,000 employees managing 7.6 million outpatient visits per year, and over 33,000 hospital admissions. Dr. Walker is board certified in Psychiatry and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has also served as president of the Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association. Dr. Walker graduated from the military medical school, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, completed a United States Air Force (USAF)/civilian psychiatry training program and a subsequent forensic psychiatry fellowship training program at the University of South Carolina. As a USAF forensic psychiatrist, he helped reestablish the service-wide Wilford Hall Medical Center Air Force Forensic Psychiatry Evaluation Service. After completing his military service, he served as Clinical Director of Forensic Services for Georgia’s only maximum-security forensic hospital. Dr. Walker also has publications related to military psychiatric topics, including a book chapter published in 2020 on Fitness for Duty in the US Military. From 2001 to 2010 Dr. Walker served five times as a board examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. In 2019 Dr. Walker presented at the VA TEDx event on changing culture through commitment management. Dr. Walker completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, in 1987, a Doctor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, in 1991 and a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) in 2012 at the University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.


Dr. Maureen McCarthy, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Maureen McCarthy | 678-924-5700

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Maureen McCarthy, MD, was appointed the Chief Medical Officer for VISN 7 in August 2020. As the Chief Medical Officer for VISN 7, she serves as special advisor to the Network Director for clinical oversight, compliance and quality of care. Prior to her current roles she was Chief of Staff at the Phoenix VA Medical Center, responsible for leading the medical center’s clinical services and academic programs. Before that, Dr. McCarthy served as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Patient Care Services at the VA Central Office in Washington D.C. Her focus in Patient Care Services was to support VHA's mission in offering the highest quality health care to Veterans. Dr. McCarthy has a 25-year-history of dedicated service to the Veteran community and a proven track record as a senior physician executive. In addition to her prior role as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Patient Care Services, she served previously as Deputy Chief Patient Care Services Officer. She was the Chief of Staff at the Salem Virginia VAMC for more than five years which serves a population of approximately 36,000 Veterans. Dr. McCarthy also has served as Associate Chief of Staff for Education and staff psychiatrist at the Salem VAMC and has served as a staff psychiatrist at the Washington, DC VAMC. Dr. McCarthy holds numerous awards such as the Exemplary Service Award presented by Under Secretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin and the Phoenix VA awarded VA’s “Community Partnership Award” for novel suicide prevention program called “Be Connected.” Dr. McCarthy earned her B.A. in Chemistry and Biology from Simon College in Boston, Massachusetts, and Doctor of Medicine from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dr. McCarthy completed her residency in Psychiatry at the New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.


Benita Miller, Deputy Network Director

Benita Miller | 678-924-5700

Deputy Network Director

Ms. Benita Miller was appointed Deputy Network Director for the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7) in September 2019. VISN 7 consists of eight health care systems in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina and provides coverage for over 1.4 million Veterans. In her role Ms. Miller has oversight of financial, capital, and planning resources. Ms. Miller served as Chief Operating Officer/Associate Director at the Hampton Virginia VA Medical Center from July 2010 to September 2013. In this role, Ms. Miller directed strategic and administrative operations for a $270 million operational budget in a facility serving over 40,000 Veterans. Ms. Miller served as Interim Medical Center Director at the Hampton VAMC from June 2012 to January 2013. Ms. Miller served as the Chief Benefits Officer for the Veterans Health Administration from September 2013 to January 2016. Ms. Miller began her career with Department of Veterans Affairs in 1998. During her tenure with VA, she has held positions in various capacities to include Clinical Social Worker, Administrative Officer for Primary Care and Sub-Specialty Medicine, Advanced Clinical Access Coordinator, Executive Assistant to the Director, and VISN Health System Specialist. Ms. Miller also served as the Administrator of the Waco, Texas VA Medical Center where she managed regulatory compliance, fiscal operations, and significant capital structure improvements. Ms. Miller received a Bachelor of Social Work from South Carolina State University, a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Health Administration from Baylor University. Ms. Miller is Board Certified as a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE). She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice. Ms. Miller is a graduate of the VA Health Care Leadership Institute and the VA Executive Career Field Candidate Development Program. Ms. Miller serves as a member of the VHA Healthcare Leadership Development Advisory board. She is a recipient of the 2015 ACHE Regent’s Senior Healthcare Leader Award. Ms. Miller is a 2019 graduate of the U. S. Office of Personnel Management’s Senior Executive Assessment Program.