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As part of our commitment to being a certified patient-centered medical home, UNC Family Medicine works hard to include the patient voice in all activities. By providing input to faculty and staff in the clinical process, research, and redesign & renovation of the Family Medicine Center, the Patient Advisory Council has made a huge impact on the department. If you are interested in hearing more about the council please let us know.

The mission of the UNC Family Medicine Center Patient Advisory Council (PAC) is to advise faculty and staff in their mission to develop and refine policies, practices, services, and facilities to improve the healthcare experience. Many of our PAC members are also very involved in Community Health initiatives at UNC Family Medicine. If you’d like to learn more about Community Health at Family Medicine, check out our website here. 

We are glad to be here as patients. We represent the patient voice, and we’re here to tell you — the future of family medicine is bright!"
-Patient Advisory Counsel

Meet the Patient Advisory Council Chair

Gwen Waddell-Schultz

(Photo coming)

Gwen H. Waddell-Schultz, RN, MSN, NPD-C, NEA-BC is a graduate of UNC School of Nursing and recently retired from Durham Veterans Administration Health Care System. A resident of Chapel Hill, she has been a patient of UNC FPC since 1970. She is excited to contribute her skills and knowledge in a patient advocacy role on the Council.

Her career in nursing included intensive care, medical-surgical, outpatient, and oncology areas. For over 20 years, she had administrative responsibility for nursing student clinical rotations, nursing internships, and orientation of new nursing staff. She administered the VA scholarship program that provides RNs with the opportunity to pursue that next degree.

She holds a BSN and MSN from UNC-CH and a post-master’s certificate from Duke University School of Nursing. She holds adjunct faculty appointments at both UNC-CH and Duke University. She is on the Advisory Board of the Watts College of Nursing.

She holds two national certifications: ANCC Staff Development in Nursing and ANCC Nurse Executive.

She is an active member of the American Nurses Association and North Carolina Nurses Association, served as NCNA President, and a variety of other leadership positions within the professional organization. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau.

She holds the NC Great 100 designation, and the NCNA Hall of Fame Award. She has been recognized by UNC-CH SON as Alumnae of the Year, and has been recognized for her many contributions to the University and community. She has been a Volunteer Mentor to nursing students from UNC-CH.

She has six grandchildren, and is active in her faith community of University Presbyterian Church. She is an avid Tar Heel fan.


Meet the PAC Members

Pamela Griffis

Pamela Griffis became part of the Patient Advisory Council in February 2018, when interviewed for a prestigious role as Board Member. She loved the opportunity then and loves it even more daily. Her healthcare at the Family Medicine Center led her to apply to the PAC and she has had quality care from some of the finest doctors in the U.S.A.since committing to the standard of one primary care provider in 2014.

 

Polly Johnson

Polly has been a patient at the FPC since she moved to Chapel Hill in 1973. As a registered nurse, she worked in both the Pediatric Specialty Clinics and as the Nursing Coordinator of the pediatric and neonatal inpatient services at UNC Hospitals in the 70s and 80s. In the late 80s, she joined the staff of the NC Board of Nursing, serving as a Practice Consultant before becoming the Executive Director until her retirement in 2008. Polly continued her involvement in healthcare by leading the Foundation for Nursing Excellence for another 10 years, helping to streamline the educational pathways between community colleges and universities to increase the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in our state. She has also served as a board member of the NC Institute of Medicine as well as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. In retirement, she has remained active in healthcare and humanitarian activities, including immigrant justice initiatives.

 

Charlie Lehmann

Charlie Lehmann has been a patient at Family Medicine since he moved from Vermont in 2012. He has been a member of the Patient Advisory Council for almost 6 years. Charlie’s professional life has been focused on marketing, advertising and new product development. Given this background, he has been instrumental in developing communications initiatives targeted at providing patients with information that will enable them to partner more effectively with their medical provider. He has also served as a Co-Chair of the Council and is a mentor with SCORE.

Ruth Lewter

(Photo and bio coming)

 

Bonnie MacDougall

Bonnie MacDougall has been a patient at UNC Family Medicine since 2003. Much of her professional background is rooted in social justice and working with nonprofit organizations. Currently, Bonnie works with medical and physician assistant students teaching them patient-centered gynecological and sexual health, with a health equity and trauma-informed lens. She is passionate about health equity, disability rights, cooperative vs. competitive culture, embodied movement practices, photography, and most anything in nature. Bonnie lives in Carrboro with her two teenage kiddos, their dog Harley, and two cats Frida and Georgia.

 

Patti Pozella

(Photo and bio coming)

 

Jacquelyn Wilson

Jacquelyn G. Wilson, B.S., R.Ph., M.Sc., Pharm.D. has been a patient in Family Medicine since relocating to Chapel Hill in 2014. Jacquelyn is an experienced clinical pharmacist, academician, and clinical drug trialist with 21 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, Johnson and Johnson Inc., Ortho-McNeil Division (2000-2004) and Pfizer, Inc., (2004-2021). During her 17-year tenure in Clinical Development at Pfizer Inc., she was responsible for the design, execution, and analysis of Phase 2b – Phase 4 clinical studies across multiple therapeutic areas with a specialty in psychiatric pharmacotherapy. Jacquelyn’s “Last Act” at Pfizer prior to retiring in September 2021 was a Clinical Trial Diversity Lead, working with clinical study teams on strategies to improve equity and inclusion in Pfizer’s clinical trials with the goal of study participants being reflective of the epidemiology and diversity of the diseases under study.

Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Jacquelyn was an Assistant Professor at Wayne State University (WSU) and held a joint appointment in the College of Pharmacy & Allied Health Professions, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience; and Faculty Associate, Institute of Gerontology.  Faith plays a major part in her life. Currently she is an active member of Watts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC where she serves in several ministries (First Aide, Health Ministry, Impact Missions Ministry, and Women of Watts); and she’s passionate about serving those who are less fortunate and under-served locally and globally through medical mission and foreign mission to Uganda Africa (2005), Haiti (2017 & 2018), and Puerto Rico (2019). Since 1981, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. providing service to all mankind.  Since March 2021, volunteer immunizer/vaccinator for the NCDHHS and FEMA for nationwide COVID19 vaccination efforts. Since 2018, Board of Director for a local community non-profit organization. She has given numerous national and international presentations and written several articles and co-authored a book chapter. Since retiring in 2021, Jacquelyn continues to follow her passion to improve equity and access to healthcare and clinical trials, which led to Jacquelyn becoming one of the newest members of the FM PAC in January 2022.