Population Health Leadership

Novella W. Thompson, MBA, MA, ALM-C, FACHE
Assistant Chief: CEO Cabinet

Novella provides strategic, operational, and development leadership for UVA Health's Population Health Department across a portfolio of programs that support patients throughout the continuum of care. Her work spans population health management, post-acute partnerships, hospice and palliative care strategy, and transitions of care—advancing UVA Health’s mission to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care beyond hospital walls.

Under her leadership, the department also supports initiatives in medical research, graduate and undergraduate education, digital innovation, community engagement, and health system operations. These include oversight of UVA Health’s community paramedicine, remote patient monitoring (IHM), home health services, the homeless consult program, and mobile care delivery. Novella also partners with the Center for Telehealth and oversees digital literacy programs, patient progression initiatives, and the Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT) Committee.

She earned her undergraduate degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a master’s in counseling psychology from Marshall University, and an Executive MBA from the University of North Alabama. Novella is certified in Advanced Lean Management and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Known for her ability to lead cross-continuum solutions, Novella brings over 30 years of healthcare experience and 15 years of system-level expertise to her role, consistently driving innovation, integration, and improved outcomes in both adult and pediatric care delivery.

Novella oversees:

• Community Paramedicine
• Remote Patient Monitoring (IHM)
• UVA Health Continuum Home Health
• Virginia at Home (VaH)
• Medicine HOME
• Homeless Consult Service
• WellAware Community Health Workers
• UVA Health Mobile Care
• Transitions of Care Partnerships and Programming
• Hospice and Palliative Care Partnerships for Adults and Pediatrics
• UVA Student and Employee Clinic Wise
• Program Quality & Continuous Improvement 

Contact Novella
Return to Top

Jeanne Bird, MSHA, BS – RRT
Director, Quality

Jeanne Bird began her UVA career in 1995 at the UVA Medical Center working as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. It was there that she developed a passion for chronic disease management planning, prolonged ventilator weaning, pulmonary rehabilitation, and ongoing pulmonary patient health maintenance planning. This passion led her to pursue these opportunities between 1998 and 2010 at UVA-Encompass Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital, her first introduction to Post-Acute Care.

In February 2010, Jeanne returned to UVA to form and lead the Respiratory Failure Program at UVA Transitional Care Hospital, a long-term acute care hospital, as Respiratory Therapy department manager. In addition to Respiratory Therapy clinical operations leadership, she worked closely with Medical and Clinical Leaders to create patient care protocols and clinical guidelines and contributed to two Patient Care Quality award winning studies. Jeanne became Director of Quality for UVA Transitional Care Hospital in December 2015. Under her leadership, UVA Transitional Care Hospital achieved distinction for Joint Commission specialty certified programs in Wound Care and Respiratory Failure.

Jeanne enjoys the challenge of identifying and then improving underperforming processes. She holds a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Respiratory Therapy from Millersville University of PA. She achieved her Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in January 2019. She is a lifelong learner, having also achieved Certifications in Lean Six Sigma and in Healthcare Improvement Quality and Safety. Jeanne has undertaken several special assignments within the Medical Center during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the subsequent recovery period, to ensure stabilization and performance excellence in multiple areas. Jeanne joined Population Health in May 2024, and in her role as Director of Quality, Jeanne partners with Population Health program leaders to ensure consistency and quality of care delivery across all programs in the department and to facilitate growth of those programs in alignment with the strategic goals of UVA Health.

Jeanne leads Quality & Performance Improvement for the Population Health Department programs, and the Continuum Home Health Agency and Home Infusion Partnership.

Contact Jeanne
Return to Top

Julie Briski, MSPH, MFA, BSN, RN
Director, Connected Care

Julie Briski serves as Director of Connected Care within the Population Health department, leading the expansion of a new division dedicated to extending care beyond the walls of traditional health settings. With over 25 years of experience spanning clinical nursing, military service, federal health policy, and telehealth strategy, Julie brings a uniquely interdisciplinary perspective to the challenge of connecting patients and providers across geographies, technologies, and communities.

Julie joined UVA Health in April 2022 as Telemedicine Business Development Lead and was appointed to the Director of Telehealth Programs in January 2025. During this time, Julie led projects including the successful implementation of Epic Video Client and Doximity Dialer across the health system, championed the integration of video interpreters directly into Video Visits to reduce barriers for non-English speaking patients, and guided the organization through the uncharted transition from pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities to a sustainable post-PHE regulatory landscape.

Prior to joining UVA Health, Julie served as Senior Health Policy Analyst at the Defense Health Agency (DHA), where she was the lead advisor to the DHA’s Vice Admiral and directed policy formulation, analysis, and coordination for the military’s first Integrated Health Care Delivery System. Before her civilian policy role, Julie served eight years as a Naval Nurse Corps Officer, including as the sole nurse aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during an eight-month Global Combat Deployment, and enjoyed duty stations in Naples, Italy and San Diego, CA – Julie joined the Navy and saw the world!

A proud Double Hoo, Julie received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Fine Arts in Drama / Lighting Design from the University of Virginia (20 years apart) and holds a Master of Science in Public Health from San Diego State University.

Contact Julie
Return to Top

Robert D'Eramo, PharmD, MSHA, FACHE
Director, Clinical and Strategic Initiatives

Robert D'Eramo is a pharmacist-trained healthcare leader with nearly a decade of progressive leadership at UVA Health, where he directs clinical and strategic initiatives for the Population Health Department. He oversees Community Paramedicine, the Mobile Care Unit, Population Health Specialists, and a multidisciplinary clinical and paramedic team — driving initiatives designed to extend care beyond the hospital and into the communities UVA serves.

Robert helped lead the launch and growth of the UVA Health Mobile Care Unit and expanded the community paramedicine program, growing the team and expanding our patient populations that we serve. Prior to his current role, he served as Service Line Business Development and Integration Director for Post-Acute Care, Interim Director of UVA Continuum Home Health Infusion Pharmacy, and a Clinical Operations Manager within the department of pharmacy.

Robert holds a PharmD from VCU School of Pharmacy, an MsHA from VCU's Medical College of Virginia, and a BS in Biology from Virginia Tech. He completed both his PGY1 and PGY2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership residencies at UVA Health, and holds FACHE and CHFP certifications. He is a published author, conference presenter, and active member of ACHE, VSHP, and HFMA.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, cooking, boating, golfing, and exploring Charlottesville.

Robert leads the Community Paramedicine program, Mobile Care Unit, Strategic Initiative Projects, the Paramedic Team, the Clinical Team for Mobile Care, and the Population Health Specialist Team.

Contact Robert
Return to Top

Catherine Harris, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Director, Continuum Home Health

Catherine Harris is the Home Health Director for Continuum Home Health Care in the Population Health Department. Continuum is UVA’s home health and home infusion agency, providing Skilled Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Therapy, Home Health Aides and Social Work services in the home for the adult and pediatric population throughout central Virginia. In her role as director, Catherine is responsible for program planning, organizing, oversight, staffing, financial management, and accreditation for the home health agency. As an academic home health agency, Continuum seeks to educate, share knowledge and help develop future home health clinicians.

Catherine has been with UVA Health since 2009, when she joined as a night shift nurse on the neurology unit. Catherine has over 10 years of experience in home health and home infusion, where she started as a field nurse before moving into leadership.

Catherine is a strong proponent for home health, educating new clinicians locally, and speaking nationally. Catherine has experience in managing the home health and home infusion revenue cycle, OASIS, ICD-10 coding, quality improvement, utilization management, and home care accreditation. Catherine’s passion is improving access to care in the home, and creating environments where clinicians can provide excellent, safe care in the home environment.

Catherine earned her undergraduate degree in nursing from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. She received her Master’s in Nursing with Health System Administration from the University of Virginia in 2015, with a post-master’s certificate in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing. She is also a Nurse Executive Advance Board Certified by the ANCC.

In her spare time, Catherine enjoys adventuring with her family and friends, reading, cooking, creating, and spending time outdoors.
Contact Catherine
Return to Top

Jared McComb, MA
Director, Population Health & Care Continuum Strategy

Jared McComb has been an integral member of the Population Health Department since 2018. He initially served as a wellness coach with the BeWell initiative to help UVA Team Members achieve health and wellness goals. He then worked as a Case Manager and was promoted to Lead Case Manager. These roles developed his passion for supporting patients in navigating the healthcare system after their UVA Medical Center discharges. In 2021, he was promoted to management, where he significantly impacted the effectiveness and retention of the Department's lead case managers and case managers.

Jared’s commitment to helping patients and improving their experience with health care and community services, along with his success in supporting both patients and colleagues, led to his role as Director of Population Health Management in 2023. He takes the lead in hiring, onboarding, training, and managing the case managers; designing, assessing, and revising standard workflows; directing growth initiatives and the development of the IHM/RPM program, and meeting with internal and external partners to form and support effective collaborations. This role transitioned to Director, Population Health & Care Continuum Strategy in 2025 to better reflect his contributions of progressive leadership within population health, data-driven strategy and integrated delivery systems development.

Jared is a veteran of both the Marine Corps and Virginia National Guard. He holds a bachelor's degree from UVA and a master's degree in theology. He lives in Charlottesville with his wife and two children and is actively involved in his community. When he is not out exploring nature, you can find him with a good book or engaging in a friendly competition over a board game with his family and friends.

Jared leads the Interactive Home Monitoring Program (IHM), the Homeless Consult Services Program, the Adult and Pediatrics Case Management Team, and Innovative Technology Strategies.

Contact Jared
Return to Top

Laquita R. Minor, MSN, BA, RN, NE-BC
Director, Clinical Care Services, Population Health

Laquita Minor is proud to be a Triple ‘Hoo, having earned three degrees from the University of Virginia: Bachelor of Arts (Major: French, Minor: Biology), Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Master of Science in Nursing (Adult Health Program). Laquita spent nearly a decade of her 25-year tenure at UVA Medical Center working as a bedside nurse in critical care and acute care units, and the last 16 years serving on the Medical Center Management Team.

Delivering quality, patient-centered care, as well as leading and supporting clinical teams in this endeavor, has always been Laquita’s passion. She became the first Nurse Manager of UVA Transitional Care Hospital, where she developed unit-based, standard operating procedures for this startup facility and opened the door to the first patient in August 2010. 

In June 2012, Laquita joined Ambulatory Care Services, for which she spent nearly a decade managing clinic operations, while ensuring regulatory compliance, team recruitment, and staff training and development. In her various leadership roles, particularly as Director of Primary Care and Psychiatry Clinics, Laquita developed strong, collaborative relationships with interdepartmental colleagues and served on numerous UVA Health committees to ensure Ambulatory representation.

Laquita joined Population Health in October 2022 as the Director of Clinical Care Services. She leads the Population Health clinical team to ensure excellence in patient care, compliance and policy, clinical operations, and cross-collaboration throughout the Medical Center, UVA, UVA-Wise, and UPG. Additionally, she drives continuous performance improvement efforts for all clinical programming. 

Laquita leads the Bridge to Primary Care, Medicine HOME, Virginia at Home, and the UVA Student & Faculty Clinic Wise Clinical Teams.

Contact Laquita
Return to Top

Betsy Peyton, BA, BSN, RN
Director, Clinical Care Services WellAware

Betsy Peyton is the Director of Clinical Care Services at UVA Health Population Health, where she oversees the WellAware Community Health Worker Program, Community Engagement Initiatives, and the Homeless Consult Service.

Betsy is a graduate of Charlottesville High School and holds both a BA in History and a BSN in Nursing from the University of Virginia. With nearly thirty years of experience as a Registered Nurse in public health, schools, and psychiatric settings in Charlottesville and New York City, she has worked to improve healthcare outcomes for a wide range of clients, from elderly dementia patients to homeless teenagers and newly arrived refugee families.

Drawing on years of firsthand experience in home visiting, Betsy is a strong advocate for the Community Health Worker model and its ability to improve access, build trust, and support high-quality care. She believes the most effective approach is one in which communities lead, and services are designed to meet their identified needs. Betsy is grateful to be part of an institution committed to advancing exceptional healthcare and strengthening the well-being of the communities it serves.

Outside of work, Betsy enjoys flower gardening, small art museums, and short hikes. She loves traveling to visit her three adult children and getting to know her neighbors through the many remarkable stories she encounters in her work.

Betsy leads the WellAware Program, Community Health Worker Team, Community Engagement, and Resource Programming.

Contact Betsy
Return to Top

Beverly Tucker, ACM, BSW, MSHA
Director, Transitions of Care

Beverly (Bev) joined UVA Health in 2011, bringing with her over 25 years of experience across the continuum of healthcare. She initially served as a Case Manager at the Transitional Care Hospital (TCH) – a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH). Soon after, she took on the role of Director of Case Management, where she built and led a team responsible for marketing, admissions, and discharge planning. After the LTACH closed, Bev continued to leverage her community expertise and case management skills in the Post-Acute Department and Patient Progression Coalition.

Through her work with the Patient Progression Coalition, Bev introduced the idea for the Transitions of Care program, which ensures that UVA Health patients discharged to select Skilled Nursing Facilities are followed for thirty days. Drawing on her extensive experience in local nursing facilities, Bev was able to observe and assist patients during their transitions from home to nursing care or assisted living. Additionally, Bev served as an administrator for one of the community’s Assisted Living Facilities, where she worked closely with patients and their families as they navigated these significant life changes.

Bev earned her Master of Science in Healthcare Administration in 2018 and Lean Management Certification in 2024.

Bev has a deep connection with UVA Health, which has been a part of her life from the very beginning. It cared for her at birth, as well as for her three children and three of her grandchildren. For generations, UVA Health has been her family’s trusted choice for healthcare. It’s more than just a place to her; it's her passion and remains close to her heart.

Bev leads the Transitions of Care program, Patient Liaison Team, Adult Hospice and Palliative Care QPI work, and SNF Partnerships.
Contact Bev
Return to Top

Laura Belozerco-Tracey
Manager Rehabilitation Services Continuum Home Health

Laura Belozerco-Tracey is the Rehabilitation Services Manager for Continuum Home Health. Continuum is UVA’s home health and home infusion agency, providing Skilled Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Therapy, Home Health Aides and Social Work services in the home for adult and pediatric patients throughout Central Virginia.

Laura joined UVA Health in 2004, as a PRN Home Health Speech-Language Pathologist. She has extensive experience working in home health, as well as skilled nursing, acute care, and acute rehabilitation. In 2012, Laura transitioned to a full time Home Health Speech-Language Pathologist and worked in the field covering 5+ counties serving patients with cognitive-communication, language, voice, and swallowing deficits. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Disorders at the State University of New York, and Master of Arts at Queens College, City University of New York. 

In her role, Laura leads interdisciplinary rehabilitation teams, promotes evidenced-based practice, and ensures compliance with regulatory and quality standards. Her leadership focuses on clinical excellence, staff development, and collaborative care coordination to achieve optimal functional outcomes for patients. 

Laura is passionate about empowering patients to regain independence, improve mobility, improve cognitive-communication skills, improve swallow function, and enhance quality of life in the comfort of their own homes. She believes that compassionate care, strong communication, and individual treatment plans are essential for successful rehabilitation.

Outside of work, Laura enjoys spending time with her son and friends, hiking, cooking/baking, and knitting. One of her most proud achievements is completing 29029 Everesting, an endurance challenge.

Contact Laura
Return to Top

M. Suzanna Davis, RN
Home Health Operations & Scheduling Manager, Continuum Home Health

Suzanna joined UVA in 2004 as a day shift RN on 5C/5W, where she earned her Clin 3. She later transferred to 4C, playing a key role in opening the Vascular Intermediate Care Unit (VIMU), and joined the Continuum team in 2018.

In her current role, Suzanna oversees home health nursing practice and daily operations for field teams, intake, and scheduling. She collaborates closely with home health leadership, population health, and ambulatory teams to support patient access, operational efficiency, practice productivity, and team engagement.

Nursing is a second career for Suzanna. She holds undergraduate nursing degrees from Piedmont Virginia Community College and Eastern Mennonite University and is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

Outside of work, she enjoys time with her family, especially her two grandsons, and loves being on the lake, by the ocean, and traveling — with a special interest in international destinations. Fun fact: Suzanna has visited all 50 states.

Anna DeLong, LCSW, NPT-C, Mindfulness Teacher
Assistant Manager, Social Work

Anna DeLong is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of experience in the mental health field, including 27 years of dedicated service at the University of Virginia. She earned her Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1987 and has been licensed in Virginia since 1993.

Anna brings extensive post-graduate training in Neuro-Psychotherapy and the Mind-Body Connection, and she has been an avid practitioner of Mindfulness since the early 1990s. Her areas of expertise include Insight Dialogue, Yoga Nidra for Divine Sleep®, Sustainable Compassion, EMDR, and other evidence-based strategies designed to reset the autonomic nervous system in ways that promote emotional regulation and physical healing.

Deeply passionate about integrating mental and physical health, Anna is committed to sharing research-backed tools that foster healing, resilience, and self-empowerment. She believes strongly in the innate resilience of the human spirit and in our profound capacity to heal, recover, and grow.

Contact Anna
Return to Top

Lorie Koch, BSN, RN, CRNI
Nurse Manager, Continuum Home Health Care

Lorie Koch is the Nurse Manager for Continuum Home Health Care in the Population Health Department. Continuum is UVA’s home health and home infusion agency, providing Skilled Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Therapy, Home Health Aides, and Social Work services in the home for adult and pediatric patients throughout central Virginia.

Lorie joined UVA Health in 1994, as Continuum’s Home Infusion Coordinator. In her roles with Continuum, she has worked as an RN Coordinator and a field nurse. Lorie has extensive experience in home health and home infusion, having worked with organizations in New York City, Central Virginia, and Wisconsin. Lorie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Valparaiso University. She is a certified infusion nurse (CRNI) through the Infusion Nurses Society and INCC.

As Nurse Manager, Lorie supports clinical teams caring for medically complex patients in their homes as well as UVA Medical Center Nurse Liaisons responsible for the smooth transition from hospital to home for patients receiving home infusion therapy. Lorie supports Continuum’s day-to-day operations using her extensive experience in managing complicated patient situations. Lorie ensures that field clinicians provide exceptional patient care through clinical care team meetings, supervisory visits, and ongoing education.

Contact Lorie
Return to Top