Dr. Joseph C. Carmichael is the chief medical officer and a senior vice president at UCI Health. His career at one of the largest health systems in California began in 2010. Since that time, he has served in many roles. Board-certified in general surgery  and colon and rectal surgery, he specializes in laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical approaches to treating diseases of the colon and rectum as well as complex open abdominal surgery. He is a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Carmichael earned his medical degree at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia. He completed an internship and residency in general surgery at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery in Chicago at the Cook County Hospital and University of Illinois, Chicago Medical Center. 

Dr. Watkins serves as Senior Vice President and System Chief Nursing Executive (CNE) for UCI Health, and as Assistant Dean of Nursing Education for the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing. She brings more than 35 years of nursing experience, including over two decades in Chief Nursing Executive roles across a diverse range of health systems, including for-profit, not-for-profit, faith-based, specialty, academic, and corporate settings.

Prior to her CNE roles, Dr. Watkins held leadership positions in Maternal Child Health, with a clinical background in Pediatric Intensive Care and Trauma. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Nursing Practice and holds dual master’s degrees in Nursing and Healthcare Administration. Her doctoral work focused on workplace bullying and its impact on turnover among new graduate nurses. She is board certified in Executive Nursing Practice.

Dr. Watkins’ expertise spans leadership development, strategic communication, relationship building, clinical practice oversight, resource and financial management, quality and patient safety, health policy and advocacy, workforce well-being, and healthcare technology. She is deeply committed to mentoring and developing the next generation of nurse leaders.

She is an active member of the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, Chief, American College of Healthcare Executives, and Sigma Theta Tau International. Her research interests include workforce well-being, leadership development and succession planning, health policy and advocacy, technology-enabled care delivery, and leader span of control.

Steve oversees the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Press Ganey Consulting, partnering with clients to build safety into their culture, protect patients, and make leaders accountable for safety in their organization. He helps clients run peer reviews and get to the bottom of why things go wrong when they do. He’s also worked with many academic medical institutions to improve cultural indicators and commitment to patient safety.

Prior to joining Press Ganey, Steve was a naval officer and F/A-18 pilot, working to make naval aviation safer and more reliable. He retired as a commander with 21 years of leadership and management experience.

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Aliquam a risus et purus imperdiet fringilla in nec odio. Nullam malesuada, ipsum sit amet mollis sollicitudin, neque nisi congue mi, vitae fringilla sapien enim vitae risus. Nam accumsan congue nisi. Maecenas urna ligula, tristique non ullamcorper ac, efficitur sit amet velit. Donec vestibulum cursus eros, vel feugiat arcu interdum vestibulum.

Aliquam a risus et purus imperdiet fringilla in nec odio. Nullam malesuada, ipsum sit amet mollis sollicitudin, neque nisi congue mi, vitae fringilla sapien enim vitae risus. Nam accumsan congue nisi. Maecenas urna ligula, tristique non ullamcorper ac, efficitur sit amet velit. Donec vestibulum cursus eros, vel feugiat arcu interdum vestibulum.