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Leslie Adcock, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Adcock grew up in a small town in upstate South Carolina, frequently traveling to Charlotte to visit the city. She completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Wake Forest University and received her medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina. She returned to Wake Forest for her residency in Family Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem. She joined Atrium Health in 2021 serving the Denver, NC community as a local community family physician. In 2024, she joined Elizabeth Family Medicine to be closer to family in Charlotte and pursue her love of teaching and training our future physicians. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family. She loves anything outdoors and going on walks with her dog, Dash.
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Allison K. Bickett, PhD, MS
Director of Behavioral Medicine Education
Dr. Allison Bickett received her PhD in Clinical Health Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Master’s Degree in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas. She presently serves as the Director of Behavioral Medicine Education in the Department of Family Medicine. She is responsible for Behavioral Health Integration programs at the three Family Medicine residency sites; supporting patient care in the inpatient and outpatient setting, as well as Diabetes and HIV clinics. Allison assists in developing and teaching the Longitudinal Behavioral Medicine curriculum; supporting and evaluating residents in the advancement of their mental health knowledge and clinical interviewing skills. Core facets of the Behavioral Medicine curriculum include motivational interviewing, active listening and the outpatient management of mental health issues commonly seen in primary care. Allison’s research interests include the relationship between mental health and chronic illness, behavioral health integration and mental health screening in the community.
Allison serves on several committees and taskforces to address physician well-being, and one of her passions in this area is the intersection of medicine and the humanities. She co-facilitates the Art of Medicine program, which is a unique collaboration between Atrium Health and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, which allows physicians and APPs to explore important works of art and process the challenging emotions that arise from the practice of medicine.
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Michele Birch, MD
Director, Academic Services - UNC School of Medicine Charlotte Campus
Integrative Medicine Director
Michele Birch, MD, received her undergraduate degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and her medical degree from University of Virginia School of Medicine. She then migrated farther south to Carolinas Medical Center for her Family Medicine residency, acting as Co-Chief Resident in her final year.
After residency, she worked in private practice for five years at Carmel Family Physicians. While there, she also served as a community preceptor for residents and medical students, which cemented her true love for teaching. Thus, she joined the Urban Track site in 2006 and joined the faculty at the main site. While a faculty member, she completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona College of Integrative medicine.
She is now the Director of Integrative Medicine for the residency, overseeing residents and medical students teaching in Integrative Medicine.
She and her husband are proud parents of their son. Outside of work, she enjoys running, bicycling and anything outdoors.
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Dellyse Bright, MD
Vice Chair of Education & DEI
Dellyse Bright, MD, hails from Baltimore, MD, and is passionate about women’s health, pediatrics and obesity. She earned her bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC). She attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine, then completed her residency training at the University of Maryland's Department of Family Medicine.
Prior to coming to Charlotte, she lived in Columbia, SC, where she cared for the underserved at a community health clinic. The Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency Program was her home for the next seven years where she served as a core faculty member involved in medical student and resident education. There, she was the director of Cabarrus Family Medicine Weight Management, a multi-disciplinary program.
In 2013 she served as the Biddle Point Track Site Director/Associate Residency Director for Carolinas Medical Center's Department of Family Medicine and cares for patients at the CMC-Biddle Point office until taking the helm of Program Director in 2016.
Dr. Bright is a wife and a mother of four. She enjoys having fun with others, scrapbooking, fitness and finds balance through her faith in God.
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Christina M. Garcia, DO, MPH
Biddle Point Track Site Director, Associate Program Director
Christina Garcia, DO, MPH received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from THE Ohio State University and her Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. While at Ohio University she also earned an African Community Health Certificate and was a Primary Care Associate where she spent an additional year as junior faculty teaching, tutoring and mentoring first- and second-year medical students and working on scholarly projects. She completed her residency training at Christ Hospital/ University of Cincinnati Family Medicine program.
After residency, Dr. Garcia moved to Chapel Hill, NC to pursue a Master in Public Health and a Global Health Certificate at University of North Carolina while providing care to the underserved at a Federally Qualified Health Center. She served in the National Health Service Corp for 2 additional years at the same FQHC prior to moving to Charlotte.
Currently, she serves as the Biddle Point Track Residency Site Director housed at Biddle Point Family Practice. Her career interests include Global and Community Health, Maternity Care, Quality and Population Management.
Outside of work, Dr. Garcia enjoys spending time with family and friends traveling, cooking and staying active.
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Kristen Geye, FNP
Geriatric Faculty
Kristen Geye, FNP , is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a Bachelors in Biochemistry. Kristen completed her Masters in Nursing in 2016 at Vanderbilt University. She then moved to Charlotte, NC where she completed a year-long fellowship program in Geriatrics at Atrium Health.
Throughout her fellowship, Kristen gained experience in long term care, skilled nursing care, assisted living care, geriatric emergency room and trauma consultations, memory clinic, palliative care and hospice. Since completing the geriatric fellowship, she has worked with the Advanced Illness Management team focusing on patients with advanced illness and palliative home care. Kristen is a member of the American Geriatrics Society, Metrolina Coalition for Nurse Practitioners and Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association.
She has a special interest in geriatrics, patients with dementia, palliative care and end-of-life decision making.
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Rebecca Hayes, MD
Medical Director, Elizabeth Family Medicine
Rebecca Hayes, MD, is a native Charlottean. She graduated from her UNC Greensboro and received her MD from the Medical University of South Carolina.
She then spent 8 years in the United States Navy, completing her Family Medicine Residency at Naval Hospital Bremerton. In addition, she served at Camp Lejeune, NC and Pensacola, FL.
After the completion of her military service she joined the faculty at Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency Program in Concord, NC where she served as the Director of Maternity Services.
Dr. Hayes joined the CMC Department of Family Medicine in 2016 as Elizabeth Family Medicine’s Medical Director. Her interests include women’s health, maternity care, pediatrics, medical education, minor procedures and quality improvement. Outside of medicine she enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 sons, reading and watching movies.
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Erin Huston, DO, CMD
Geriatrics Fellowship Program Director
Erin Huston, DO, CMD is originally from Delaware, Ohio. She completed her undergraduate degree at Indiana University in Bloomington. She is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency at Advent Health East Orlando in Family Medicine. Dr. Huston furthered her training and completed a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She maintains board certifications in her specialties of Family Medicine and Geriatric Medicine.
As an attending physician, Dr. Huston has been working as a Geriatrician with Atrium Health since 2017. She has served as a Medical Director within the Skilled Nursing Facilities and maintains certification as a Post-Acute Care Medical Director. In addition to her love for Geriatrics, Dr. Huston has a passion for teaching medicine. As the Medical Director for the Geriatric Advanced Practitioner Fellowship from 2017-2023, Dr. Huston has been able to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for her field in various medical settings. She is particularly interested in helping patients and families navigate the aging process through education regarding specific disease processes and establishing individualized goals of care.
Dr. Huston joined the Geriatric Medical Faculty in 2023 to continue her passion for teaching. In her spare time, Dr. Huston and her family enjoy spending time together on Lake Norman and traveling to explore all that North Carolina and the southeast region has to offer. Dr. Huston is also an avid sports fan.
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Robert Jones, MD
Sports Medicine Faculty
Robert Jones, MD, received his undergraduate degree and played varsity basketball at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. In 1990 he graduated from the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical System. Afterward, he finished a Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at San Jose Medical Center / Stanford University in California.
Dr. Jones joined the faculty at Carolinas Medical Center, where he created and was the Director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program until 2015. He is currently the Medical Director of Student Health at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
He has been the Team Physician for the USA Water Polo Men’s National Team. He also serves as the Executive Medical Director of the YMCA Health Centers in Charlotte.
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Darin Kennedy, MD
Clinical Faculty
Darin Kennedy, MD, is a native North Carolinian and is glad to be home after several years away. A graduate of Wake Forest University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine, he completed his family medicine residency at Carilion Health System in Roanoke, VA in 2000.
He then embarked upon eight years with the United States Army as a family physician and flight surgeon, serving at Fort Hood, Fort Benning and in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon his return from deployment, he was invited to join the family medicine residency at Martin Army Community Hospital. He completed his military service in October of 2008 and returned home to North Carolina to work in the community as a clinician and teacher.
Dr. Kennedy's clinical interests include general practice, pediatrics and minor surgical procedures. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, music, singing, playing guitar and he is an acclaimed published author.
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Simeng Miao, MD
Jr. Faculty, Department of Family Medicine
Dr. Simeng Miao attended Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies, majoring in biomedical engineering, and attended medical school at The Ohio State University. She completed residency at CMC Family Medicine before starting her term as PGY-4 Chief Resident and Junior Faculty Fellow. She is board certified in Family Medicine and works as a physician at Elizabeth Family Medicine.
Her areas of interests include academic medicine, preventative care and underserved care. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends, family and exploring Charlotte.
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Anthony Martin, MD
Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Associate Director
Dr. Martin earned his medical degree at the Temple University School of Medicine in 2008 before completing his family medicine residency at The Reading Hospital and School of Medicine in 2011, where he served as the chief resident in his final year. Dr. Martin then completed his primary care sports medicine fellowship at Carolinas Medical Center in 2012 and stayed on as a member of the faculty at Sports Medicine and Injury Care, the family medicine residency program and for the primary care sports medicine fellowship. Dr. Martin also serves as faculty for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is active in student and resident teaching.
Dr. Martin is the head team physician for East Mecklenburg High School and is also a team physician for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a former competitive boxer, he also enjoys fight coverage including boxing and mixed martial arts.
Dr. Martin is active in the sports community and still participates in intramural sports locally. He is a member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He lives in Charlotte and enjoys fighting sports, epic poetry and cooking.
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Emily Manlove, MD
Associate Program Director
Emily Manlove, MD, MPH received her undergraduate degree in International Health from Georgetown University and stayed an extra four years in Washington, DC for medical school. She went to Wichita, Kansas for family medicine residency at Via Christi. She stayed with the department of family medicine at KU-Wichita for a two-year academic fellowship and completed her MPH. There she developed a love of teaching residents and medical students. She moved with her husband to Indiana (her home state) so he could complete his education, and while there taught medical students with the IU School of Medicine and worked in both the clinic and hospital.
Another (fortuitous) move brought her to Charlotte, and she joined the program as the Associate Program Director of Elizabeth Family Medicine in 2024. Her interests include care of medically and socially complex patients, hospital medicine, global health, and many others.
She loves to spend time with her “favorite boys” – husband, young son, and old dog. Together they enjoy being outside, cooking, and traveling.
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Virginia Nelson, FNP
Geriatric Faculty
Ginny has volunteered with Remote Area Medical (RAM) providing free health care to rural communities and other areas in need. She is a member of the American Geriatrics Society, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Geriatric Advanced Practice Nurses Association. She relocated to Huntersville, NC with her husband in 2019 and joined Atrium Health Elizabeth Family Medicine in 2024 to continue providing geriatric patient care, expand her practice to adult family medicine, as well as participate with the Geriatric Medical Faculty in education.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and dogs hiking, biking and kayaking, is an avid sports fan and loves escaping in a good book.
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Dupal Patel, MD
Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Faculty
Dupal Patel, MD was born and raised in New Jersey. She is a graduate of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She then moved to Northeast Ohio for residency where she trained in Family Medicine at Cleveland Clinic - Fairview Hospital Residency Program. She continued her training by completing a fellowship in Geriatrics at Summa Akron City Hospital before joining the Center for Senior Health, where she worked for three and a half years honing her skills in geriatrics in a variety of settings. She specialized in interdisciplinary communication, cognitive assessments and post-acute care.
After enduring eight winters in Ohio, she and her husband decided to move closer to family and to fulfill her dream of teaching. Dr. Patel joined Atrium Health as staff at Elizabeth Family Medicine and key clinical faculty member of the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship in 2018.
She is board certified in Family Medicine and Geriatrics. Dr. Patel provides compassionate care for older adults in outpatient, acute and post-acute settings as well as teaches medical students, residents and fellows.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her two young children, and rediscovering the world through their eyes.
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Jay I. Patel, MD, MPH
Medical Student Education Director
Clinical Faculty
Jay Patel is a clinical faculty member of Elizabeth Family Medicine. He is also the Director of Medical Student Clerkship rotations for all of the third- and fourth-year family medicine rotations. Originally born and raised in Shelby, NC, he moved to Chapel Hill, NC where he completed his undergraduate and medical training at the University of North Carolina. He then graduated from the CMC Department of Family Medicine’s urban site and served as Chief Resident in his final year. After his postgraduate training, he moved to his hometown serving as a community practitioner for one year before moving back to Charlotte. He has research interests in preventable ED utilization as well as prescription drug abuse. While away from work, he can be found in the mountains of NC, at one of the local breweries or sporting his love of the Tar Heels obnoxiously.
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Jack D. Ledford, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP
Clinical Staff Pharmacist
Clinical Pharmacy Faculty - Department of Family and Community Medicine
Jack D. Ledford earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill, NC. After earning his doctorate, he completed general pharmacy residency training at the Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston, SC, where he was also an affiliate instructor with the Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. Dr. Ledford completed a second year of residency training in ambulatory care at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System in Richmond, VA. Before joining the Department of Family Medicine at Atrium Health, Dr. Ledford served as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the VCU School of Pharmacy and a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at VCU Health working within the Division of Geriatrics.
Dr. Ledford’s clinical interests include therapeutic management of diabetes mellitus, cardiometabolic disorders and infectious diseases, as well as the implementation of alternative pain management strategies.
In his spare time, Dr. Ledford enjoys a listening to a variety of music, cooking, exploring new places and spending time with family and friends.
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David Price, MD
Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Director
Dr. Price earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his residency at Carolinas Medical Center. He completed his primary care sports medicine fellowship at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, FL and, after working in rural Australia for a short period, returned to Charlotte, NC to join the Carolinas Medical Center family medicine residency as a faculty member.
Active in teaching, Dr. Price is an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in 2015 transitioned from Co-Director to Director of the primary care sports medicine fellowship in the Department of Family Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center. He also serves as medical director of athletic training in the Department of Sports Medicine and Special Events. In this role, he works closely with Charlotte Mecklenburg High School Athletics and is the team physician for Johnson C. Smith University.
Dr. Price has an avid interest in sudden cardiac death and is the medical director for Heart of a Champion Day, a high school athletic pre-participation screening program that includes non-invasive cardiac testing to identify athletes at risk for sudden cardiac death. He also has an interest in sports concussion and is the medical director of Carolinas Concussion Network. His funded research in these areas focuses on affected athletes.
Dr. Price is active in the sports community and enjoys treating endurance athletes. He speaks locally and nationally as an expert in the field of sports medicine. Dr. Price is a member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He lives in Charlotte with his wife and three children and enjoys triathlons, soccer and music.
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May Royer, MD
Director of Inpatient Medicine
Dr. May Royer is board certified in family medicine and specializes in hospital medicine, maternity care, women’s health, newborn and adolescent medicine, procedures and obesity and weight management.
She is a Charlotte native who earned her both her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She returned to Charlotte to complete her residency in the Carolinas Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program, Elizabeth track, where she also served as the President of the House Staff Liaison Committee for Atrium Health.
After residency, she joined the Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency Program in Concord, NC as clinical faculty – practicing full spectrum family medicine including inpatient and outpatient care and continued to deliver babies.
In 2022, Dr. Royer returned to Atrium Health CMC Family Medicine Residency Program in Charlotte, NC as Core Faculty and currently serves as the Director of Inpatient Medicine.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Royer enjoys spending time with her loved ones, listening to live music/concerts, cheering on the Carolina Panthers and UNC Tarheels, skiing and traveling.
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Lindsay E. Shade, MHS, PA-C
Clinical Trials and Quality Director
Lindsay Shade attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her undergraduate degree in Exercise and Sport Science with a minor in Chemistry. In 2006 she graduated from the Duke University Physician Assistant Program with a Master of Health Sciences degree. She has practiced in Family Medicine in Charlotte, NC ever since and enjoys cultivating relationships with her patients.
Her special interests include pediatrics and women’s health as well as preventative health care. Lindsay is also the Director of Clinical Trials and Quality within Carolinas Medical Center’s Department Family Medicine Research division. Current projects focus on chronic disease management, improving participants’ outcomes and using participatory methods including shared decision making.
In her spare time, she enjoys running, playing tennis, practicing yoga, making jewelry and most of all watching Carolina basketball.
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Janitra Shah, MD
Core Faculty Biddle Point
Dr. Janitra V. Shah is board certified in family medicine and specializes in maternity care and women’s health including procedures. Originally from Greensboro, NC, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for both her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and her Doctor of Medicine degrees. Between her undergraduate studies and medical school, she was a Science teacher at a charter school in Charlotte, NC through Teach for America, where she developed her passion for serving historically under-resourced communities.
She continued to develop her experience in medical school as a Kenan Urban Primary Care Scholar. Dr. Shah went on join Forbes Family Medicine Residency in Monroeville, PA where she trained in full spectrum family medicine care, including obstetric care. After residency, she joined Rutgers RWJ Department of Family Medicine and Community Health as maternity care and predoctoral education faculty.
She returned to Atrium Health as Core Faculty in 2024. Outside of clinic, Dr. Shah is an avid Tar Heel who loves reading, going on walks, traveling, and trying new foods.
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Benjamin F. Simmons III, MD
Core Faculty
Dr. Simmons grew up in Manassas and Hampton, VA. He received his undergraduate education at Longwood University in Farmville, VA, and attended medical school at Howard University in Washington, DC. After completing his residency training at Carolinas Medical Center Department of Family Medicine he was the lead physician at Atrium Health Urgent Care in Salisbury, NC. During his time with the Division of Urgent Care he served as Physician Champion for Patient Experience and Medical Director of the Urgent Care ACP Fellowship. He currently serves on the board of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians. His interests include performing and teaching procedures and health care and patient advocacy. Dr. Simmons enjoys going to art museums, salsa dancing and traveling.
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Holly Stegall, MD
Union Track Site Director, Associate Program Director
Dr. Stegall grew up locally in Polkton, North Carolina. She received her undergraduate education at Wingate University and attended medical school at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. After the completion of her residency training at Cabarrus Family Medicine, Dr. Stegall practiced in Anson County for a short while, honing her skills in rural and underserved care. Dr. Stegall joined the Department of Family Medicine in 2016. Her medical interests include performing and teaching procedures, maternity care, women’s health, pediatrics, inpatient medicine and travel medicine. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling and spending time with her husband and extended family.
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Shala Sundaram, MD
Residency Program Director
Shala Sundaram, MD, FAAFP found her path to family medicine in a unique fashion. She attended Georgia Institute of Technology and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering prior to earning her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Stamford Hospital/Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Sundaram completed her fellowships in faculty development at University of Massachusetts and at the University of NC at Chapel Hill. She also completed a year of the Program Director Development Fellowship with the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.
Prior to coming to Charlotte, she was the founding program director at the HCA program at LewisGale Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program, where she successfully steered the program to becoming fully ACGME accredited and built a strong team of both faculty and residents to serve the community of southwest Roanoke, VA. She has the advantage of various residency perspectives due to her previous experience in Albany Family Medicine in Albany, NY as well as being core faculty at another new program established in 2011 at New York Medical College Phelps Family Medicine Residency Program in Sleepy Hollow, NY.
With her background in engineering, she enjoys building a bridge between the world of electronics and medicine. She takes pleasure in practicing and continuing to learn medicine every day, with a drive to institute this passion via teaching to the upcoming generation of new family physicians.
Dr. Sundaram enjoys cooking, staying active and spending time with her family & friends!
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Hazel Tapp, PhD
Family Medicine Research Department Director
Hazel Tapp, PhD, grew up in Wales and attended the University of Birmingham in England where she received her undergraduate and PhD degrees in Chemistry. After meeting her husband she moved to New York City to pursue a fellowship in biomedical research. They moved south, first to Florida then Charlotte.
Dr. Tapp currently serves as Director of Research in the Department of Family Medicine at Atrium Health, at the Center for Primary Care Research. Her research interests are in implementing improved delivery of care for patients with chronic diseases such as sickle cell disease, diabetes and asthma. As co-director of a practice-based research network (PBRN), the Mecklenburg Area Partnership for Primary Care Research, she works on several projects designed to use community based participatory research (CBPR) and implementation research to study improved outcomes for populations with chronic disease through implementation of evidence-based interventions. As PI on a PCORI patient-centered outcomes project designed to study the dissemination of shared decision making using participatory implementation strategies, Dr. Tapp is currently working with 4 Practice-based research networks and Medicaid across North Carolina to implement shared decision making for asthma patients across 30 practices. As a co-investigator on an AHRQ funded project to improve patient outcomes by improving quality of care for patients with asthma, she oversaw the development and implementation of a shared decision making toolkit across six ambulatory practices within Atrium Health. Also, in partnership with community members, patients, community organizational representatives, providers and other research team members, Dr. Tapp helped develop and actively serve as a participating member of several community advisory boards (CABs) and patient advisory board (PAB).
In her spare time she enjoys family activities with husband and two sons. Dr. Tapp is also a big fan of marathon running and her running group, University City Road Runners.
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