Fernando O. Rivera, FACHE
Medical Center Director

Fernando O. Rivera was appointed Medical Center Director of the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DCVAMC) by Secretary of Veterans Affairs, R. James Nicholson on July 3, 2007. He manages a budget of over $350 million and oversees operations and administration of a facility with 171 acute beds, specialized services in medicine, surgery, neurology, and psychiatry, a 120-bed Community Living Center, a 30-bed compensated work therapy residential unit, and 4 community-based outpatient clinics.

DCVAMC is a 2009 winner of VA's Robert W. Carey Performance Achievement Award and won the 2008 Carey Performance Excellence Award. The Medical Center received the highest honor presented for organizational achievement by the U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Awards of Virginia (SPQA), the 2009 "Medallion of Excellence". DCVAMC also was awarded VA’s 2008 Olin E. Teague Award for excellence in rehabilitative care.

Recognized five times as a top "100 Most Wired" hospital, the facility's leadership in applications of Electronic Medical Records has been the focus of numerous national media stories. Located in close proximity to VA Central Office, DCVAMC hosts hundreds of visitors each year from around the world, including leaders of government, health care officials and celebrities. This "Flagship of VA Health Care" is a model of VA's remarkable health care delivery system and leads the nation in presenting numerous demonstrations focusing on VA's transformational health care role.

The facility is home to the East Coast Pacemaker Center and the regional Central Dental Lab. It is the Polytrauma Center for the VISN 5 Network, the VISN 5 Cardiac Care Center and the VISN 5 Amputee Care Center. One of three VA national War Related Injury and Illness Study Centers (WRIISC) is located at the Medical Center.

Mr. Rivera has 25 years of VA experience in many capacities; including Medical Center Director, Shreveport LA and Martinsburg WV VA Medical Centers, and Associate Director, Clinical Information Management Service Line Director and Safety Engineer all at the VA Medical Center, New Orleans LA. Mr. Rivera was named VA "Engineer of the Year." He was awarded the VHA Communicator of the Year Award, 2007 and 2008. He received the 2008 Matthew McNulty Award from the National Capital Health Care Council. He is a recipient of a 2009 Presidential Rank Award.

Mr. Rivera received a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, and a Master's of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Mr. Rivera is committed to community service on many levels. He is an honorary member of the Vietnam Memorial Wall Washing Crew and had been recognized with the Military Order of the Purple Heart Distinguished Service Award and the Marine Corps League Distinguished Service Award. He is also active in the Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council Pack 499.

Michael H. Dunfee
Associate Medical Center Director

Mr. Dunfee was appointed as Associate Medical Center Director on November 28, 2007. He previously held the position of Executive Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management (DUSHOM). In this roll, Mr. Dunfee provided direct support to the both the DUSHOM and the Under Secretary for Health.

Mr. Dunfee brings a significant VA management and leadership experience to his role as Associate Medical Center Director at the VA Medical Center, Washington, DC. His past VA positions include Acting Associate Director, South Texans Veterans Health Care System (HCS), Assistant Director, South Texas Veterans HCS. He has served as the VISN 17 Strategic Planner where he oversaw the development and implementation of the VISN Capital Assets Realignment Plan for the Network. He has also done two separate tours in VHA CO 10N. He began his VA career as an administrative resident at the Tomah VAMC in Tomah, WI.

Mr. Dunfee has served on and led a number of critical boards and committees for VHA over the course of his career, including leading the development of the Associate Directors Survival Guide for VHA, as well as currently serving as a member of the national Business Systems Redesign Committee.

Mr. Dunfee is a graduate of St. Cloud State University and received a Masters of Arts in Health Management and Policy from the University of Iowa.

Paula Gorman
Assistant Medical Center Director

Ms. Gorman oversees the operations of Prosthetic Service, Canteen Service, Chaplain Service and Voluntary and Recreation Therapy Service. She has been employed at the Washington DC VA Medical Center for twenty-one years, serving as the principle Recreation Therapist for the Comprehensive Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and then as the Chief, Voluntary Service. She received her BS degree in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Maryland.

 Ross D. Fletcher, M.D.
Chief of Staff

Dr. Fletcher was appointed Chief of Staff, Washington DC VA Medical Center on January 1, 2000.

Dr. Fletcher completed his M.D. Degree (AOA), medical house staff training, and first year fellowship at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He served two years with the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C., and received his Cardiology Fellowship training at Georgetown University.

Since 1972, he has been Chief of Cardiology at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He has served on the faculty at Georgetown University Medical School since 1969. He is now a Professor of Medicine with Georgetown University.

He is the Director of the nationwide Veterans Affairs registry for the Pacemaker and Defibrillator Surveillance Center and the Core Holter Lab for cooperative studies in antiarrhythmic therapy in congestive heart failure and sudden death.

He is Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Cardiology/Medicine Special Interest User Group. He served on the VA’s Information Requirement Advisory Board (IRAC) and the Clinical Application Requirement (CARG) advisory panels for computer development. He has helped develop the PC version of the VA Cardiology Package with embedded images.

He is a nationally recognized cardiologist and member of the editorial board of several scientific journals.

 Geraldine (Geri) A. Feaster, MS, RN, CNAA
Chief Nurse Executive

Mrs. Geraldine Feaster has served as Associate Chief Nurse at the Washington DC VA Medical Center from October 2003 until her appointment as Acting Chief Nurse Executive in January 2005.

Her responsibilities include providing leadership to various programs within Nursing Service. She served as consultant to nurses and other members of the Medical Center staff. She provides leadership for the Magnet Recognition Journey for Nursing Service and is responsible for daily operations for the Compensation and Pension Program.

Mrs. Feaster a Master of Science in Nursing Administration with a minor in Community Health Nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 1989.

Since 1975 she has held positions of increasing responsibility at the DCVAMC.