Several New Members Join NCCHC Board

NCCHC welcomes several new members to its board of representatives.

Keith Ivens, MD, is chief medical officer for CoreCivic and president of Correctional Medicine Associates, a corporation that hires and supports medical and mental health providers for many CoreCivic facilities. During more than 25 years in correctional medicine, Dr. Ivens has held a number of leadership positions focused on delivering necessary medical care to patients, educating staff, and eliminating barriers to care for justice-involved people. He previously served as medical director for the Indiana Department of Correction and regional medical director in the states of Indiana, Delaware, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Michigan for PHS. On the NCCHC board, Dr. Ivens replaces Steven Shelton, MD, CCHP-P, CCHP-A, as the American College of Correctional Physicians liaison.

Newton E. Kendig, MD, is a clinical professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he was hired to spearhead a criminal justice health initiative for the university. He formerly served as medical director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and was an assistant surgeon general with the U.S. Public Health Service, where he was responsible for the medical care, food services, and occupational health and safety of inmates in the BOP’s 121 institutions. He is the recipient of the U.S. Public Health Service’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, as well as NCCHC’s Bernard P. Harrison Award of Merit. Dr. Kendig serves as the American College of Physicians liaison to the NCCHC board, replacing Johnny Wu, MD, CCHP-P, CCHP-A.

Capt. Michael W. Johnson, DDS, MPH, is a U.S. Public Health Service dentist and the Federal Bureau of Prisons national chief dentist, responsible for overseeing the dental branch of the Health Services Division and writing national policy and procedures related to dental health care for more than 150,000 federal inmates. Before being named national chief dentist, Capt. Johnson served as BOP regional chief dentist for the West Coast and staff program management officer for the previous chief dentist. He completed specialty training in dental public health at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and is pursuing a doctorate in leadership from the University of Illinois – Chicago. He replaces Nicholas Makrides, DMD, MPH, as the American Dental Association liaison to the board.

Sheriff Heath Taylor is a 30-year veteran of law enforcement. He was elected sheriff of Russell County, Alabama, in 2010 and is serving his third term. Previously, he served a number of roles within the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, including patrol sergeant, Metro Narcotics task force agent, patrol commander, SWAT team commander, and 14 years as chief investigator. He was named 2020 Sheriff of the Year by the Alabama Sheriffs Association and is immediate past president of that organization. With the National Sheriffs’ Association, he serves on the board of directors and the Governmental Affairs Committee. Sheriff Taylor is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the National Sheriffs’ Institute, where he was chosen to be mentor for the 2019 class. He replaces Sheriff B.J. Roberts as board liaison of the National Sheriffs’ Association.

The appointments took effect Nov. 1 during the NCCHC board meeting.

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