John Myers, CFP
president
Bio
Chris Sawyer, MD
vice president + medical director
Bio
John Osborn, DDS, FACD, FICD
Secretary + Dental Director
Bio
Jim Lara
treasurer
Bio
Adam Carrera, MD
vision director
Bio
Dr. Adam Carrera earned a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology at King University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2011 and then continued on to earn his M.D. at East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine in 2016. He completed his residency and internship at Hamilton Eye Institute at the University of Tennessee, Memphis.
Dr. Carrera began his professional career in the United States Air Force as an Airman 1st Class. Following his time in the military, he chose to pursue his medical degree with the dream of becoming a physician. Even before he knew he would become an ophthalmologist, he knew he wanted to be a physician that focuses on developing long term relationships with his patients.
In his free time, Dr. Carrera enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. As an avid fly fisherman, he loves spending time outdoors in the mountains of East Tennessee.
Janet H. Southerland, DDS, MPH, PHD
Bio
Dr. Janet Southerland is the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Prior to this role, she served as Vice President of Interprofessional Education, Institutional Effectiveness, and the Health Education Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), where she was also a Professor in the Department of Nutrition Metabolism.
Dr. Southerland completed her undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After earning her DDS at the UNC School of Dentistry in 1989, she completed a two-year General Practice Residency Program, spent a third year as a fellow, and went on to earn an MPH with a focus on Health Policy and Administration, as well as a PhD in oral biology, all at UNC.
A dedicated long-time volunteer with Remote Area Medical (RAM), Dr. Southerland has been a valued member of the RAM Board of Directors since 2013.
Joseph Gambacorta, DDS
Bio
Dr. Joseph E. Gambacorta is a 1993 graduate of the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Dental Medicine, and a 2022 graduate of the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions where he received his Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Community Health and Behavior. He also completed a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from UB in 1989 and a General Practice Residency at Millard Fillmore Hospital in 1994.
Dr. Gambacorta became a faculty member at the UB School of Dental Medicine in 2002. Where he has served in many roles. He was the associate dean for its clinical affairs from 2012-2021, the associate dean for academic and faculty affairs from 2021-2023 and most recently serving as the interim assistant vice president of Office of Interprofessional Education at the University at Buffalo from 2022-2023. Currently, Dr. Gambacorta is Professor and associate dean for clinical affairs at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine in Charleston.
In addition, Dr. Gambacorta was the faculty advisor for Buffalo Outreach and Community Assistance (BOCA), a public health organization that unifies students and professionals to promote dental education and deliver care to those in need. Since 2006, he has led interprofessional outreach missions to several international and domestic destinations. Dr. Gambacorta has begun coordinating outreach missions at MUSC with Remote Area Medical, and is excited to support the work of the North Charleston Dental Outreach Clinic. Very active in organized dentistry and the UB Dental Alumni Association (UB-DAA), Dr. Gambacorta is the past president of the Eighth District Dental Society and UB-DAA. He is the past Chair of the Council on Continuing Dental Education and Licensure for the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA). Currently he is the chair of the Workforce Action Group for NYSDA and a member of the American Dental Association (ADA) District 2 Strategic Forecasting Group.
Dr. Gambacorta is a native of Buffalo, New York, where he and his wife Charlotte have raised their four children, Sarah, Patrick, Nicholas, and Claire.
Hazel Harper, DDS, MPH
Bio
Dr. Harper is a graduate of Howard University College of Dentistry and the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. She maintains a part –time private practice in general dentistry in Washington, DC. She is President and CEO of Hazel J. Harper Associates, LLC, management consultants.
She is an ardent proponent of health equity for vulnerable populations and has served her profession in many leadership roles including: a member of President Bill Clinton’s Health Reform Task Force; National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association; Transition Teams of District of Columbia mayors Sharon Pratt Kelly and Marion Barry; and a reviewer of the first ever Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America, under the direction of U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher (2000). Dr. Harper was a contributing author to the 2020 Surgeon General’s Report.
A woman of many firsts, Dr. Harper was the first woman to serve as President of the National Dental Association (NDA), Chairman of the NDA Board of Trustees, and President of the Howard University College of Dentistry Alumni Association. She was one of the founders of the Student National Dental Association; longtime editor of National Dental Association (NDA) Journal; and created many NDA programs including: The Women’s’ Health Symposium, NDA-Corporate Roundtable, and the Eddie G. Smith Leadership Institute.
She co-founded and directed the Deamonte Driver Dental Project (DDDP), school-based, mobile dental project, in Prince George’s County, MD named in memory of the 12-year-old boy who died in 2007 from untreated tooth decay. She is currently the Founding Director of the award-winning NDA HEALTH NOW® Project and architect of the Inter Professional Student Leaders Colloquium and Summit. Since Deamonte’s death, Dr. Harper has devoted her energies and creative talents to developing, implementing and supporting inter professional health education programs and community outreach events in cities across America and around the world. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the American Dental Education Association Gies Foundation and Remote Area Medical (RAM).
Her reputation for innovation and success in community projects, collaborations and interprofessional programs has merited awards from several foundations including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Coca Cola Foundation, Henry Schein Cares Foundation, Aetna Foundation, GE’s African American Forum, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the DentaQuest Foundation and the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation to name a few.
Dr. Harper received an Honorary Doctorate from Medgar Evans College in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Harper lectures and writes extensively on health equity and in 2019, she was lead author of book chapters in Oral Health in America: Removing the Stain of Disparities, published by the American Public Health Association. Most recently, Dr. Harper was featured in and was a contributing author to Undaunted Trailblazers. Minority Women Leaders for Oral Health (2021).
She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Links, Incorporated; and enjoys traveling with her husband, Robert S. Johns.
Robert Denovo, DVM
Bio
Robert Denovo is a professor and the associate dean at the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine since 2007. He holds an undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and a Master’s of Science in Clinical Pathology from the University of Georgia where he also did his veterinary internal medicine residency. He has served on the Remote Area Medical Board of Directors since 2016.
Wayne Hughes
Bio
Wayne Hughes first became involved as a volunteer with Remote Area Medical in 2004 by working with a Community Host Group and hosting two clinics in his commercial maintenance hanger at the Oneida Scott County Airport. Wayne volunteered as a pilot with RAM Airborne on several domestic and international missions and provided maintenance and inspections on some of RAM’s aircraft before joining the Board of Directors in 2013. Wayne serves as Chairman of the Aviation Committee and International Affairs Committee.
In his professional life Wayne is President and CEO of ATS-Tennessee, Inc., a Tennessee corporation founded in 2000. ATS is a heavy maintenance facility specializing in light jets and turboprop aircraft. Wayne is also a partner in Big South Fork Aero, Inc. where he serves as Chief Pilot and Director of Maintenance.
Doug Beeler
Bio
Doug Beeler owns Saf-T-Inc. and assists RAM with its security and parking lot processes, with over 25 years of experience in the Industrial Construction field. A Knoxville native, Doug is an alumni of Gibbs High School. Doug is a founding member of the Gibbs Youth Athletic Association where he served as a board member. Doug is an ATTSSA certified instructor from the U.S. Department of Transportation: Federal Highway Association and the National Highway Institute.
Among many other accomplishments, Doug is an active member of his Knoxville community and has been on Remote Area Medical’s Board of Directors since 2012.
Brian J. Swann, DDS, MPH
Bio
Dr. Brian Swann graduated from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), School of Dentistry. After a 30-year career in public health and private practice, he realized he would make a greater impact by focusing on community dentistry and public health policy. This decision led him to Boston as the first Joseph L. Henry Fellow in Minority Health Policy. By 2008, he had received certificates in Minority Health Policy (Harvard Medical School [HMS]) and Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology (Harvard School of Dental Medicine [HSDM]). Most importantly, the Harvard School of Public Health conferred a Master’s in Public Health.
Dr. Swann is the immediate past Chief of Oral Health for the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) where he practiced clinical dentistry and conducted the Oral Physician Program within the General Practice Residency, a model that integrates and builds capacity between oral health, primary care, behavioral health, nursing, and pharmacy. During his tenure, he implemented a shared appointment model, an innovative approach to providing dental care while increasing access to oral health services. Additionally, he was actively involved in acquiring $4.5 million for a multidisciplinary expansion. Dr. Swann now serves as a consultant and will assist with creating a clinical laboratory to further develop the integrated model. He also serves as a regional oral health consultant to Job Corps of America.
Ans an Assistant Professor of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology he serves as a mentor, a member of the Dean’s Search Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. As an Instructor in The Practice of Medicine at HMS, he assisted with introducing oral health into that curriculum. Dr. Swann was also instrumental in having oral health questions included as part of the medical interview. At HSDM, he is immediate past Interim Assistant Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
Dr. Swann serves as co-chair for the National Dental Association’s Global Oral Outreach Committee. He is involved with outreach projects and serving vulnerable populations in Massachusetts, Tennessee, Jamaica, Haiti, East and South Africa. Most recently, he has treated refugee populations in Lebanon and Greece.
He has been humbled to receive several awards for his ongoing commitment to community service and global outreach. Most notably, in 2005, the UCSF Dental Alumni Association Medal of Honor, in 2008, from the Harvard School of Public Health, the Albert Schweitzer Award, and in 2018, from HMS and HSDM, the Dean’s Community Service Faculty Award.
Janice Wallace
Bio
Janice Wallace’s journey is a powerful story of leadership, dedication, and service. After an exceptional career in the Air Force, where she rose to Vice Commander of the 79th Medical Wing, Janice found a new mission with Remote Area Medical (RAM). Using her nursing and administrative expertise continuing to serve those in need. Her story reminds us that the call to serve transforms, but never ends.
Henry Schuster
Bio
Henry Schuster’s first contact with Remote Area Medical was in early 2008 when he produced an award-winning piece about them for 60 MINUTES. Since then, he and his family have volunteered at RAM Clinics, an experience that helped inspire one of his sons to go to medical school. Henry Schuster has been a producer at 60 MINUTES since 2007, covering stories in the US and around the world, including the need for affordable health care. Before that, he worked for CNN, covering domestic and international terrorism. Schuster is a graduate of Emory University and Cambridge University and did a fellowship at the University of Chicago. His wife, Sandra, is a retired nurse practitioner who served as a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service. They have three sons.
David Stockton, MD
Bio
Dr. David Stockton is an Emeritus Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he also previously served as Chief of the Medical Staff. Board-certified in both Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine, he is also a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine. He earned both his Medical Degree and Master of Public Health from the University of Tennessee.
Dedicated to service, Dr. Stockton has been a volunteer physician with Remote Area Medical (RAM) for over 15 years. Domestically and internationally, he serves on multiple disaster and medical mission teams, including the NDMS Disaster Medical Assistance Team (TN-1 DMAT) and Team Rubicon. Over the past 35 years, his global relief efforts have spanned more than 17 countries.
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dr. Stockton continues to reside there with his wife, Lisa. They have three children and nine grandchildren.
Jeff Eastman
executive advisor
Bio
Jeff served as Remote Area Medical’s CEO from 2015 to 2025.
“The Board hired Jeff Eastman as CEO in 2015 on the recommendation of Stan Brock, RAM’s founder. Since then, he has done an incredible job in leading the organization during some very challenging times, including the death of Founder, Stan Brock,” said John Myers, Board President.
During Eastman’s tenure as CEO, RAM continued its mission of providing free, high-quality medical, dental, and vision care to communities across the country and around the world. Since he assumed the role of CEO in 2015, RAM has served more than 300,000 patients through more than 800 pop-up clinics and hybrid telehealth events, delivering more than $105 million in free medical care.
