WVU School of Public Health explores early career strategy in Administrative Grand Rounds
West Virginia University School of Public Health Master of Health Administration program and the WVU Graduate Chapter of Upsilon Phi Delta will host a virtual Administrative Grand Rounds titled “Strategically Mapping Your Early Career Development” on Friday, February 6, 2026, from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET.
Launching a successful career in healthcare leadership requires intention and strategy. Experts Tamara Fuller, vice president and chief strategy officer, Vandalia Health; Aschlie Lake, assistant vice president of hospital-based development, WVU Medicine; and Justin Turner, chief executive officer, Logan Regional Medical Center, will offer practical guidance on building your professional roadmap, identifying growth opportunities, and making informed career decisions as you begin your journey in healthcare administration. The session will be moderated by Erik L. Carlton, DrPH, MS, CPH, FACHE, associate professor at WVU School of Public Health and ACHE regent for West Virginia and Western Virginia.
The event is free and registration is required. Not an ACHE member? Create a new account at no cost to register for the event.
This educational event is held in conjunction with WV ACHE. As an independent chartered chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, West Virginia ACHE, is authorized to award a total of 1.5 hours of ACHE Virtual Interactive Education credits toward advancement or recertification in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
About the Panelists
Tamara Fuller | Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Vandalia Health
Tamara Fuller is a board-certified healthcare executive with over 25 years of leadership experience across health systems, oncology, imaging, rehabilitation, and health planning. As vice president and chief strategy officer at Vandalia Health, she oversees strategic planning, capital investment, and organizational transformation, expanding the system’s reach across West Virginia and the surrounding region.
Previously, Fuller spent well over a decade at Select Medical Corporation, helping scale operations from 23 to 126 hospitals nationwide. At Alliance Oncology, she earned top national ratings in employee and patient satisfaction and was named National Administrator of the Year.
Fuller’s professional accomplishments include the ACHE Outstanding Young Healthcare Executive Award, CAMC Quality Award, and ACHE Service Award. Board-certified since 2003, she is among the longest-tenured female FACHE executives in West Virginia. She serves on several boards, including ACHE’s West Virginia Chapter, CAMC Institute for Academic Medicine, HOSPAC, and Advantage Valley.
A native West Virginian, she holds an MPH from the University of Tennessee and dual BBA degrees in healthcare and business management from Marshall University.
Aschlie Lake | Assistant Vice President of Hospital-based Development, WVU Medicine
Aschlie Lake is a seasoned healthcare operations leader with extensive experience driving system integration, optimizing hospital-based services, and leading high-performing teams across multi-state hospitals. As assistant vice president of hospital-based development at WVU Medicine’s WVUHS Medical Group, she oversees business development and operations for more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice professionals across 22 hospitals in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio.
With expertise in profit and loss management, strategic growth planning, and system-wide process improvement, Lake has successfully developed scalable business models, launched innovative programs, and improved employee engagement scores by 17% above organizational benchmarks. She is recognized for her ability to build strong C-level partnerships, lead large-scale integrations, and design data-driven solutions that enhance both provider and patient experiences.
Lake holds an MBA from West Virginia University and a BA in political science from American Public University System. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served in leadership roles on national nonprofit boards.
Justin Turner | Chief Executive Officer, Logan Regional Medical Center
Justin Turner is chief executive officer of Logan Regional Medical Center. He most recently served as chief operating officer at Rivers Health (part of Marshall Health Network) in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and prior to that, chief operating officer at Highlands Regional Medical Center (part of Appalachian Regional Healthcare) in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. In each role, he had oversight of day-to-day operations, including several departments, capital projects, service expansions, and more. At Rivers Health, he successfully lobbied for state rural health funds and USDA funds to assist with the hospital’s new $12 million emergency department.
While at Logan Regional, Turner directed areas such as business development, customer service, marketing, and physician recruitment before becoming the hospital’s assistant administrator. During his tenure at the hospital, he was selected as the 2018 Business Professional of the Year by the Logan County Chamber of Commerce and won the Young Gun Award 2017 from West Virginia Executive Magazine.
Turner earned his MBA at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida, and his BS in business administration from the University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia. The Logan, West Virginia native said he is excited to return to Logan Regional and lead the hospital that helped launch his career in healthcare.
Erik L. Carlton, DrPH, MS, CPH, FACHE (Moderator) | Associate Professor, WVU School of Public Health
Erik L. Carlton, DrPH, MS, CPH, FACHE, is a tenured associate professor of health policy, management and leadership at the WVU School of Public Health and director of the Appalachian Health Workforce Institute. An innovative and accomplished academic leader, Carlton is board-certified in both public health and healthcare administration. He has nearly two decades of leadership experience in both the private and public sectors; and he has consulted numerous hospital systems, health departments and healthcare organizations, as well as several universities and other large businesses.
His current research focuses on psychological safety with an emphasis in both healthcare and higher education. His previous scholarship focused heavily on the integration of healthcare and public health systems and on university-community relations. Carlton is the author of four books and dozens of peer-reviewed papers and presentations. He has a strong presence in global healthcare leadership development, having lived in both France and China and having trained clinical and administrative leaders from over 70 countries.
Carlton holds a Doctor of Public Health in health services management and a MS in family studies with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy, both from the University of Kentucky, as well as an executive certificate in public leadership from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
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CONTACT: Lindsay Wiles
Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1699; lindsay.wiles@hsc.wvu.edu