White River Junction VAMC Leadership

Kathryn M. Harty, Acting Director

Ms. Harty holds a BS in Nursing (University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 1975) and a Masters Degree in Nursing (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1979) with additional graduate studies at the Wharton School of Business.  She has served as a Trustee for the Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Bellows Falls, VT, a Trustee and Incorporator for the Rockingham Health Services, Bellows Falls, VT, and Board Member and President of the Vermont VA Federal Credit Union. Ms. Harty has held an adjunct faculty appointment of Assistant Professor of Nursing of Vermont College of Norwich University.  She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Kappa Tau Chapter and Vermont Organization of Nurse Leaders.

Eric Shirley, MD, Acting Chief of Staff

Dr. Eric Shirley completed his pre-medical studies at Cornell University, where he earned an AB degree in biology in 1973.  He then went on to the George Washington University School of Medicine, where he was elected to membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and graduated in May, 1977.  Dr. Shirley completed his post-graduate training in internal medicine at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and has been board certified in Internal Medicine since 1980.  From 1980-1984 he served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force as Chief of Internal Medicine at Plattsburgh Air Force Base and as a Staff Internist at Eglin Air Force Base.  Upon completion of his military service he spent a year in the private practice of medicine.

In 1985, Dr. Shirley returned to New England as a Staff Internist at the White River Junction VAMC and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School.  He pursued his interests in teaching medicine by developing an interactive case-based curriculum in ambulatory internal medicine.  From 1993-1999 he served first as co-director of the Inpatient Medicine clerkship at Dartmouth and then as director of the Outpatient Medicine clerkship.  He was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine in 1997.  Also in 1997, Dr. Shirley was appointed as the Manager of the Primary Care Service Line at the White River Junction VAMC, responsible for the delivery of primary care at the main campus in White River Junction as well as our four Community Based Outpatient Clinics.  In 1999 Dr. Shirley assumed the duties of Assistant Dean for Clinical Education at Dartmouth Medical School, overseeing the Year 3 and Year 4 curriculum.  He also serves as the course director for the required Interdisciplinary Clinical Exercises course.  Since October, 2006 Dr. Shirley has served as Acting Chief of Staff at the White River Junction VAMC, where he continues to be active in patient care and teaching.  He contributes to numerous VA and medical school committees, and chairs the VISN 1 Clinical Practice Guidelines Council.

Laura Fisher Miraldi, Acting Associate Director

Laura Fisher Miraldi obtained her Master of Science degree in nursing from the University of Vermont and her undergraduate degree from City University of New York-Hunter College. Since 1997 she has served as the Administrative Officer for Research & Development and the Executive Director of the Collaborative Medical Research Corporation (a VA research & education not-for-profit foundation). Her previous professional roles have included Research Nurse Coordinator, ICU Nurse Manager and extensive experience at the NY Regional Burn Center of Cornell Medical Center, New York.

She is a candidate in the 2008 Executive Career Field Candidate Development Program. She is currently a member of the VISN-1 Supplemental Environmental Project Professional Advisory Group; Dartmouth College's Compliance & Assurance Advisory Council; and the National Center for Ethics Integrated Ethics Demonstration Project at WRJ.

Pamela R. Pickett, Acting-Associate Director Patient/Nursing Services

Pam Pickett received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Salem State College, Salem Massachusetts in 1980.  She received a Master of Science in Human Service Administration from Springfield College in 1995.  In addition, Ms. Pickett holds certification as an Informatics Nurse from the American Nurses Association.

Ms. Pickett has been employed at the White River Junction VA Medical Center since 1982.  Since that time, Pam has held a variety of clinical and administrative positions within the medical center, including staff nurse and Nurse Manager in the Surgical ICU, Nursing Supervisor, and her current position as the Nursing Programs / Informatics Coordinator. She is involved in the continued implementation of the computerized medical record and has coordinated the ongoing implementation of the Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) project.   In addition, she has served as a faculty member for the National Center for Patient Safety BCMA Collaborative, VEHU and the National BCMA Coordinators conferences.