Anne Newland, MD, MPH, Chief Executive Officer

Anne Newland, MD, MPH is the Chief Executive Officer for North Country HealthCare, a federally-qualified community health center with clinics in 12 communities in northern Arizona. Prior to joining North Country in 2013, Dr. Newland worked for the Indian Health Service in Kayenta, AZ for eight years. She trained in Internal Medicine-Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee-Memphis, served as Chief Resident for Internal Medicine at UT, and later completed a Master in Public Health degree at Harvard School of Public Health as a Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy. Her professional interests lie in reducing health disparities for rural and underserved communities as well as strengthening training pathways for underrepresented populations.

John Andrews, Chief Financial Officer

John H. Andrews is the Chief Financial Officer for North Country HealthCare. Andrews has more than four decades of progressive experience in the non-profit healthcare, non-profit affordable housing, education, payments, business services, teleservices, technology and consumer products industries. He most recently served as principal of iClient Global, LLC, a management consulting firm providing financial, operating, general management and turnaround professional services to clients. In the last nine years, Mr. Andrews has focused his career on essential non-profit organizations serving populations in need in order to give back to the community. This focus includes the healthcare and affordable housing sectors serving Circle the City, Hushabye Nursery, Arizona Housing, Inc. and Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona. Andrews holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Arizona State University and has completed of numerous executive education programs including the Stanford Financial Management Program.

Kim Chen, RPh, Chief Clinical Integration Officer

April Alvarez-Corona, MD, Chief Medical Officer

Bruce Wilcox, DMD, Director of Dental Services

Dr. Bruce Wilcox grew up in an American family in Calgary, Canada. He returned to Canada for dental school and graduated from University of British Columbia School of Dentistry in 1994. During dental school, he had developed an interest in geriatric dentistry, particularly for the institutionalized patient. Shortly after graduating, he applied for a grant to provide mobile dental services into Longterm Care facilities in greater Vancouver, BC. When he and his wife, a foreign trained dentist, failed to get the grant, they reviewed their model and decided it could be self-sufficient and launched their practice, which became a full time practice within a year. This experience set the tone for his career in finding efficient solutions to public and community health challenges. In 2002, Bruce returned to the United States. He has owned 2 private practices, worked as a managing director of a corporate practice, been dental director of 2 FQHC dental programs and been site director for 2 residency programs. He was adjunct faculty to the University of Washington School of dentistry for 11 years and has been Adjunct faculty for the Arizona School of Dental and Oral Health since 2006. His personal Why is to mentor future leaders, who will change the world.

Melinda Morales, MBA, Director of Human Resources

Melinda joined North Country HealthCare in November 2020 with 26 years of human resources experience. Prior to joining the North Country HealthCare team, she worked for ADP, Inc as Director, Comprehensive Outsourcing Services. She has also held human resources director roles in construction, healthcare and technology. In her various human resources roles, she served as a member of leadership teams and created or enhanced the human resources foundation for these organizations. Her contributions included HR technology, talent acquisition, benefit administration and culture and employee engagement activities. As a human resources director, Melinda has worked with and managed many human resources professionals and general employee populations, supported EEOC mediation, compensation and benefit management, talent acquisition, as well as training and employee relations. The organizations she supported ranged from a start-up of 70 employees to a large mature organization of over 60,000. Throughout her career, she has been successful in building strong, trustworthy relationships throughout all levels of the organization. Melinda holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees. In addition, she has Professional Human Resources (PHR) and Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) certifications. She is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys hiking, camping and a beautiful beach.

Sarah Coles, MD, FAAFP, Director of the Family Medicine Residency Program

Sarah Coles, MD, FAAFP, is a board certified family physician and the program director for the Family and Community Medicine Residency at North Country Healthcare, a teaching health center in Flagstaff, AZ. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and completed her residency at Banner Good Samaritan Family Medicine Residency. In addition to comprehensive primary care, her professional interests include evidence-based medicine, integrated interprofessional team-based care, medical education, and health literacy. Sarah Coles, MD, FAAFP, is a board certified family physician and the program director for the Family and Community Medicine Residency at North Country Healthcare, a teaching health center in Flagstaff, AZ. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and completed her residency at Banner Good Samaritan Family Medicine Residency. In addition to comprehensive primary care, her professional interests include evidence-based medicine, integrated interprofessional team-based care, medical education, and health literacy.  

Andrew Kurtz, RPh, Director of Pharmacy

Andrew R Kurtz, Pharm D. RPh, is the Director of Pharmacy for North Country HealthCare. Dr. Kurtz comes to North Country with 22 years of experience in outpatient, ambulatory, and clinical pharmacy including 17 years in health systems. Andrew attended the University of New Mexico where he obtained his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2001. Dr. Kurtz has previously served in a variety of positions including Director of Pharmacy Operations, Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy, and System Director for Retail Pharmacy Services, while being a licensed pharmacist in New Mexico, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and eventually Arizona. Patient care and the constantly shifting environment within healthcare has been a driving force in Andrew’s passion for the profession. He is dedicated to developing and enhancing patient-focused pharmacy services, increasing pharmacy/provider collaboration to provide a streamlined continuum of care for our patients, while expanding North Country HealthCare’s future pharmacy footprint. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys spending days at the park or playing in the yard with his wife, son, and Miniature Schnauzer, Dixie. Hobbies including biking, sports, automobiles, fixing up the house, landscaping, and anything related to the Dallas Cowboys and Colorado Avalanche sports teams.

Marica Martinic, MPH, Director of Education, Colorado Plateau Center for Health Professions

Marica Martinic is the Director of Education at North Country HealthCare, overseeing the Colorado Plateau Center for Health Professions, Family Medicine Residency Program development and the AT Still University community campus. Marica has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice from the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She has over twelve years of experience in development, implementation and evaluation of non-profit community health programs.

Lesley Mitchell, MBA, Director of Marketing & Development

Lesley Mitchell is the Director of Marketing & Development at North Country HealthCare, overseeing the organization’s communications and marketing activities. Lesley has 25+ years of experience as an award-winning journalist, marketer and business leader. As a marketing professional, she has helped organizations nationwide in health care and other industries effectively communicate their brand stories. As a co-owner of a technology start up, she was part of a team that prepared it for a successful acquisition. Lesley holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Business Administration from Utah State University. She loves the outdoors and exploring Northern Arizona’s extensive trail systems.