Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy Leadership Group

The Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy is grateful for the dedication and leadership of the Leadership Group. The Group has been faithful in providing support and direction, establishing credibility and recruiting resources to insure a continuity of mission and implementation.

Our Leadership Group is a wonderful blend of medical, educational and business professionals whose expert knowledge and broad experience in community leadership help us to build important relationships, make informed decisions, and increase accountability. The Leadership Group meets bi-monthly to advise and support Center staff, reviewing, developing, evaluating and promoting Center programs, advocating for improvement and growth, and focusing on priority issues.

We are fortunate to have well-informed, highly motivated members to guide us to success. Each member brings experience and expertise that significantly contributes to our mission of promoting global understanding and collaborative action for improving health and medical care.

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Michael Cascone, Jr.

Michael Cascone, Jr. is the current Chairman Emeritus, former Chairman and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. He served in many different roles during his 35+ year career at BCBS-Florida, including President and COO, and Executive Vice President. At the state level, Mr. Cascone served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Council of 100, the Florida Chamber Board of Governors and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Jacksonville University. He has served on the Diocesan Board for Catholic Charities, the Diocesan Stewardship Committee, as Chairman of the Executive Committee of Guardian of Dreams, past president of the Board of Jacksonville Regional Catholic Charities and as a member of the Board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Jacksonville.
Pamela S. Chally , PhD, RN

Dr. Pamela Chally is the Dean and Professor of the Brooks College of Health, serving the University of North Florida since 1993 as faculty member, associate dean and dean. She oversees the administration of the Department of Public Health, the Department of Clinical & Applied Movement Sciences, the School of Nursing and the Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy. Dr. Chally serves on the Brooks System Board, Ronald McDonald House Advisory Board, WJCT Board of Trustees, Haven Hospice Advisory Board, and Sulzbacher Center Board as well as participating in other community and professional organizations. She was appointed by Governor Bush to serve on the Board of Nursing from 1999-2004 and was Chair from 2001-2003. She was named one of Northeast Florida’s Great 100 Nurses in 2000. In 2006, she was honored as a "Women of Influence" by the Jacksonville Business Journal. In 2008, she was named the Distinguished Professor at the University of North Florida and received the EVE award for Education. In 2009 she received the Desmond Tutu Peace and Reconciliation Award and the Transformational Leadership and Collaborative Engagement Award.
Yank D. Coble, Jr., MD

Dr. Yank Coble is the Director and Distinguished Professor of the Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy, University of North Florida; Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Florida; and Honorary Professor of Medicine, Shanghai University. Dr. Coble is Past President of The World Medical Association (WMA), American Medical Association, and President Emeritus of the American College of Physicians and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Coble serves on the boards of Research!America and the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research and Medicine, and as chair of the Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida. He served as Chair of the Physician’s Consortium for Performance Improvement, as Director of the National Quality Forum, and on the Advisory Boards of the Directors of the NIH and the AHRQ. Since 2002, Dr. Coble has served on the USA and WMA Delegations to the World Health Assembly.
T. O’Neal Douglas

T. O’Neal Douglas is the retired Chair and CEO of American Heritage Life Insurance Company and the holding company American Heritage Life Investment Corporation. He is a former trustee of the University of North Florida, a past Board member and past Chairman of Baptist Medical Center and Baptist Health System, a past Director of the Barnett Bank of Jacksonville and Nations Bank, N.A. He was also a former Chair of Florida Tax Watch, a former member of the Board of Visitors of Lenoir-Rhyne College, a past Board member and former Chair of the Jacksonville Health Education Programs, and former member of the Board of Directors of PSS World Medical. He is one of the founders of the Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy at the University of North Florida.
Henry Luke

Henry Luke is the President of Luke Planning, Inc., which provides community visioning and strategic planning services. Mr. Luke served as facilitator in the 2005 development of Duval County's Blueprint for Prosperity and in the 1987 development of "The Strategic Transportation Plan" for the Florida Department of Transportation. Mr. Luke is a Board member of the Duval County Research and Development Authority, and was Chair from 1986-1992. Mr. Luke has served on the Board of Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc., the Jacksonville Crime Commission, the Board of Healthcare Management Services, Inc., the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, and he has served as a Florida Chamber Foundation Trustee.