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ODU shines at annual Healthcare Heroes awards

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Old Dominion University made a strong showing in this year’s local Healthcare Heroes recognition sponsored by Inside Business magazine.

Of the 17 honorees, eight have a connection to ODU or Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University. The honorees include two programs operated in partnership with Sentara Health.

The annual Healthcare Hero awards honor outstanding individuals and organizations making a noteworthy difference in healthcare across Hampton Roads. (All the honorees are pictured above at the awards ceremony March 27, 2025.)

This year’s honorees:

Christopher Foley, MD is an assistant professor of Pediatrics who received the pediatrician award. Dr. Foley has been a trusted clinician and adviser at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters for nearly 30 years. As CHKD’s chief clinical operations officer, Dr. Foley oversees all patient care for the health system.

Kaitlin Hardy is a fourth-year medical student who received the community service award. Kaitliin was honored in part for her work to establish a gymnastics program for children with disabilities, for her support of HOPES (the school’s free clinic), where she is co-director, and for her advocacy for children with neurological and intellectual disabilities.

John M. Herre, MD is a professor of Medicine and medical director of advanced heart failure and heart transplantation at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. He received the cardiologist award. A veteran of 36 years with Sentara, Dr. Herre also has led Sentara’s Advanced Heart Failure program for 25 years and has served as board chair of LifeNet Health, the organ procurement organization, for 21 years.

Michael Hooper, MD is an associate professor of Medicine and a vice president and chief academic officer at Sentara Health. Dr. Hooper received the healthcare leadership award for the instrumental role he played in the integration of Eastern Virginia Medical School into Old Dominion University and for his leadership in developing impactful partnerships with Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University.

Dr. Michael Layne is an assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine who has extensive experience in care of complex disease. Dr. Layne received the primary care physician award. He is a founding member of the What Matters Most Virginia coalition, which focuses on educating the next generation of family doctors in palliative medicine, complex disease management and geriatrics.

ODU Community Care took home the Community Health award for it work to provide free, holistic care for unhoused people. The Community Care clinics are unique in that they are led by advanced practice nursing faculty and run by students. Students benefit from experiential learning opportunities under the direct guidance of faculty; nursing students are from the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs at Old Dominion University.

Sentara-EVMS Cardio-Obstetrics Center received the award for innovations in healthcare. Honorees Petra Lynch, MD, a cardiologist with Sentara, and Gloria Too, MD, chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine within Obstetrics and Gynecology, created the region’s first, multidisciplinary program focused on the cardiovascular needs of pregnant women.  It is one of only a handful of such programs nationwide.

Sentara-EVMS Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program received the award for advancement in healthcare. Medical Director Madeeha Deo, MD, and Michael Hooper, MD, chief academic officer for Sentara Health, worked with a team to establish the clinic. It is the region’s only one focused on the unique needs of adults with sickle cell disease, bringing together specialists from internal medicine, hospital medicine, pain management and psychiatry.