Iredell Health System Announces Director of Graduate Medical Education

Iredell Health System is pleased to announce Paula Roberts-Ratcliff as the Director of Graduate Medical Education.

Ratcliff has over 20 years of experience in healthcare administration, spending 10 of those years in the graduate medical education field. In her new role at Iredell Health System, Ratcliff will develop and manage graduate medical education residency and fellowship programs, elevating Iredell Health System to an academic teaching facility.

She has always been drawn to the healthcare field and has great respect for those who provide bedside care, but found that the business side of healthcare better aligned with her interests.

“Women make up over 75% of the healthcare workforce, and I saw strong women in my family excel in healthcare, so I gravitated to the healthcare field and found my niche in healthcare administration,” said Ratcliff.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Milligan University in Johnson City, Tennessee. Ratcliff has held roles at several hospitals, including Johnson City Medical Center (Ballad Health), Mission Health, and UNC Health Blue Ridge.

As the Director of Graduate Medical Education at Iredell Health System, Ratcliff’s goal is to successfully build a residency program and graduate excellently-prepared residents and fellows. She hopes the program will have a positive impact on the community by adding more care providers.

“It’s very rewarding and fulfilling to help guide, train, and develop the next generation of physicians and to know we, together as a system, had a part in shaping their life as a practicing physician,” she said.

In her free time, Ratcliff enjoys swimming, kayaking, and canoeing. Most of her passions center around fitness and wellbeing, and she is certified through the YMCA to teach group exercise fitness classes, the LiveStrong cancer survivorship program, and the Diabetes Prevention Program. She also has her aquatic fitness professional certification from the Aquatic Exercise Association. Her other hobbies include photography and painting.