NCMS Board of Directors

The North Carolina Medical Society Board of Directors (NCMS BOD) is comprised of four executive members, four regional representatives and five at-large members.

Get to know your Board better! Click on any image below for a brief bio.

Karen L. Smith, MD, FAAFP

President

(Term: 2026-2027)

Member since 1990

Karen L. Smith, MD, FAAFP, is a graduate of Hahnemann University School of Medicine. She trained at National Congress of Family Physician Residents, North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Duke University, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, and Fellow American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. Smith has been practicing since 1992, with a private practice in Raeford, North Carolina since 2003. Dr. Smith’s practice specializes in family medicine.

Karen L. Smith, MD, FAAFP
President
Term: 2026-2027

Tracy Eskra, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPL

President-Elect (Term: 2026-2027)

Member since 2010

Dr. Tracy Eskra, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPL, is an internist residing in Goldsboro and currently working as a Physician Advisor for Utilization Management/DRG Validation at ECU Health so she can spend more time with her young daughter. Previously she was in executive leadership at Vidant Medical Center for 10 years. Dr. Eskra is a 2014 graduate of the NCMS Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, her MD at Penn State College of Medicine, and her MBA from Alvernia University.

Tracy Eskra, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPL
President-Elect
Term: 2026-2027

Carl J. Westcott, MD

Immediate Past President (Term: 2025-2026)

Member since 1998

Dr. Carl Westcott is a general surgery specialist and has been practicing for 22 years. He graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in 1991 and currently is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Carl J. Westcott, MD
Immediate Past President
Term: 2026-2027

Claude Jarrett, MD

Secretary Treasurer (Term: 2026-2029)

Member since 2019

Dr. Claude Jarrett is an orthopedic surgeon practicing at Wilmington Health. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Jarrett also participates in grant funded research projects addressing rotator cuff injuries, shoulder arthritis and upper extremity fractures. After graduating summa cum laude from Xavier University, Dr. Jarrett attended medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago and completed his Orthopaedic Surgery Internship and Residency at Emory University Hospitals. Dr. Jarrett is a 2021 graduate of Leadership College, a program of the NCMS Foundation’s Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership.

Claudius Jarrett, MD
Secretary Treasurer
Term: 2026-2029

Christopher Grubb, MD

Region 1 (Term: 2026-2029)

Christopher Grubb, MD
Region 1 Representative
Term: 2026-2029

Charul Haugan, MD, FACEP

Region 2 Representative (Term: 2025-2028)

Charul Haugan, MD, FACEP, is the Medical Director of Clinical Optimization at UNC Health, a role she has had since 2019. She is also Physician Co-Lead of the UNC HSC Emergency Services Group, Chair of the UNC HCS Sepsis Care Optimization Committee, member of the North Carolina Medical Society, an NCMS Medical Team Task Force Member, and a Governor’s Appointee to the North Carolina State Health Coordinating Council. She received her undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University and her MD at the University of Minnesota.

Charul Haugan, MD, FACEP
Region 2 Representative
Term: 2022-2028

Katie Lowry, MD

Katie Lowry, MD
Region 3 Representative
Term: 2026-2029

Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA

Region 4 Representative (Term: 2026-2029)

Member since 2013

More details on Dr. Palmeri coming soon!

Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA
Region 4 Representative
Term: 2026-2029

Jugta Kahai, MD, FAAP

At-Large Representative (Term: 2024-2027)

Member since 2000

Dr. Jugta Kahai is a pediatrician practicing at Southeast Pediatrics. Dr. Kahai has long been involved with the NCMS through committee work and as a 2003 graduate of the Leadership College and a 2019 graduate of the Health Care Leadership and Management program, both part of the NCMS Foundation’s Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership. Dr. Kahai’s specialties include pediatric critical care medicine. She received her MD degree from MS Ramaiah in Bangalore and did her residency training at the State University of New York.

Jugta Kahai, MD, FAAP
At-Large
Term: 2024-2027

Ronald B. Laney, Jr., MD, MPH

At-Large (Term: 2026-2029)

Member since 2002

Dr. Ronnie Laney grew up in Durham, North Carolina and always wanted to become a doctor. He says medicine combines two things he loves: people and science. He is board-certified in family medicine and has been practicing urgent care medicine since 2011. Additionally, he served as medical director for an urgent care center for five years. Trained as a primary care physician, Laney says he loves the broad scope of urgent care medicine, along with the chance to perform procedures. He says that, although medicine is challenging and patients are in need, he tries to connect with patients and address their needs, but make them feel special at the same time.

Ronald B. Laney, Jr. MD, MPH
At-Large
Term: 2026-2029