Core Team

Dr. Sheen’s public health experience extends 25 years, as she has had oversight of public health programs at all levels within a public health environment. Most recently she held a series of progressively responsible public health roles for the Virgin Islands, culminating in Commissioner of Health, where she was a driving influence in transforming public health policy and practice across the territory. Her efforts included Medicaid expansion, which increased access to healthcare for over 30,000 persons, behavioral health services for children under the age of 21 and she implementation of the first ever Medicaid Management Information System in partnership with the State of West Virginia. Sheen led wide-scale agency modernization and increased public health emergency responsiveness, evolution of the Virgin Islands department of health’s public-facing messages to include a deep focus on preventative health strategies, and dramatically expanded the use of public communication channels.

Through all initiatives, her focus has been on achieving public health improvements that promote and protect the health of all residents. One example of her leadership is the passage of historic legislation, “The Virgin Islands Smoke-free Act”. Another example is her recent work with the US Health and Human Services Bureau of Primary Health Care, where she was the recipient of a HRSA Administrator Award for the development of a training and technical assistance repository to house all health center related national trainings.

Dr. Sheen served as Governor Albert Bryan Jr’s Policy Advisor on Health and Human Services where she leads seven of the 11 initiatives related to the Governor’s Healthier Horizons initiative. Conceptualized and established new initiatives that seek to increase access to healthcare and improve the healthcare infrastructure: Healthy Housing Initiative, Office of Health Information Technology, the Association Health Plan and Telehealth Act.

Dr. Sheen holds a Doctorate Public Health and a Master’s Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Prevention Science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; a Graduate Certificate of Public Health from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Anthony Oliva is board-certified in Family medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physician Executives.  Dr. Oliva has over 15 years of experience in primary care clinics, community hospitals, multi-hospital Systems, and integrated delivery systems.  As a Chief Medical Officer (CMO), he has personally been involved with the implementation and expansion of clinical programs since 2004 and has the experience needed to assist physicians and organizations in addressing many operational issues, such as the Clinical Revenue Cycle, compliant documentation, Physician Practice Management, compensation plans, level care of determination, core measures, billing and coding.   More recently Dr. Olvia served as the CMO for the Nuance Healthcare Division a part of Microsoft, where he helped develop strategies using Ambient Voice Technology and AI to address many of the healthcare changes both current and future.

His accomplishments include serving as the National Speaker for American Heart Association, Served as a CMO for four major healthcare organizations and is board certified in seven states.  Dr. Oliva is eager to serve the Virgin Islands community and VIDCOE as we improve the quality of life for all everyone living with diabetes.  

Originally from Michigan, Dr. Megan Russell is a 2012 graduate of Ohio Northern University. After graduation, she practiced for three years as a clinical staff pharmacist at the VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System before moving to St. Croix. She is very passionate about helping the people of this community lead healthier lives and advancing healthcare in the territory. When not at work, you can find her on the golf course, running along the north shore, or on an adventure with her dog, Abu.

Dr. Megan Russell is currently a staff Pharmacist at Neighborhood Pharmacy and has also extensive experience teaching Diabetes Self-Management Classes. Megan will be co-teaching our Medication Adherence classes and will also be part of our technical working group.

Dr. Gail Nunlee-Bland is Chief of Endocrinology and Director of the Diabetes Treatment Center at Howard University Hospital. She is Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine. Dr. Nunlee-Bland is a graduate of Howard University College of Medicine. Dr. Nunlee-Bland has received several grants to explore the use of technology to improve diabetes outcomes and patient engagement in underserved minority communities in Washington, DC. She was the recipient of the 2010 American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist – Outstanding Endocrine Service to Minority Communities Award. Dr. Nunlee-Bland is passionate about improving access to quality diabetes care. This passion has translated into the American Diabetes Association Recognized Diabetes education program. The Diabetes Treatment Center is a resource for patients and practitioners to have access to the expertise of nutritionists, diabetes educators, and diabetes specialists.

Carlos Castillo, APRN-CNP, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He completed his Master of Science in Nursing at Barry University and received his nursing degree also from Barry University School of Nursing in Miami Shores, Florida. Over the years he has work in a variety of medical settings, including neurology, medical-surgical and rehabilitation. With clinical experience as a Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care, Neurology and Orthopedics, Carlos is passionate about delivering excellent and compassionate care to all his patients. When he is not at work, Carlos is an avid fisherman and loves spending time by the sea.

Shamera Robinson, MPH, RDN, CDCES, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a background in public health and diabetes education. Her work focuses on promoting health equity and uplifting historically marginalized communities through nutrition. She earned her undergraduate degree in biology and public health from Spelman College. She then furthered her expertise with a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in nutrition from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Shamera’s empathetic approach to wellness creates a safe space for individuals to explore and transform their relationship with food. She has successfully planned and facilitated numerous nutrition programs, focusing on practical strategies for behavior change and diabetes management.

With years of experience in clinical, community, and public health settings, Shamera brings a well-rounded perspective to nutrition and dietetics. Shamera aims to create a world where every person has the opportunity to rebuild their connection to health, food, and self. At the center of this mission is celebrating and connecting with the foods that have nourished our families for generations.

Dr. Tin Yan Alvin Liu was born and raised in Hong Kong, and subsequently attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Cornell University (B.A.) and Columbia University (M.D.). He completed his ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship training at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University (JHU).  Dr. Liu is an interdisciplinary strategist at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and finance, he is experienced in business operation optimization, quality measure improvement and patient outcome prediction, using AI and big data.

On an international level, Dr. Liu is a Council Member of the International AI in Ophthalmology Society.  He was also inducted into the $65 million Johns Hopkins inHealth Precision Medicine Initiative, and founded the Wilmer Precision Ophthalmology Center of Excellence, which aims to leverage big data, AI and ophthalmic images to personalize care for patients with ophthalmic diseases.

Dr. Ebony Evans is from Hempstead, NY and received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. Upon graduation she completed her PGY-1 Community Residency with Western New England University followed by a PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Residency at The University of Maryland. She joined Howard University College of Pharmacy as a Clinical Assistant Professor in 2021 and maintains an outpatient practice site at the Howard University Hospital Diabetes Treatment Center. Her professional interests are in ambulatory care and academia; and she is very passionate about improving health literacy amongst patients, helping underserved communities, increasing access to diabetes technology, and using motivational interviewing.

Michelle Adams is a native of St. Croix, USVI, and is passionate about empowering the people of the Virgin Islands to live healthier lives by providing them with the education and support that they need to improve their nutrition and lifestyle habits. A graduate of the St. Croix Educational Complex, Michelle earned a BS in nutrition from Cornell University, a MS in Health Sciences with a concentration in nutrition from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, and a Doctor of Philosophy in nutrition as well as a certification as a Registered Dietitian (RD) from Loma Linda University. Michelle has experience providing nutritional counseling to people with a variety of conditions, including type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and other conditions whose deleterious impacts can be mitigated by dietary interventions. Michelle currently works as an RD for a Long-Term Acute Care (LTAC) facility in Northern California, where she provides care to patients who require dysphagia and therapeutic diets, as well as those that require enteral and parenteral nutrition. In this role, Michelle also serves as the manager of the hospital’s food service department, which has provided her with the opportunity to run performance improvement studies and play an integral part in improving hospital operations. Michelle is also fluent in Spanish and has extensive experience working with socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys making videos about fascinating topics in nutrition research and common nutrition questions that patients have asked her over the years, which she posts on YouTube and Instagram. You can find her @yellowcedarnutrition