Clinical Staff of MemoryCare

Founder, Margaret A. Noel, MD, FACP, established MemoryCare in June 2000. She graduated from Davidson College and UNC School of Medicine. She completed her residency and a two year fellowship in geriatrics at Wake Forest University. She is board certified in Internal Medicine with Added Qualifications in Geriatrics. She has been involved in the education of medical residents, medical, nursing, social work, and pharmacy students interested in geriatrics. She is actively involved in providing community education as well. She is a certified medical director with extensive prior experience in long term care settings. She holds an adjunct faculty appointment from UNC School of Medicine. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Geriatrics Society. She has served on the Board and as Secretary of the American Medical Directors Association, and is a past president of the North Carolina Medical Directors Association. She was named 2011Clinician of the Year by the American Geriatric Society.

Director, Virginia H. Templeton, MD, joined MemoryCare in 2002 after completing her residency at the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville, NC. Dr. Templeton is board certified in Family Medicine with Added Qualifications in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She received her BA in Medical Anthropology from Brown University and graduated from the State University of the New York School of Medicine in 1998 with a Doctor of Medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Templeton holds an adjunct faculty appointment from UNC School of Medicine and is committed to education of professionals and others in the community about healthy aging.

Staff Physician, Thomas S. Kaluzynski, MD, FACP joined MemoryCare in July 2006. Dr. Kaluzynski received a BS degree from Fairfield University and his MD degree from UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency with the Michigan State University Associated Hospitals in Lansing, MI and is board certified in Internal Medicine with Added Qualifications in Geriatrics. Prior to joining MemoryCare, he practiced internal medicine and geriatrics in Burnsville and Spruce Pine, North Carolina, since 1985. Dr. Kaluzynski served as chapter president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American College of Physicians in 2003 and is a trained facilitator with the ACP’s Practicing Physician Education Program. He holds appointment as clinical assistant professor at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Staff Physician, Amy Cohen, MD joins MemoryCare in July 2018. Dr. Cohen received a BS degree in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill and earned her medical degree from East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. She completed an Internal Medicine Residency in Greenville, SC and underwent fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at MAHEC in Asheville, NC. After her fellowship, Dr. Cohen became faculty and then program director for the MAHEC Geriatric Fellowship Program and served as Medical Director of a local Continuing Care Retirement Community. She later became Medical Director of CarePartners PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) and most recently worked with Team Health as Medical Director of several skilled nursing facilities in western NC.

Staff Physician, Meg Word-Sims, MD joined MemoryCare in September 2012 and provides home care services. Dr. Word-Sims received her BS degree from Duke University and her MD degree from Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1984. She completed her internal medicine residency at the UNC Chapel Hill where she served as chief resident. She is board certified in Internal Medicine. Prior to joining MemoryCare, Dr. Word-Sims practiced internal medicine in Madison County, NC, with a focus on geriatric patients. She served as Assistant Professor and Director of Ambulatory Education at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine where she was chosen “Best Teacher” by the medical students and internal medicine residents in the program. She has also provided care as a Clinical Instructor for the University of North Carolina at Wake Medical Center. She has professional interest in neurology and geriatrics and appreciates the opportunity to support patients and families.

Staff Physician, C. David Johnson, MD joined MemoryCare in March 2016 and is board certified in geriatric medicine and hospice/palliative care. Dr. Johnson graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with his BA degree and Doctor of Medicine. He completed a residency program in internal medicine at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to joining MemoryCare, Dr. Johnson worked in a number of clinical settings including: primary care office practice, nursing home, and the PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly) program. He has also provided hospice and geriatric outpatient consultation. He enjoys teaching physicians and other health care professionals about geriatric medicine and palliative care.

Lauren Hedden, BSW, joined the MemoryCare staff in December 2009 as a Social Work Care Manager. She graduated from Mars Hill College’s Adult ACCESS program in May 2008 with a BS in Social Work. During her time at Mars Hill College, she completed an internship at the WNC Alzheimer’s Association and Mountain Area Residential Facilities, Inc. She has worked in various settings including animal hospitals, group homes for adults with developmental disabilities, and long term care.

Carly Woods, BSW, joined the MemoryCare staff in May 2015 as a Social Work Care Manager. She graduated from the Social Work program at Mars Hill College in May 2014 with a BS in Social Work. During her time at Mars Hill College, she completed an internship at The Autism Society of Western North Carolina and the Progressive Education Program. She also became an interim school social worker for Buncombe County Schools during her senior internship. She has worked in medical billing offices, at Mission Hospital, and has volunteered at group homes for adults with developmental disabilities and long term care facilities. She has a passion for caring for older adults and their families.

Lindsey Kremer, BSW, joined MemoryCare in October 2016 as a Social Work Care Manager. She graduated from Western Carolina University in May of 2014 with her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. During her time at Western Carolina she completed an internship at Mission Hospital on the St. Joseph campus. She is passionate about caring for and serving others.

Jenell Wright, RN, joined MemoryCare in December 2018 as an RN Care Manager. She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BA in Spanish and a minor in Anthropology, and from El Centro College in Dallas, TX with an Associate Degree in Nursing. Prior to joining MemoryCare, she worked as a registered nurse for 25 years including hospice and home health case manager, nursing supervisor, and both a geriatric and pediatric staff nurse.

Pamela Lessig, MA, MBA, LPC, has helped adults deal with important decisions regarding the care of their loved one for years. She currently offers our Caregiver Consulting service, which is primarily for caregivers not currently enrolled in MemoryCare who need help locating suitable resources to assist them in caring for their loved one.