Cynthia A. Joe, M.D., became the Chief of Staff of the Alaska VA Healthcare System (AVAHS) on May 11, 1998.
During Dr. Joe's tenure, the AVAHS has expanded its presence in Alaska with the success of the VA/DoD Joint Venture Military Treatment Facility (JVMTF) at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Fairbanks VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic co-located at Bassett Army Community Hospital, Fort Wainwright, Kenai VA CBOC in 2001, Mat-Su VA CBOC in 2009, Homer VA Outreach Clinic in 2009, and the Juneau VA Outreach Clinic in 2010.
Dr. Joe's clinical and administrative experience includes both VA and other federal agencies. She is a member of the VA/DoD JVMTF Executive Committee and Joint Venture Business Operations Committee; chairs the AVAHS Professional Staff Committee and Medical Executive Committee. She is a VA clinical representative to the Alaska Federal Health Care Partnership and a member of the Clinical Team of the Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network (the nation's largest Tele-medicine project).
Dr. Joe is an Arkansas native who graduated from Northeast Louisiana University. She received her medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Tulsa campus. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and has held additional qualifications in Geriatric Medicine. She is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Physician Executives. She completed the VA Clinical Leadership Institute in 1999 and Leadership VA in 2000. She has completed the two year VISN20 Executive Development Program sponsored by VA and University of Washington. She was the Medical Support Local Organizing Committee Chair for the 26th National Veterans Wheelchair Games July 2006.