2022 Elizabeth M. Forsyth Community Service Award Recipient
The Elizabeth M. Forsyth Community Service Award was created in 2004 to acknowledge the impact of individuals, organizations, and groups who have made significant contributions to the community by recognizing local needs and supporting solutions to meet them. The award was named after one of our co-founders, Mrs. Elizabeth M. Forsyth who set a tremendous precedent in her lifetime of service to the Lynchburg community and particularly to Miriam’s House through a tremendous financial commitment. This year’s award recipient has demonstrated significant commitment to Miriam’s House and our work to end homelessness.
EDUCATION & CAREER
Verna R. Sellers, MD, MPH, CMD, AGSF, CHCQM is the Medical Director of Geriatrics Services and PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) for Centra. Dr. Sellers is an internist and geriatrician with over 25 years of clinical and administrative experience. She is passionate about quality health care for older adults. Dr. Sellers relocated from the Hampton Roads area to Lynchburg in 2008 to start the PACE program and expand the geriatric services provided by Centra. PACE is a national program of comprehensive care based on a proven model introduced in San Francisco over 50 years ago. Centra PACE centers are in Lynchburg, Farmville, and Gretna, and serve the areas in between.
Dr. Sellers grew up in Washington, D.C. but spent summers and holidays with her grandparents, the late Betty & Nazareth Reynolds of Madison Heights, Virginia. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and she earned her Doctorate in Medicine from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Sellers completed a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine and obtained her Master’s in Public Health in Administrative Medicine from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Sellers is an educator. She lectures locally and nationally on health care related topics. Dr. Sellers served as faculty member for American Geriatric Society, National PACE Association, and the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care. She is a preceptor for the Lynchburg Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Sellers is the recipient of the 2016 James Pattee Excellence in Education Award presented by the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care.
Miriam’s house & LOCAL COMMUNITY SERVICE
Dr. Sellers strives to serve the community by gifts of her time and resources. As an integral partner in our work at Miriam’s House, she has volunteered, coordinated in-kind donation drives, served as table captain for the annual luncheon, and served as a member of the advisory board. She has also supported the Centra Foundation, Humankind, Jubilee Center, Academy Center of the Arts, and the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Sellers is a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Lynchburg and Board of Directors for the Centra Virginia Alliance for Community Living. She is a past member of the Centra Board of Directors, Virginia Centers for Inclusive Communities, and the National PACE Association Board of Directors.
Dr. Sellers is a Life Member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., an international service organization was founded on the campus of Howard University in 1920. Dr. Sellers joined in 1978 at the University of Virginia as a charter member. The Sorority’s ideals are Scholarship, Sisterhood, Finer Womanhood, and Service.
Dr. Sellers lives in Madison Heights with her husband Preston and their 3 dogs. She is retiring from Centra this summer to spend more time with her 5 grandchildren.
Current Miriam’s House Board Member and 2021 EMF Award recipient, Anne Alfieri, presented this award to Dr. Sellers at our 23rd Annual Luncheon on May 24th, 2022 at the University of Lynchburg.