Community Health Coalition

Community Health Coalition Team

LEADERSHIP

Tricia Howard, MSN, MHA, PMHNP-BC

CHC Interim Executive Director

Tricia is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over 25 years of nursing experience across clinical, community, and school-based settings. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Herbert Lehman College in 2000, a Master of Health Administration from Pfeiffer University in 2013, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Duke University in 2023.

Tricia currently practices at Duke Health in the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Clinic, where she assesses, diagnoses, and treats a wide range of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. In addition to her clinical work, she serves as the Interim Executive Director of Community Health Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing health disparities through education, screenings, and access to critical community resources.

Her passion for youth mental health and health equity was shaped by more than seven years of service as a Child and Family Support Team (CFST) school nurse, followed by her role as Lead Nurse for Durham Public Schools. These experiences provided firsthand insight into the profound impact mental health has on academic success, behavior, and overall well-being, while also highlighting the urgent need for increased education, prevention, and support for students, families, educators, and school nurses.

At the core of Tricia’s work is an unwavering commitment to improving outcomes for children and their families. She believes that when mental health needs are identified early and addressed through awareness, education, and collaboration, children are better positioned to thrive—academically, emotionally, and socially—laying the foundation for healthier families, stronger schools, and more resilient communities.

"My interest in community medicine is simple … the more people I reach, the more lives I help save. If I convince you to take an active role in your own health, I've fulfilled my mission."

Dr. Elaine Hart-Brothers, MD, MPH

CHC Co-Founder, Past Executive Director

Dr. Hart-Brothers received her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) at Tufts University School of Medicine and a Master's in Public Health (M.P.H.) at Harvard University School of Public Health. She worked in General Internal Medicine and Community & Family Medicine at Duke Primary Care.

Seeing patients was the most rewarding part of her job, but she could only see one patient at a time. In 1989, Dr. Hart-Brothers and the late Mr. John Mickle founded Community Health Coalition to serve many more lives by educating the public about health and addressing the needs of NC communities.

She believes this kind of outreach is part of our health system's responsibility to educate and treat the entire community—including the disadvantaged and under-served populations, but in the end it all comes down to the one-to-one practice of medicine.

In 2020, Dr. Hart-Brothers retired from CHC after 31 years of service.