UNC Health Blue Ridge appoints new board members

UNC Health Blue Ridge has appointed two new members to its board of directors. Rahul Sampath, MD, and Adam J. Kinninger, DO, began their service on Wednesday.

“Both physicians bring valuable leadership experience to the board,” Board Chairman Jim Rostan said. “We appreciate their leadership and commitment to quality improvement and development. We welcome them to the board and look forward to their contributions.”

Sampath is an infectious diseases specialist and physician executive with sustained leadership in clinical care, graduate medical education, medical staff governance, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship. Up until recently, he practiced at Blue Ridge Infectious Disease.

As Internal Medicine Residency Program Director at UNC Health Blue Ridge from 2019 through this past January, Sampath helped the program achieve a period of significant growth. He also served as president of the medical staff from 2023-26.

Sampath is a graduate of Kasturba Medical College in India, having completed his residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. He also completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic, and he is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases.

Sampath recently stepped away from his role on the medical staff to begin a one-year Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Kinninger is a board-certified family physician and sports medicine specialist with over 15 years of clinical, leadership, and governance experience. He currently practices at McDowell Family Practice and has been actively involved in advancing patient-centered care, physician leadership, and healthcare system improvement throughout his career.

Kinninger has held numerous senior leadership roles within hospital and physician organizations. He serves as Adjunct Clinical Faculty for both Campbell University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has precepted medical students, residents, and fellows throughout his career.

Kinninger maintains a strong commitment to community service and leadership beyond medicine. He serves as an elder and chair at Grace Community Church in Marion, leads community groups, and coaches youth athletics. He has also spent time as a team physician for high school and collegiate athletics and continues to support sports medicine coverage in the region.

A graduate of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kinninger completed his residency at Ohio University and his fellowship in sports medicine at Kettering Medical Center.

“On behalf of the board and our teammates, I want to thank Dr. Sampath and Dr. Kinninger for their willingness to serve on our board,” said UNC Health Blue Ridge President and CEO Gary Paxson. “They have shown a passion for rural healthcare that will serve us well into the future of being the hospital of choice for the mountain region.”

Others on the board include Vice Chairman Kevin Baxter, Treasurer David Bennett, Secretary Susan Haire, Todd Blackwell, Chris Brittain, Amy Jackson-Kincaid, Blake Millinor, and Thea Yang.

— JM