Dr. Elaine Perry, RHHD District Director
Dr. Perry is a board-certified Preventive Medicine physician who began serving as RHHD District Director in July of 2022. Her medical career includes providing primary care while on active duty in the U.S. Navy, working in drug and vaccine safety with Merck, and consulting for the Food and Drug Administration. She has served as the District Director for the Peninsula Health District and the Interim District Director at the Central Shenandoah Health District, and provided medical support in Loudoun County’s tuberculosis clinic and COVID-19 containment response.
Dr. Perry attended Dartmouth and Brown Medical Schools and completed a Pediatrics internship at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth. She completed a residency in Preventive Medicine, along with a master’s degree in epidemiology, at the University of Maryland. Outside of her public health work, she can be found paddleboarding, doing yoga, or reading mysteries.
Dr. Melissa Viray, RHHD Deputy Director
Dr. Viray joined RHHD in 2017 and served as Acting Director for 18 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to RHHD, she was the Deputy State Epidemiologist for the Hawaii Department of Health and previously worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer.
Dr. Viray completed her adult infectious diseases fellowship at Washington University, her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and her medical education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. When she’s not championing data-driven approaches to public health, she’s rock climbing and spending time with the world’s cutest dog.
Deanna Krautner, Chief Operating Officer
Deanna Krautner assumed the role of COO in November of 2019. As COO, she makes sure that the districts’ operations are efficient, effective, and in line with VDH’s policies and regulations. She started her public health work in 2004 as a Health Educator and Public Information Officer in Florida. From there, she moved to department management with responsibility for grants management, accreditation, CHA/CHIP processes, and strategic planning. She moved to the Richmond region in 2017 and first joined Henrico County Health District as a Population Health Manager before becoming COO for the joint districts.
Deanna has 2 children, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. She’s been a runner for more than 4 decades, which is when she does her most creative thinking!