About the Founder
Dr. Sandra Bruce Nichols
MD, FAAFP, MHCDS, MS
Founder & CEO of The Samaritan Health Project.
A nationally respected physician, health leader, and
storyteller whose life bridges faith, medicine, and community service. Raised in the projects
of Little Rock, Arkansas, she rose from humble beginnings to become a distinguished
physician and senior healthcare executive.
OUR STORY
Dr. Nichols has leveraged more than 35 years of visionary service in public health and medical management leadership. Her roles were the key to her understanding and contribution to this nation’s healthcare as well as her passion for tackling gaps in healthcare and improving healthcare for those in greatest need.
The former Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of National Inpatient Care Management and Health Inclusion and Community Engagement at UnitedHealth Group is passionate about normalizing health success for all and impacting the wellness trajectory of future generations.
Coming of age in the East End projects, watching a community of people die she decided that this would no longer be true on her watch. Driven to make a difference, she began her career as a rural physician before joining administrations of two Arkansas Governors, Jim Guy Tucker, and Mike Huckabee as the Director and Commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Health.
In this role, she strategically engaged legislators to personally join her on her mission of change, not only taking them into the heart of the community, but into one of the federally funded segregated clinics where she practiced.
Dr. Nichols went onto to hold numerous positions in the healthcare industry, among them that of Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer of National Impatient Care Management for United HealthCare and Chief Executive Officer of Amerigroup in the District of Columbia and Virginia, all in an effort to propose policies and set the direction for health care in our nation especially health, wellness and community engagement.
Today, she’s setting the agenda for the future of healthcare as the Founder and CEO of The Samaritan Health Project (TSHP) she leads an initiative focused on collaborative action, community engagement, and healthier futures across urban and rural communities.
Dr. Nichols is committed to helping people understand their health, and wellness, navigate the system, and take ownership of their wellbeing. Her work is rooted in dignity, access, prevention, and community voice. She is honored to use her expertise and leadership to build healthier, stronger communities.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
National Medical Association
American Academy of Family Physicians Adjunct Professor of Health Administration University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Officer
The National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine
National Mammography Quality Assurance Advisory Committee
Association of State & Territorial Health
Officers
ASTHO Primary Care Work Group - Chair
Women Executives in State Government
NATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
COMMUNITY
ACTIVITIES
Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Southern Rural Access Board Director of Health and Wellness Mt. Calvary Baptist Church