Sandra Charles
Sandra Charles
Chief Medical Officer
Library of Congress
Dr. Sandra M. Charles, MD is the Chief Medical Officer and Chief of the Health Services Division at the Library of Congress, where she is responsible for directing the Occupational Medicine and Employee Health Program. Dr. Charles renders professional consultation to Library leadership to guide policy and response to public health issues affecting the agency, as well as medical issues impacting employees’ performance and conduct. She has received countless awards and recognition, for her outstanding leadership in teaching, healthcare and promoting wellness as an imperative to employee growth.
Prior to joining the Library in 1988, Dr. Charles served as a Supervisory Medical Officer at St. Elizabeth’s Psychiatric Hospital in Washington, DC. She oversaw the care of patients, and also the education of staff including psychiatrists in training. Her remarkable leadership skills were quickly recognized, as she was requested to join, and was subsequently selected from a formidable field of candidates, to assume the role of President on the Board of Directors of Collington, a renowned retirement community, affiliated with Kendal Communities in Mitchellville, Maryland. As President, on two separate occasions, over her challenging 20-year tenure, she presided over a board of 12 trustees, overseeing the management, growth and development of the organization. One of her most significant achievements was, effectively forging mission-driven trust relationships among residents, staff, and fellow board members. Her resilience was tested, when she successfully led the organization through a financial and management crisis, and assured continuity of its “not for profit” mission, thereby preserving and solidifying its status as a vibrant continuing care community.
She served in an equally demanding role, as a member and Secretary of the Board of Trustees for American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, (AASHA). The organization later changed its name to Leading Age but continues to excel as an advocacy and education forum for “not for profit” organizations, dedicated to expanding possibilities for the aging. In her exhaustive quest to champion the cause of America’s aging, Dr. Charles served honorably as a commissioner on the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission, now known as CARF- CCAC. She has also left an indelible mark on higher education, having served as a member of The Pennsylvania State University’s Outreach and Online Education Advisory Board, from October 2014- May 2023. Since 2022 she has served on the Underrepresented Groups Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business.
Dr. Charles completed her BS in Chemistry, cum laude, from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and her MD at Howard University College of Medicine, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors medical society. She holds a graduate certificate in the Business of Medicine from Johns Hopkins, Carey School of Business, and is a graduate of Morehouse School of Medicine’s Executive Primary Care Faculty Development Program. She is a sought-after speaker on topics of aging, mental health and wellbeing and is committed to life-long learning.