The Rev. Fr. Joachim Chukwujekwu Adione joined Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in August 2020 as a Chaplain/Roman Catholic priest. Fr. Joachim is originally from Nigeria, where he was ordained a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi in Anambra State in 1996. The Father brings varied ministry experiences as a priest in congregational settings and as a missionary in his home country. In 2007, he came to the U.S. to study at St. John’s University, Queens, New York, for his Master’s degree in Theology. He completed one Clinical Pastoral Education unit at NYUMC and a residency at Westchester Medical Center Valhalla, New York. Since then, he has served as a chaplain in several hospitals in New York, Colorado, and Michigan. Fr. Joachim pursued a Doctorate in Ministry in Pastoral Counseling from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana. He became a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC). Fr. Joachim enjoys serving God and humanity through his pastoral and sacramental ministry. His hobbies include soccer, table tennis, and badminton. Also, going for walks and listening to the radio.
Rev. Nancy Bird Pellegrini joined the Spiritual Health staff in May of 2022. She serves at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital and in the neurology units at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). As a graduate of Dartmouth College, she is happy to be back in the Upper Valley. Nancy holds master's degrees in international relations from the London School of Economics and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and previously had a 20-year career working for the federal government. Nancy embarked on her new career path in 2009 and received her Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, in 2012. She is an ordained Unitarian Universalist Minister. She served for six years as the chaplain at the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina and as the assistant minister at the Unitarian Church in Charleston. She completed her Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training at DHMC and is a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association for Professional Chaplains. Her areas of special interest include end-of-life care and staff resiliency. Nancy is committed to meeting people wherever they are spiritually.
Rev. Kris Bowen joined the Spiritual Health staff in 2011. Her primary assignment is with the Oncology program. She also has a concentration in offering support to staff as they navigate the complex work of providing care to patients, families and loved ones. Kris spent 17 years working as a speech-language pathologist in neurorehabilitation. Her years of work in the medical setting inspired her to pursue a career in chaplaincy. Kris holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire, a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University, and a Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School. She completed her chaplaincy residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and is dedicated to being an interfaith chaplain, working with patients and families from many different faith traditions, spiritualties, and life journeys. Kris is board-certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Rev. Skye Murray joined Spiritual Health and Dartmouth Health Children's teams in 2016 after nine years as a pediatric chaplain at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky. There she served for six years as the Pediatric Intensive Care Chaplain at Kosair Children’s Hospital, and subsequently served as the Neonatal Intensive Care Chaplain and Labor and Delivery Chaplain at Norton Women’s and Kosair Children’s Hospital-St Matthews. She received her Masters of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and completed her chaplaincy residency at Kettering Memorial Hospital in Kettering, Ohio. She is an ordained clergy with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association for Professional Chaplains. Her professional interests include the spirituality of young children, compassion resiliency in healthcare workers, and perinatal and pediatric palliative care.
Rev. H. Johan Ostlund joined the DHMC Spiritual Health department in 2024, transferring from Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, New Hampshire. He splits his position between Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Vermont and DHMC. Johan is originally from Sweden but has been living in the United States since 2006. Prior to his move to New England in 2020, Johan practiced for 14 years as a resident at the San Francisco Zen Center, where he held several leadership positions, including as Head of Practice. He was ordained as a Soto Zen priest in 2012, and received Dharma transmission from his teacher Furyu Nancy Schroeder in 2023. Johan also holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Institute of Buddhist Studies, a member school of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He completed his Clinical Pastoral Education at DHMC. As an interfaith chaplain, Johan appreciates the opportunity to bring his many years of meditation practice into encounters with patients, families, and staff with compassionate presence and a lack of agenda. In addition to his work in the Dartmouth Health system, Johan is also the founder and guiding teacher of the Brattleboro Zen Center.
Rev. Samuel Seyd is originally from Pakistan (Punjab). He joined St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary right out of high school. He attended National Catholic Institute of Theology (Karachi) for the study of Philosophy and Theology and was ordained a priest in 2000. He received his Master's in Theology from University of California. In 2008 he completed Clinical Pastoral Education from the Hartford Hospital. He has been a staff chaplain in the DHMC Office of Spiritual Health since April of 2012.
Rev. Stephen Warfield, MDiv, BCC joined the Spiritual Health staff in 2015 and is board certified through the Association of Professional Chaplains. After a career in marketing and development, Stephen transitioned into professional chaplaincy. He earned a M.Div., completed four units of CPE at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Durham VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and served as a staff chaplain at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. In addition, Stephen is a chaplain in the United States Navy Reserve and is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. His research interests include person-centered chaplaincy, interfaith dialogue, care of military personnel and veterans, disaster/trauma chaplaincy, and the global professionalization of chaplaincy. Stephen's clinical assignments are Emergency Department, Medical Specialties, and ICU.