Robert D. Karch, MD, MPH, FAAP
Health Officer and Director
Florida Department of Health in Orange County
Robert D. Karch, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., was appointed health officer and director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County (DOH-Orange) by the Florida State Surgeon General and confirmed by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners on July 26, 2022.
Dr. Karch brings over two decades of experience in the medical and public health fields. Before joining DOH-Orange, Dr. Karch served as the deputy secretary and deputy state health officer for Children’s Medical Services at the Florida Department of Health.
Prior to this position, he practiced pediatrics with the Nemours Foundation, and served as the president of the medical staff and chair of the medical executive committee at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando. He is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine and served as the UCF College of Medicine pediatric clerkship site director for the Nemours Children’s Hospital inpatient teaching service. He was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society at UCF College of Medicine.
He is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is also a member of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, Florida Public Health Association, American Society for Nutrition, and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He is a board member of the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, Orange County Early Learning Coalition, and Orange County Opioid Advisory Committee. He served on the Florida State Health Improvement Plan (2022-2026) advisory committee and is a co-chair of SHIP’s Injury, Safety, and Violence Workgroup. He has previously served on the Florida Developmental Disability Council and the Florida Genetic and Newborn Screening Advisory Committee.
Dr. Karch earned his bachelor’s from the University of Delaware, Master of Public Health from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, and Master of Science degree in Health Policy Research from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He earned his medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Karch completed his pediatric internship and residency training at the Miami Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where he also served as chief pediatric resident. Following residency training, he served in the National Health Service Corp as a general pediatrician in rural northern Arizona at the Canyonlands Community Health Care Center in Page, Arizona. After his service, Dr. Karch completed a fellowship in pediatric nutrition within the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He also completed a health services and policy research fellowship in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Meet our leadership team
Deputy Health Officer and Assistant Director
Beth A Paterniti, MPA
Deputy Health Officer and Assistant Director
Florida Department of Health in Orange County
Beth A. Paterniti was appointed deputy health officer and assistant director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County in November 2020.
Immediately prior to joining DOH-Orange, Ms. Paterniti served almost two years as delegate for the vacant deputy secretary of county health systems, where she reported directly to the State Surgeon General.
Ms. Paterniti became the director of the Office of the Deputy Secretary of County Health Systems in 2012 where she was responsible for providing leadership and direction to Florida’s 67 county health departments. She brings wealth of experience in all aspects of public health policy and operations, as well as community and governmental relations.
Prior to her time in public health, Ms. Paterniti worked at both the state and local level in business relations and government affairs. Ms. Paterniti served as a policy advisor in the Office of Policy and Budget within the Executive Office of the Governor, a legislative staffer with the Florida Senate, and a business development manager and paralegal in private law practice.
A Florida native and proud Seminole, Ms. Paterniti is a graduate of Florida State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Policy and holds a master’s in Public Administration. Ms. Paterniti currently serves as a board member at large with the Florida Public Health Association and an active member of both the Florida and National Association of City and County Health Officials serving in leadership roles for various committees on policy and legislative matters.
Assistant County Health Department Director
Donna walsh, MPA, BSN, RN
Assistant County Health Department Director
Florida Department of Health in Orange County
Mrs. Walsh was appointed as the assistant county health department director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County in April 2026.
She had recently returned to public health in March 2025 as a senior health services analyst and community chief health strategist for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. Before her return to the Department, she served as the president and chief executive officer of Shepherd’s Hope from 2023-2025 after retiring as the health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Seminole County.
Mrs. Walsh is a proven leader and community liaison who is recognized for her expertise in the field of public health and community service participating on multiple boards and committees. A formally trained nurse and epidemiologist, she has worked in public health for over 35 years and held leadership positions with the Florida Department of Health for over 18 years.
She graduated from the University of Central Florida’s nursing program in 1986 and received her master’s in public administration from the same university in 2008. Mrs. Walsh is recognized for establishing strategic partnerships and creating innovative solutions to meet the needs of communities. She has co-authored several academic publications and presented public health topics in professional and community forums. She was instrumental in completing requirements for the Florida Department of Health accreditation application to the National Public Health Accreditation Board for Seminole County and facilitated the completion of the Community Health Assessments and Improvement Plans for the county.
Mrs. Walsh was named as the learning partner for the Kresge Foundation’s Emerging Leaders in Public Health award received by the Florida Department of Health in Seminole County in 2015. She also received the 2015 Public Service Excellence Award, 2017 Alumni Achievement Award, and 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award from the Central Florida Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and the University of Central Florida’s School of Public Administration. She was also accepted into the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Adaptive Leadership Academy in 2022, received the 2021 Community True Champion Award from True Health, and received the 2023 Leadership Seminole Legends Award.