Tribute to Dr. Warachal E. Faison

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Dr. WARACHAL EILEEN FAISON OBITUARY

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Dr. Warachal Eileen Faison gained her heavenly wings on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at her home in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Warachal was born to the late Walter Sr. and Sadie Easter Faison on September 8, 1967, in Warsaw, North Carolina. She joined St. Stevens AME Zion Church, Warsaw, North Carolina, at an early age and professed her faith in God. During COVID-19, she considered it a blessing to be able to worship virtually with St. Joseph AME Church, Durham, North Carolina.

After graduating as valedictorian from James Kenan High School in 1985, Warachal attended North Carolina Central University on a full scholarship and graduated summa cum laude in 1989. While at NCCU, she made lifelong friends as a resident in Rush Honors Dormitory, playing the flute as a member of the famed Sound Machine under the direction of Dr. Jerry Head, and as a proud member of the Alpha Lambda chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  A lifelong learner, Warachal was scheduled to graduate in May 2022 with her MBA from Steven’s Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, and will be awarded her degree posthumously.

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Warachal obtained a full scholarship to University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine where she obtained her medical degree and completed her psychiatry residency, including chief residency. She further trained as a clinical geriatric psychiatry fellow at Duke University School of Medicine and an American Psychiatric Association (APA) public psychiatry fellow.

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Dr. Faison served as a geriatric psychiatrist and Medical Director, Women’s and Men’s Health at Pfizer. Prior to joining Pfizer in 2008, Dr. Faison was the Clinical Director, Alzheimer’s Research & Clinical Programs at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where she was employed for 12 years. An investigator on numerous Alzheimer’s disease research trials, her major areas of interests included minority recruitment into clinical trials, risks and protective factors in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as mood disorders. Dr. Faison has been recognized for her work as a health care provider, researcher, and community advocate in health disparities, minority recruitment into Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials, women’s health issues, and mental health. A recipient of numerous honors and awards, Dr. Faison has been featured in the national media, including CNN, BET, and The Washington Post. She also has been recognized as a National Alzheimer’s Champion by the National Alzheimer’s Association as she has furthered research for prevention and cure, made strides in care and support, and raised awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. From 2012 -2013, Dr. Faison participated in the Global Health Fellows Program where she had the opportunity to use her medical and professional expertise in China for three months to bring awareness about the growing epidemic of diabetes.

Dr. Faison’s expertise and continued service to medicine has led to “a seat at the table” on numerous boards to include the American Association of Community Psychiatrists and Association of Women’s Psychiatrists; American Psychiatric Association (APA) Council on Aging; American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry; Geriatric Mental Health Foundation; American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry; Alzheimer’s Foundation of America; Association of Women Psychiatrists; American Association of Community Psychiatrists; YWCA of Greater Charleston; and the DSM-V Workgroup on Neurocognitive Disorders and Lifespan Study Group.

As if there was any time left in her busy schedule, Warachal could be found “going all in” with community volunteer causes and projects that fueled her passions. As a trained classical pianist and flutist, Warachal was a strong advocate for the arts. She could be found working tirelessly in the community combining her passions for youth and the arts. She was an advisory board member of Opening Act which worked to give youth access to theatre programming. An avid stamp collector of all things related to the African diaspora, Warachal served as the social media officer and most recently the president of the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER), an African American Stamp Club, where she advocated for the inclusion of youth and women in philately.  Recently, she was recognized in the 2022 edition of Most Influential Philatelists by Linn’s Stamp News. Whether it was advocating for parents of children with autism through SPARK or inspiring the next generation of scientists as a member of the Morehead Planetarium or NCCU College of Arts, Social Science and Humanities boards, she found it an honor to serve.

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Although she was the recipient of numerous accolades and awards, Warachal was most proud of being honored by her alma mater as the 2015 recipient of the UNC Black Alumni Reunion Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Alumni Award for Overall Achievement.  

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Make no mistake, Warachal loved her NCCU family, where she supported in service as chapter president of the Coastal Alumni Chapter in South Carolina. She was NCCU’s number one sports fan, maintaining her football season tickets and favorite VIP seating “by any means necessary.” She loved sports in general, making The U.S. Tennis Open in New York City, the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, and the MEAC basketball tournament annual events. Warachal would never miss an opportunity to shout out that she had two favorite teams….her NCCU Eagles and her UNC Tar Heels highlighted by her classic sayings “No ordinary Barnyard Fowl” and “If God is not a Tar Heel, then why is the sky Carolina Blue.”

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An adventurist and world traveler, Warachal would fly anywhere Delta Airlines would fly including Dubai, Paris, London, China, Japan, Africa, and loved testing her skills in snowboarding, skiing, and jet skiing, but most of all she absolutely adored her family.  One of her most memorable trips was to Tybee Island, South Carolina, with her mother in 2020. Warachal had a profound impact on the lives of her nieces, who often accompanied her on many of her trips and who later followed in her footsteps, choosing healthcare careers in pediatric medicine and geriatric social work. Warachal was all about family, whether birth or chosen, and we are all so grateful for the unconditional love she so unselfishly shared.

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She is preceded in death by her parents and survived by her brother, Walter (Desdemona Karen), of Durham, NC; her beautiful devoted nieces, Dr. Keia Faison of Chapel Hill, NC and Iyana Faison, MSW of Wakefield, NC, her adopted godson, Mr. “Chip” Miller, of Portland, Oregon, her sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., especially her Alpha Lambda Fall ’87 line sisters, and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, adopted brothers and devoted friends.