The Health Crossroad with Dr. Doug Elwood and Dr. Tom Elwood

Deborah Discenza is a leading patient advocate for babies born prematurely. Combining careers in technology and publishing, Ms. Discenza has initiated several different outlets to raise awareness and education around preemies, including Preemie Magazine, PreemieWorld, and her book The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU which she co-authored with little man Director/Producer Nicole Conn. Her work focuses on providing information to parents in simple terms to enhance health literacy, critical when parents are dealing with the very challenging environment of a neonatal intensive care unit. For her work in this area, Ms. Discenza has been widely recognized and is a founding member of many organizatons as well as a regular author to several publications. She has received awards for her work and continues to be very active helping to promote better awareness for parents and others in the health field.Suzanne Staebler has been a leading voice in the field of neonatal nursing for almost 25 years. Currently, she maintains her practice the Pediatrix Medical Group of Tennessee, in Nashville and has a healthcare/health policy consulting business. Previous positions included APRN leadership positions and faculty appointments within neonatal nurse practitioner programs. Suzanne also is active on multiple different national organizations including acting as the Governing Council Chair of the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners and sits on the board of directors for the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. Suzanne graduated from Baylor University before obtaining her nursing degrees from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and Texas Christian University. She is a board-certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and has authored articles on the subject of the health policy implications of regionalization.

Dr. Thomas Rice is Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health where he teaches courses in health economics, research methodology, and current issues in health policy. He served as Vice Chancellor, Academic Personnel for the UCLA campus from 2006-11. His portfolio of published research includes the topics of physicians' economic behavior, the role of competition in health care reform, and managed care. He has testified before the U.S. Congress numerous times on various health policy issues. Dr. Rice has been the recipient of prestigious outstanding health services researcher awards from both the Association for Health Services Research and the Association for University Programs in Health Administration. He also has received the Article-of-the-Year Award from the Association for Health Services Research. His other honors include being elected to the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Rice served as Editor of the journal, Medical Care Research and Review from 1994-2000. His Ph.D. in Economics is from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Rice provides great insights into the relevance of behavioral economics to health, including "present bias", "loss aversion", and many other subjects in this critical element of the health domain.

Dr. JR Rizzo is a board-certified physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is a researcher at NYU Langone Medical Center and is well versed in exercise physiology and the interplay between physical ailments and medical diseases. Dr. Rizzo received a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from New York University and went on to receive an M.D. from New York Medical College, before starting residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU. Dr. Rizzo is also an entrepreneur, launching his company, TNT, in 2013. TNT offers multiple products designed to improve the lives of those with vision deficiencies and to promote better awareness for a myriad of other stakeholders. TNT was recently featured in leading publication Crain’s and JR was named a Top 40 under 40 for NY’s Rising Stars.In this interview, Dr. Rizzo provides us with a glimpse of what TNT will offer the future of health and the backbone of his amazing patented sixth-sense technology including the underpinnings of the Google Driverless Car technology. Firefighters, police, military personnel, and those with neurological disorders could all benefit from this, well worth the listen! Dr. Rizzo also shares personal stories and reflections that are inspirational.

Timothy Jost is a law professor at the Washington and Lee University School of Law. He is a co-author of a casebook that is used widely throughout the United States in teaching health law. He also is the author of several other key publications, including Readings in Comparative Health Law and Bioethics, along with another book entitled Health Care at Risk: A Critique of the Consumer-Driven Movement. He has written numerous articles and book chapters on health care regulation and comparative health law and policy, and has lectured on health law topics throughout the world. One of his most recent articles was published in April of this year in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled “Obama’s Affordable Care Act Delays – Breaking the Law or Making it Work?” which discusses the legality of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act implementation postponements. Professor Jost is a frequent contributor to the highly influential Health Affairs Blog regarding the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz and he obtained his law degree with honors from the University of Chicago.

Mr. Andrew Jablonski is a leading voice in patient advocacy. He is the Founder and CEO of the Short Bowel Syndrome Foundation, a charity organization that supports the community of patients and caregivers who are impacted by the rare intestinal disease Short Bowel Syndrome, and the healthcare providers who care for them. In less than 3 years, the foundation has grown to over 3000 followers and members who are affected by this condition. Andy works closely with a number of different organizations including the National Organization of Rare Disorders as well as leading medical centers in order to increase the understanding of SBS. Andy is currently working toward his BA in Human Relations and plans to pursue a Masters of Arts in Counseling, which will enable him to become a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner.

Dr. Stephen Wilson is retired from The Ohio State University where for 20 years he served as Director, School of Allied Medical Professions and Associate Dean, College of Medicine. During this time he led a nationally recognized school of allied health that included undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. He continued to teach courses in the graduate program in the School and was principle investigator on a national study with Indiana University and the Department of Defense. The project establishes a registry of Vietnam veterans who received traumatic amputations during the war and studies their long term outcomes over the life span. Research outcomes are expected to have direct application to those veterans who have suffered traumatic amputations through service in Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2007-2009, Dr. Wilson served as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL), a federal advisory committee supported through the Bureau of Health Professions within the U.S. Public Health Service. He is a Past President of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions.

Katherine Leon is a leading patient advocate and is co-founder with Rachel Doucette of the SCAD Alliance, a health nonprofit focused on improved care and outcomes of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, an underdiagnosed form of heart attack and sudden death. Katherine experienced SCAD in 2003 following the birth of her second son. After several weeks of misdiagnoses, she survived a heart attack and emergency double bypass surgery. The ordeal was a new beginning for her as an advocate for women with heart disease and her fellow SCAD survivors. In addition to initiating SCAD clinical studies at Mayo Clinic, she advocates for patient empowerment and supports survivors and their families through @SCADalliance.

Katherine spent her early career in corporate communication and today is a freelance writer/editor. In addition to her advocacy through SCAD Alliance, she is a 2009 graduate of the Women Heart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic, and volunteers to educate the public in person and online about the number one killer of Americans: heart disease.

Dr. Carole Timpone is the Associate Dean of Clinical Programs at Pacific University College of Optometry in Oregon. She served as the Director of the Pacific University Eye Clinic in Portland, Oregon, for over 15 years. She received Pacific’s President's Award for Excellence in Professional Education in 2004. She has served professional organizations in numerous roles, including Director of Education for the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association, and Site Coordinator for the administration of Clinical Skills Examination of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. She was the founding Chairperson of the University Faculty Senate, and most recently, the founding director of the Pacific Interprofessional Diabetes Clinic. Dr. Timpone was named a Distinguished University Professor at Pacific University. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice. Her areas of interest, research, and expertise include ocular disease, glaucoma, and primary care optometry. Her bachelors degree is from Cornell University and her Doctor of Optometry degree is from the State University of NY.

Judy Messina is a well-known and respected healthcare writer and editor. After starting her career in banking, Judy shifted to reporting over 20 years ago starting with a local paper before moving to Crain’s New York Business. At Crain’s, Judy has long covered health care in addition to many other areas. In the mid-1990s, Judy launched the technology and telecommunications beat for New York City, writing “Digital New York”, a Crain's publication, the first daily newsletter about the technology scene in the City. She has continued her strong interest in health since then, with her stories appearing in multiple top-tier venues such as CNBC.com, NBC.com, Advertising Age, Modern Health Care, and many others. She also edited and wrote for Health Pulse, Crain's must-read newsletter for the health care industry. She has also been recognized for her excellence in reporting with numerous awards, including the Gold Award/Best Feature for a story on the impact of Silicon Alley in NYC. Judy received her MBA from the Wharton School and her Masters in Journalism at Columbia University where she was awarded the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship.

Dr. James Koeninger has 45 years of experience in public education, higher education, corporate training and development, association management and strategic partnerships between government and corporations. As the Executive Vice President of Jobs for America’s Graduates, he and the Texas-based JAG staff are responsible for managing the delivery of technical assistance to the 33-state JAG National Network including: staff development, national accreditation, site reviews, national meetings, publications, handbooks, media development and meeting management. Since 1985, Dr. Koeninger also has served as Executive Director of HOSA—Future Health Professionals. He has served as the lead designer and facilitator of the Walton Institute and the Advanced Leadership Development Program, funded by Sam and Helen Walton, over an 18-year period for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He also was the designer of the Arkansas Leadership Academy for superintendents and principals in the state of Arkansas. His doctorate is from The Ohio State University and he has held business and education faculty positions in several universities over the years.