Physician Leader Profiles

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Daniel Joseph Anhalt, M.D. - Dr. Anhalt went to UCLA School of Medicine and McGill University Family Medicine Residency. He has been practicing Emergency Medicine for 14 years. He has served in two Emergency Departments as Chief of Emergency Medicine for a total of 5 years. Dr. Anhalt has a great interest in and depth of Internet technologies knowledge. Dr. Anhalt is an experienced web site developer.

Wayne Berberian, M.D. - Dr. Wayne Berberian is the Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at New Jersey Medical School. In this role, he teaches and supervises medical students, conducts research, and practices as an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Berberian pursued an MBA because the current health care climate was making it increasingly difficult for physicians to remain effective without a comprehensive understanding of management techniques. As an academician serving in a large tertiary care center, he felt that an MBA would provide him with the business knowledge to help his department and institution succeed. "The PEMBA curriculum opened my eyes to effective strategic planning and negotiating techniques. The Leadership Development Program and employee interaction portions of Physician Executive MBA have actually permitted me to deal with my staff and colleagues in a more beneficial manner."

Pedro Juan Cardona, M.D. -  Dr. Cardona is a Medical Director with Gateway Health Plan. Prior to joining Gateway Health Plan, Dr. Cardona was a Managing Partner of the Sussex Pulmonary Associates, LLC (formerly Pedro J. Cardona, MD) for 12 years. Prior to his own practice, Dr. Cardona was Medical Director at a Respiratory Therapy Program at Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown. Dr. Cardona received his medical education at the University of Puerto Rico Medical School, and received his MBA at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Cardona is also Board Certified with the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Cardona is a member of the American College of Physician Executives. Dr. Cardona joined the PEMBA program at UT to develop the business skills to set a direction for the growth of our organization and compete effectively in the rapidly changing health care environment. Being a member of multiple committees, I wanted to develop the knowledge to effectively communicate with the financial officers and other administrators of the local hospitals.”

Ken Call, M.D.- Dr. Call attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville from 1976-1977 and transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He graduated from East Carolina University School of Medicine in 1991 and immediately entered a 6 year surgical residency which he completed in 1997.  Since completing his residency, Dr. Call has been working as an independent contractor performing locum tenens coverage in both General Surgery and Emergency Medicine for various hospitals.  In 1998, he formed a professional association, Call Medical Associates.

Attila G. Devenyi, M.D. -  Dr. Devenyi is a graduate of the Cornell University College of Engineering. He attended medical school at the Penn State College of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship at the Tufts New England Medical Center. Following this he founded and directed the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the Penn State Geisinger Health System. In the health system he has served on the Physician Compensation Committee and the Strategy Planning and Marketing committee.

David L. Gossage, M.D.- Dr. Gossage received his B.S. degree in Biology at The University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee and earned his MD degree at the University of the Tennessee at Memphis. He completed a Pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio was followed by a three year fellowship in Allergy/Immunology at Duke University. He spent an additional three years serving as a Procter and Gamble basic science research scholar at the Children’s Research Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been in group practice since 1996 and is a faculty member at Vanderbilt University where he is involved in research and he serves as the principle investigator for allergy and asthma clinical trials.

John H. Hajjar, M.D. -  Dr. Hajjar graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1981, and subsequently was trained for two years in General Surgery and four years in Urology at NYU Medical Center. He started his solo practice in 1987, subsequently opening his Ambulatory Multi-special Surgical facility in 1992. Dr. Hajjar has assembled a large group of Urologists into his successful practice in New Jersey. He is presently the CEO of Urology Specialty Care and Surgicare Surgical Associates with combined substantial revenue streams. He is interested in disease management with the subsequent carve out for urology care.

George V. Jirak, M.D.- Dr. Jirak is a practicing Board Certified OB/GYN Physician who is a practicing Gynecologist/ UroGyncologist in Wheeling, West Virginia. Dr. Jirak obtained his Bachelor of Science and Medical Degrees at the University of Wisconsin. His previous experience includes 20 years of medical practice, Chief of Gynecology and Co-Residency Director for OB/GYN at the Presidio of San Francisco, Chief of OB/GYN, and Vice-Chief of the Medical Staff. Dr. Jirak was the president of Jackson Purchase Physician Association (JPPA) in 1994, a 70 member Independent Physician Association. He was President of JPPA for 5 years and developed physician dominated health networks and systems. Dr. Jirak was project coordinator for the Physician Executive MBA Electronic Medical Record Project.

Michael Johnston, M.D.- Dr. Johnston is a Family Practitioner from Phenix City, Alabama where he has been in solo practice since 1986.  He graduated from medical school in 1980 at the University of South Alabama and is now a part of the Columbus Regional Healthcare System based out of Columbus, Georgia.  Other interests in medicine include integration of computers into the Healthcare System and improving the speed of test reporting at his local hospital.  Physician Executive MBA enabled Dr. Johnston "to gain business skills pertinent to the practice of medicine and be exposed to many aspects of business practice."

Alan Lassiter, M.D.- Dr. Alan Lassiter served as the President and CEO of the Cook Children’s Physicians Network in Fort Worth, Texas. He pursued an MBA to gain a broader understanding of business principles. Dr. Lassiter chose PEMBA because he was impressed with the curriculum and the quality of the educators. While he appreciates the convenience of long distance learning, he believes the quality of the education separates the PEMBA program from others. Through Physician Executive MBA, Dr. Lassiter has gained insight into management issues and strategic positions. "Without formal business training, doctors are nearsighted. An MBA is best for a doctor who is looking for a leadership position. Doctors must be able to exist in both the clinical and business worlds in order to move to the next level."

James Leigh, M.D.- Dr. Leigh is the Medical Director for MedLink Georgia. As Medical Director, he has responsibility for over 10 centers in the provision of healthcare services for the  underserved population, as well as the uninsured, Medicare and Medicaid populations.  He has practiced general surgery in Gainesville, Georgia since 1973.  He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia since 1975 and was active in forming the Longstreet Clinic, a primary care and multi-specialty clinic.  PEMBA enabled Dr. Leigh to become familiar with the language of business and to prepare him to enter the medical business consulting field.

Bruce Alan Meyer, M.D.- Dr. Meyer is the Vice-President for Medical Affairs, Associate Dean, and Executive Director of the Faculty Practice Plan at the University of Texas Southwestern. Before this appointment Dr. Meyer was President, UMass Memorial Medical Group as well as Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Medical School. He was also Obstetrician/Gynecologist-in-Chief at UMassMemorial Health Care. He is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications, with specific areas of clinical interest in Stress and its effects on Pregnancy Outcome and Vaginal birth after Cesarean. Initially, Dr. Meyer enrolled in Physician Executive MBA for career development and to develop a better understanding of accounting, finance, and the economics of managed care. He says, "However, what I have learned and most appreciated from the PEMBA program goes well beyond the basic finance portion of the training. The leadership development, negotiation training, organizational management and strategic planning skills are immense. Most importantly, the personal growth and networking with people who are truly 'kindred souls' has created the finest educational experience of his life.

Curtis Mock, M.D.-  Dr Mock is currently employed by Optum Care Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Health Group as its Senior Regional Medical Director. This position combines seventeen years of clinical experience with knowledge obtained from business experience running a medical office and the PEMBA program. He is a Senior Regional Medical Director and has three Medical Directors reporting to him at this time.

Vania Naydenova, M.D. - Dr. Vania Naydenova is a native Bulgarian, but she has lived in the United States since June of 1998. She graduated from the Medical University in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Her specialty is in ENT diseases and occupational medicine. Before her arrival in the states, she worked at the Medical University in Sofia as an ENT Otoneurologist at the Clinic of Occupational Diseases. Dr. Naydenova pursued an MBA to keep her emerged in the medical profession while learning about the business aspect of medicine. PEMBA was important for her to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of her behavior. "With examples from real life and not just theory, I was convinced that it was correct. To be a good leader, is a difficult task. Physician Executive MBA has given me the belief that I can build better leadership skills by applying the knowledge that I have learned. I have seen positive results already in my personal life, and I know it will work in my career too."

Thurman Lee Pedigo, M.D. - Dr. Pedigo has been a participating physician for more than twenty-five years.  He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Medical School at Memphis, and specializes in Family Practice.  Dr. Pedigo is married with three children and four grandchildren.

Butch Ramsey, M.D.-  Dr. Ramsey is the former partner for Capital Family Physicians, and eighteen-physician multi-specialty group. "Through PEMBA, I have learned how to balance my life and learned how to get off the treadmill of medicine." Dr. Ramsey is transitioning out of medicine and is now in the process of creating a new business venture that will address a better way to make health care more affordable.

Ron Reynolds, M.D.- Dr. Ron Reynolds specializes in emergency medicine and practices in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Reynolds pursued an MBA because he was seeking self-growth. He felt that emergency medicine was a "young" profession and that he needed another challenge. He has discovered many new opportunities through PEMBA. "The demand for physicians with an MBA is very high, and these physicians help to bridge the gap between business and medicine." Dr. Reynolds recommends Physician Executive MBA to physicians who want to enhance their self-growth, keep up with the changes in health care, and increase their knowledge base. "The program is a great equalizer in that all doctors need to keep the knowledge out there and share with each other. They will succeed with the benefits derived from this openness. Everyone in PEMBA is there to help themselves and each other. These bonds stay strong, even after the program is over."

JoAnn Riggins-Woodhouse, M.D.- Dr. Woodhouse is currently the Regional Medical Director of Oakwood Hospital multi-specialty Ambulatory Division. She is a graduate of Michigan State University-College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Internship and Residency training at Michigan State University / St. Lawrence Hospital Family Practice. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice. Dr. Woodhouse's experience includes the practice of comprehensive family medicine with the emphasis on family centered birthing. She is most proud of the time she spent training Family Practice Residents. Dr. Woodhouse currently is Regional Medical Director for Oakwood Hospital Multi-Specialty Ambulatory Division. Through PEMBA, Dr. Woodhouse gained knowledge about the business side of medicine and developed stronger leadership skills. Dr. Woodhouse says, "I have gained valuable relationships at PEMBA, both personal and professional. Also, I have gained a deeper understanding of the marketplace and a global view of the factors that influence decisions making in healthcare."

Harry Joel Sanner, M.D. - Dr. Sanner graduated Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland. His medical education began at Loma Linda University Medical School in 1975. After graduating, he completed a pediatric residency at Loma Linda University Hospital. Following three years of service in the Nation Health Service in Southern Colorado, he returned to Loma Linda University and completed a two-year anesthesiology residency. Dr. Sanner held a one-year Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital. In 1988, he and his family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee where Dr. Sanner joined the anesthesiology practice at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Currently he is Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology, which is staffed by four anesthesiologists and ten certified registered nurse anesthetists.

C. Bevan Stuart, M.D. - Dr. Stuart arrived in Riverside, CA in 1970 for his internship in Internal Medicine. After completing three years in Internal Medicine and an additional year in Cardiology fellowship, he moved back to London, Ontario, Canada where he did a final year in Cardiology. In 1975, Dr. Stuart set up a solo practice in Cardiology in Riverside, California. He has been involved in various medical staff administrative activities for the past twenty-three years and is currently the Chief of Staff at Riverside Community Hospital. Dr. Stuart has recently accepted the position of Senior Vice President and Medical Director of Riverside Community Hospital. He is particularly interested in CQI activities and the development of a computerized medical record, both for the hospital and hopefully an integrated office record. His interests include computers, wine and food. He and his wife have owned and operated a retail wine store and wine storage facility for thirteen years and also chaired a wine auction fundraiser for the American Heart Association generating over $200,000 for AHA over the last fourteen years.  

Jonathan A. Swartz, M.D.- Dr. Swartz is Vice Chair for Clinical and Academic Affairs of the Department of Family and Social Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. Dr. Swartz also serves as Medical Director for Montefiore Medical Group 2, a network of nine community based primary care practices in medically underserved areas of the Bronx that provide 300,000 visits annually with a budget of $40 million. The network includes five teaching practices that train primary care residents in Family Medicine, Pediatrics, and Primary Care Internal Medicine. Montefiore Medical Center is a $1.6 billion integrated delivery system that combines an academic medical center with a large primary care network, home care agency, and contract management organization that currently carries global risk for 150,000 lives. Dr. Swartz received his education at the University of Connecticut, earning a B.S. with Honors in Biology in 1976 and his M.D. at the School of Medicine in 1980. He trained in Family Practice at the Residency Program in Social Medicine at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, New York. Dr. Swartz completed his MBA in December 1999 at the Physician Executive MBA Program at The University of Tennessee Knoxville. Dr. Swartz's areas of interest lie in practice management in non-profit health care organizations as well as Medical Informatics and Total Quality Management.

Melissa Emlyn Trekell, M.D. - Dr. Trekell received her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City in May 1978. Her internship and residency were at the University of Kansas - St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Trekell is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Since beginning her general surgery practice in Maryville, Tennessee in 1986, Dr. Trekell was instrumental in developing the trauma system at the hospital is currently director of Trauma Services and a member of the Tennessee State Trauma Committee. In March 1991, she founded the Tennessee Breast Center. As the president, she represents the breast center on a regional and national level. The multidisciplinary focus of the breast center has resulted in the formation of a cancer center for the hospital. Dr. Trekell's interest is in women’s health care, Continuous Quality Improvement and marketing.

Thomas von Dohlen, M.D.- Dr. Thomas von Dohlen is an internist/noninvasive cardiologist at The Greenbriar Clinic, a multi-specialty diagnostic facility in White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia. Dr. von Dohlen chose PEMBA to acquire knowledge in a setting with other physicians that represented a broad spectrum of geographic and practice environments. PEMBA has proved invaluable for him to recognize the value of diversity and respect different viewpoints. Furthermore, he believes the professors are highly qualified and have a supportive nature. "They (the faculty) truly go out of their way to make Physician Executive MBA what I would venture to say is the best among physician-directed business education programs."

Gary Wadhwa, M.D. - Dr. Wadhwa owns and manages an oral and maxillofacial surgery group practice.  The practice is affiliated with major teaching hospitals in the Albany area.  He is involved with teaching residents and holding Continuing Medical Education programs.

 

 

 

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