Physician Leader Profiles

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Turky Khalid Al Rujaib, MD, MBA — Dr. Al Rujaib is a gynecologic oncologist for Saudi Aramco. After earning his medical degree from King Faisal University he completed his residency at McGill University. He followed residency with a fellowship at the University of Manitoba in Canada. Directing patient care in one of the world's largest oil producing companies led Dr. Al Rujaib to the University of Tennessee PEMBA program because, he notes, a proactive leader must first develop the skills necessary to achieve his or her goals..

Muthusamy Anandkumar, MD, MBA — Dr. Kumar is a physician executive with experience in launching and successfully expanding several brick-and-mortar and online businesses, including two thriving pharmaceutical companies. He is strongly committed to improving the quality of health care. Dr. Kumar has extensive understanding of project management and health care process improvement, including Lean Six Sigma competency, and is involved in operations at a major healthcare facility with focus on improving quality of care. As a consultant with an IT company he has helped develop tracking software. Through more than ten years of experience in health care and background in launching successful businesses, he has developed expertise in new business development, strategic sales and marketing, team leadership, and operational management. His strong analytic and problem-solving skills have enabled him to craft effective, money-saving solutions for various industries. Maintaining current expertise is his passion and he considers PEMBA as a premier program essential to gain vital business skills. He is open to networking opportunities to share his knowledge and experience.

Victor Archie, MD, MBA — Dr. Archie began his post-high school education at North Carolina Central University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a member of the Beta Kappa Chi scientific honor society. He completed medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were he received the Shull Memorial Scholarship for Academic Excellence and was a member of the Mayer Community Health Honor Society. After completing his medical degree, he completed a residency in radiation oncology at the University of California in Los Angeles. During this time he presented academic papers and research at numerous national meetings and was published in several peer-reviewed journals. He served as chief resident of his program prior to becoming board certified. Dr. Archie now serves on the Radiation Utilization Code Committee and the Workforce Committee for the American Society of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Archie will use the skills gained from the PEMBA program to continue his development as a leader in the field of oncology.

Anuj Bhargava, MD, FACP, FACE, CDE, MBA — Dr. Bhargava is President of Iowa Diabetes and Endocrinology Center in Des Moines, Iowa, since 2002. He obtained his medical degree in India. He did his internal medicine residency at Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio, and a fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He has great passion for treating diabetes and is very interested in improving the care of patients with it. He started Shared Medical Appointments for patients with diabetes in order to improve their level of understanding. He has participated very actively in many community patient education programs and championed the cause of bringing the first ever "Taking Control Of Your Diabetes" conference to the community of Des Moines. He is very active in teaching residents and students and holds faculty positions as assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, University of Iowa, and at Des Moines University. He started the unique concept of self-running audio-talk presentations for the residents and medical students visiting his practice. Dr. Bhargava has special interest in speaking and sees his role as the one transferring knowledge from the experts in the field to the primary care physicians and patients. He has made a number of changes at IDEC and has transformed the practice in the last three years. His vision is to establish IDEC as the premier endocrinology practice in the Midwest. His desire to change the practice, and the paradigms of treatment of diabetics in the community, prompted him to enroll in the PEMBA program.

Noel Brown, MD, MBA — Dr. Brown is a board-certified family physician who received his medical degree from Albany Medical College. He completed his residency in family medicine at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, New York. He completed a two-year fellowship in faculty development and a one-year program directors fellowship. Subsequently, he became the Assistant Program Director at Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York. Currently, he is the Medical Director for the Family Practice Center and Redesign Facilitator for nine primary care ambulatory sites at Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York. He has been a key player in restructuring the processes that support patient care and is an active trainer in office redesign. This year, he will be spearheading the open access initiative with nationally known leaders for twenty-one primary care ambulatory sites.

Sonya Brown, MD, MBA — This Profile is being revised. Please check back soon.

Juan Camps, MD, MBA — Dr. Camps is native of Spain where he attended medical school in the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain. He obtained his medical degree in 1990. After three years of training in emergency medicine he moved to the United States. Dr. Camps trained in general surgery in Puerto Rico. He is board-certified from the American College of Surgeons. In addition, Dr. Camps trained in pediatric surgery at the Miami Children's Hospital for two years. In 2002, he moved to the South and joined a pediatric surgical group in Columbia, South Carolina, where he is involved in teaching as an assistant clinical professor of pediatric surgery from the South Carolina School of Medicine. His interest is in minimally invasive surgery in children. He has provided a broad experience in minimally invasive surgery to his colleagues and surgical residents. Dr. Camps has become more involved in the administration aspects from the Children's Hospital and his private office. His interest in a business degree is to have the opportunity to learn a new, real world that affects in many ways the practice of medicine. His goal is to continue with his academic and surgical practice along with a more active role in the administrative and operational system of the Children's Hospital. Following this pursuit, Dr. Camps was named Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Children's Hospital following his graduation in December, 2006.

Jose Luis Cervantes, MD, MBA — Dr. Cervantes received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Southern California. He graduated from the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco. His residency training in emergency medicine was completed at Bellevue Hospital Center/NYU Medical Center, where he also served as chief resident. After residency, he was part of the Public Health Service, providing emergency care on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Dr. Cervantes is currently an emergency physician with Front Line Emergency Care Specialists in Los Angeles, where he serves on the board of directors and soon will serve as president. He seeks to further his leadership abilities and business knowledge to affect change in our current health care environment and improve patient care.

Dominick Cottrell, MD, MBA — Dr. Cottrell received his medical degree from the West Virginia University School of Medicine after obtaining a bachelor of arts in music from the West Virginia University's College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Cottrell completed his anesthesiology residency at the West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown, West Virginia. In addition, he served as chief resident in his last year at WVU. He was named a Foundation in Anesthesia Education and Research resident scholar during his chief year. Following residency he completed two anesthesia fellowships at Wake Forest University Department of Anesthesiology in pediatric anesthesia and cardiothoracic anesthesia. Dr. Cottrell is published in the areas of pediatric trauma anesthesia, temperature monitoring in pediatric anesthesia, and evaluation of aortic dissection in cardiac surgery. He is currently a Managing Partner of Perioperative Specialists, PLLC, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and works as staff anesthesiologist at St. Joseph Hospital and Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital. He serves on multiple committees at St. Joseph Hospital, including the medical executive committee, cardiovascular care committee, and the trauma committee. In addition, Dr. Cottrell has recently been named the Chairperson for Anesthesia at St. Joseph Hospital. Prior to his current position, Dr. Cottrell was an assistant professor on the faculty at West Virginia University Department of Anesthesiology and an instructor on the faculty at Wake Forest University Department of Anesthesiology. His main purpose for pursuing an MBA is to refine his business and leadership skills, especially in operating room management, billing and collections, and health care policy.

Thomas Crumbley, MD, DFAPA, MBA — Dr. Crumbley is president and chief executive officer of Arizona Psychiatric Physicians and medical director for the intensive outpatient and partial hospital programs at St. Luke's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Crumbley, a Yale trained psychiatrist, is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is the current president of the Arizona Psychiatric Society, the Arizona representative to the assembly of district branches of the American Psychiatric Association, and a delegate in the Arizona Medical Association's House of Delegates. Dr. Crumbley, a McCallie School graduate and former national powerlifting champion, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Tennessee. After attending graduate school at the University of Tennessee and Georgia Tech, Dr. Crumbley began his medical education at the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, Tennessee. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Dr. Crumbley completed his internship at Maricopa County Hospital and began residency training in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. He enjoyed the rich intellectual environment, unsurpassed teaching and training, and diverse neuroscience research opportunities at Yale, and was chief resident in psychiatry at Yale–New Haven Hospital during his PG–4 year. After graduation from postdoctoral fellowship training at Yale, Dr. Crumbley entered private practice. Dr. Crumbley relates: "In terms of my career, the most difficult decision I ever made was leaving Yale and academe to enter private practice ... I miss most the intellectual stimulation that was so satisfying at Yale, but I have greatly enjoyed an unsurpassed quality of life since establishing my home in Arizona. In order to be a successful physician leader in the future one must possess superb business knowledge in addition to outstanding medical and political skill. With Yale having no such program for physicians at this time I searched to find the best MBA program for physicians currently available."

Lt Col Joseph C. Darrow Jr., MD, MBA — Dr. Darrow is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon currently serving a two-year temporary tour with the United States Air Force at Andrews Air Force Base in the D.C. area. His educational background includes an AB from the University of Pennsylvania followed by three years at the L'Universite Libre de Bruxelles, where he earned a Diplome des Candidatures, avec Distinction. He subsequently completed his medical education at the New Jersey Medical School. He accomplished his internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York. This was followed by a one-year fellowship in hand surgery at the Mayo Clinic and Foundation under Ronald Linscheid, MD, and James Dobyns, MD. Dr. Darrow accomplished a twenty-two year solo orthopedic practice concomitantly with a to-date fourteen-year career in the USAF as a flight surgeon. His current position is that of Chief of Individual Medical Readiness at the Office of the Air Surgeon of the Air National Guard. He is a chief flight surgeon with two overseas combat deployments in the War on Terrorism, and has 100 hours of combat time in that capacity, and an Air Medal. His civilian medical achievements include being a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and an Active Member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. After observing the steady erosion of earnings in the medical field for the last sixteen years due to governmental and private insurance policies, he became convinced that while education was undoubtedly the key to success, that wasn't necessarily financially true in the medical field. His enrollment in the PEMBA program is an effort to position him to be able to continue to work in a very challenging field of endeavor in both the civilian and military careers he has chosen.

Marquetta Faulkner, MD, FACP, MBA — Dr. Faulkner is a Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Nephrology and Medical Director of the Meharry Medical Group at Meharry Medical College. She graduated from Meharry Medical College in 1981 and completed a residency in internal medicine at Meharry in 1984. Dr. Faulkner served a public health obligation at Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center in Jackson, Mississippi, from 1984–1987, where she headed the quality assurance administrative unit. From there, she went on to pursue a fellowship in nephrology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. She returned to Meharry Medical College in 1989 as an assistant professor. She was named chief of nephrology in 1991, Medical Director of the Meharry Dialysis Clinics Inc. in 1997, and Medical Director of the Meharry Medical Group in 2004. She pursued an MBA because of her interest in medical management and the administrative roles she now holds.

Patti Forest, MD, MBA — Dr. Forest graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 1991 and completed her residency training in family medicine at Naval Hospital, Pensacola, Florida in 1994. She was a faculty member at that residency until she moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1998, when she joined St. Luke's Family Medicine Residency as a faculty member. Dr. Forest has been the program director for the residency program since 2000 and medical director for St. Luke's Family Practice Center since 1999. She completed a fellowship through the National Institute for Program Director Development in 2001. Dr. Forest was named Medical Director of Quality at St. Luke's Hospital in October 2005. Dr. Forest plans to use the knowledge and leadership skills she learns in the PEMBA program as she transitions from academic medicine into administrative physician leadership.

Cole Giller, MD, PhD, MBA — Dr. Giller is a board-certified neurosurgeon and professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Georgia where he also serves as director of functional and stereotactic neurosurgery. He obtained his medical degree at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical School and completed his neurosurgical residency at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Before focusing his career on radiosurgery, Dr. Giller was Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, where his interests were surgery for Parkinson's disease, surgery for epilepsy, and radiosurgery. Prior to medical school, he completed a doctorate in mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, and has maintained an interest in applications of mathematics to clinical medicine. He is the author of the book Port in the Storm: How to Make a Medical Decision and Live to Tell About It, written as a guidebook for patients facing difficult medical decisions. As director of a busy radiosurgery center embedded in the economic and political turmoil of a large urban hospital, Dr. Giller is surrounded by the issues of business and leadership which provide his motivation to further his physician leadership skills and to enroll in the PEMBA program.

Camilo Gomez, MD, MBA — Dr. Gomez is widely recognized as one of the world's leading neurologists and has significantly impacted the fields of interventional neurology and vascular/critical care neurology. In the clinical arena, he brings to bear his vast experience culled over many years of working with patients with neurological injuries. His primary focus now is furthering the development of the field of interventional neurology, which involves the application of endovascular surgical techniques to restore blood flow through to the brain blood vessels. His advocacy for victims of stroke is evidenced in his involvement in many organizations, including the Alabama Governor's Stroke Task Force, the Delta States Stroke Consortium, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Society of Neuroimaging, the Neurocritical Care Society, the Society for Critical Care Medicine, and many others. Actively involved in patient care, he continues to work closely with the legal community through case review and expert testimony.

Charles Guernsey, DO, MBA — Dr. Guernsey is chief medical officer of Beneveda Medical Group in Beverly Hills, California. He received his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He received his doctor of osteopathic medicine degree and completed a psychiatry fellowship from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1976. Dr. Guernsey completed his pain management fellowship from the University of South Carolina, Columbia in 1995. He is board-certified in both anesthesiology and pain management. Dr. Guernsey enjoys teaching and currently holds an appointment as Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of Osteopathic Surgical Specialties at the College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. He is an advocate and spokesperson for the adoption of disease management principles, application of evidenced based medicine practice, and information technology support in pain management. Dr. Guernsey has a specific interest in bioethics and has completed courses from the Loyola University, Chicago, online master's program in bioethics and health policy, as well as, the AMA/Medical College of Wisconsin online fellowship in physician ethics and professionalism. He is Chair of the Michigan Osteopathic Association's Bioethics Committee. Given what lies ahead for medicine and health care in this country, Dr. Guernsey believes that physician leaders with firm grounding in both business and bioethics are needed.

Menachem Langer, MD, MBA — Please check back soon.

Thom Lobe, MD, NMD, JD, MBA — Dr. Lobe, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, is a world renown leader in minimally invasive and robotic pediatric surgery and urology who currently serves as Founder and Medical Director of Beneveda Medical Group in Beverly Hills, California. He has a long-standing interest in complementary and alternative medicine and remains on the faculty and is in charge of teaching that subject to medical students at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee. His clinical interests include the use of hypnosis and acupuncture in the management of difficult pediatric surgical problems and he is actively involved in teaching these subjects around the world. He has recently been elected to serve as the secretary and treasurer for the American Board of Medical Hypnosis. He also is the host of "What's Up Doc?," a medical talk show broadcast monthly on GHS-TV in Memphis. Past accomplishments include establishing and directing for 17 years of the first pediatric surgical residency approved in the South. He plans to use his MBA to develop and implement a new model of complementary and alternative health care.

Edward Millermaier, MD, MBA — After getting his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Dr. Millermaier finished his medical education in 1984 at the Medical College of Wisconsin. A family practice internship at Cleveland Metro General Hospital was followed by internal medicine residency and then a chief residency year at Mount Sinai Medical Center, all in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Millermaier was the recipient of the Stanley Shensa teaching award at Mount Sinai Medical Center. His first five post-training years were spent in the National Health Service Corps at People's Health Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. After spending two years in an emergency services practice, during which time his wife finished her residency in family practice, Dr. Millermaier and his family of three children moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has been in practice as a general internist there for the past ten years and has had increasing administrative responsibilities at Borgess Health Alliance in Kalamazoo over the last six years. In 1999, he began as the Medical Advisor for Managed Care for the Provider Network. In late 2000 he became the Medical Director for ProMed Healthcare, the physician practice division of the Health Alliance. He is now employed full time as the Chief Medical and Chief Operating Officer for the Ambulatory Care Division of Borgess Health Alliance in Kalamazoo. Created in October 2005, the Ambulatory Care Division includes nine practices in fifteen sites, outpatient physical and occupational therapy, corporate medicine, an immediate medical center, the Borgess Health and Fitness Center, and the outpatient lab and radiology services for Borgess Health Alliance. The division has over 600 employees, 100 providers and over $65 Million in revenues. Dr. Millermaier recognizes that executive level work requires commensurate education and he looks forward to gaining the knowledge and insights into leadership and management offered by the Physician Executive MBA at the University of Tennessee.

Steven Mitnick, MD, MBA — Dr. Mitnick presently serves as the Medical Director for Gould Medical Group, Inc., a large multi-specialty group of over 200 members located in Modesto, California. In his role as medical director he is responsible for the operations of the medical group as well as the managed care, clinical quality, clinical research, and health education departments. He is a key member of the Administrative Team of the Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, an affiliate of Sutter Health. Dr. Mitnick also practices part-time in the field of internal medicine, having received his medical degree from the University of California–Irvine in 1983 and his post-graduate training in internal medicine at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance California, followed by chief residency at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach, California. He is from the Los Angeles area, growing up in Downey, California, and receiving his bachelor's degree from Occidental College. In the role of medical director he has worked on a number of clinical projects including implementing advanced access for the primary care specialties, creating a full-service hospitalist program of 14 physicians, and creating a California Medical Association accredited CME program. One of his areas of interest is in the field of medical malpractice. He was key in creating a wholly owned Hawaii captive that self-insures the Group in concert with seven other Sutter-affiliated Medical Groups. He is pursuing his MBA in order to improve his knowledge of the financial and operations aspects of medical practice management.

Alejandra Nieto, MD, MBA — Dr. Nieto owns a consulting business in clinical research. She has been actively involved in clinical research development and management across the United States and Latin America for the past eight years. Dr. Nieto, a native of Cali, Colombia, received her medical degree from University Autónoma of Guadalajara, Mexico. She began her career in clinical research upon graduation from medical school. Currently, she is managing an oncology clinical trial for a major pharmaceutical company in New York City. Dr. Nieto views the MBA as providing her the crucial opportunities to enhance her leadership skills, people management skills, and acquire a better understanding of business issues related to the healthcare industry.

Craig Paterson, MD, MBA — Dr. Paterson is a native of Glasgow, Scotland. He received his medical degree from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, where he also completed his training in general surgery. During his residency he obtained a master's degree in physiology and pharmacology. Following completion of his fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Dr. Paterson practiced in Canada for several years before accepting a position at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester. Dr. Paterson served as an associate professor of surgery and chief of the section of colon and rectal surgery. After arriving at the University of Massachusetts, he established the region's only anorectal physiology laboratory and successfully developed the section of colon and rectal surgery. Following his appointment at the University of Massachusetts, Dr. Paterson accepted a position with GlaxoSmithKline where he serves as the company's Director of Gastrointestinal Clinical Development. Author of over 20 papers and several book chapters, Dr. Paterson has been internationally recognized as both an invited lecturer and visiting professor. He has been the recipient of several research awards and was the lead physician representing the University of Massachusetts as it received top performer status from the University Healthsystem Consortium's national bowel surgery benchmark project in 2003. Dr. Paterson believes that the business and leadership skills learned through the PEMBA program at the University of Tennessee will allow him to better understand the financial complexities of delivering health care in today's and tomorrow's environment, as well as enhance his career.

James Patterson, MD, MBA — Dr. Patterson is the chief executive officer of a thriving OB/GYN practice. He is also the founder of GYN Disposables in Memphis, Tennessee. An entrepreneur, he started two medical-related businesses. He earned his medical doctorate at the University of Tennessee and his bachelor's degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He sits on the board for several not-for-profits. He chose the PEMBA program to, "...take a more active role in business..." and to "...speak the language of business."

Phil Perry, MD, MBA — Dr. Perry received his bachelor of arts from the University of California in Santa Barbara. He earned his medical degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1985 he became board-certified in anesthesiology after completing his internship in internal medicine and a residency in anesthesiology at the University of Virginia. Following two years of anesthesia practice for the United States Public Health Service in Laurinburg, North Carolina, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida. There he co-founded a 25-physician anesthesiology group of which is a managing partner. Dr. Perry has served on the executive committee of St. Vincent's Medical Center for several years, was chief of anesthesiology for six years, and is chairman of the Medical Staff Performance Improvement Committee. In March 2006, he was appointed as president of the medical staff. He hopes the condensed, structured training in the business of health care will provide him with the knowledge to become a more effective physician leader.

Christopher Rich, MD, MBA — Dr. Rich completed an undergraduate degree at the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, followed by a medical degree from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He finished his orthopedic surgery residency in 1988. Dr. Rich is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery with a successful recertification with a specialty interest in sports medicine in 2000. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a member of the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine, and a charter member of the Louisiana Sports Medicine Society. He is President Elect of the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association. Dr. Rich maintains a full-time clinical practice in orthopedic surgery. He has been the Head Team Physician for the Northwestern State University Demons since 1990. His practice specializes in sports medicine, arthroscopy of the shoulder and knee, and knee reconstruction. Currently he is the managing partner of Mid State Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Center in Alexandria. Mid State, along with Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, was designated as #1 in orthopedics for the state of Louisiana for 2004 by HealthGrades. A native of San Antonio, Dr. Rich was a three-year letterman in football as an offensive lineman at Louisiana State University in 1976–78. He earned Academic All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1977 and 1978.

Since his graduation from the PEMBA program, Dr. Rich started a management and consulting company focused on health care. Current projects include PPO network development for two insurers, practice management of four physicians' practices, new physician office turnkey development, medical office park development, and consulting agreement for an $18.5 million surgical hospital development. Dr Rich is also working with a TPA company to develop a "mini-med" primary care insurance product, which will be an affordable alternative to employers and the working uninsured.

Darley Solomon, MD, MBA — Dr. Solomon practices general surgery at Grenada Lake Medical Center in Grenada, Mississippi. He earned his medical degree from Howard University in Washington, DC. Dr. Solomon completed an internal medicine internship at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center in New York. After the internship he switched to a residency in general surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi after which he became chief resident. Originally from Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Dr. Solomon practiced at the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority. He desires to obtain management and business operating skills to improve the functioning of the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority. He wants to make an impact on the healthcare of the citizens of the Cayman Islands.

Ramesh Talreja, MD, DABA, DAAPM, MBA — Dr. Talreja is currently the Chief of the Anesthesia Department at Lock Haven Hospital, Pennsylvania. He practices general anesthesia and pain management. His career spans over thirty years in the field of medicine. Prior to his second career in anesthesia and pain management, he was practicing as a general surgeon for over nine years. Dr. Talreja comes from a family of medical practitioners. His sister is a renowned pulmonologist and his brother-in-law is a very successful cardiologist. They have multiple satellite clinics all over the south central Kentucky. Dr. Talreja would like to provide multiple pain management centers to the community but wants good business training before venturing to do so. The PEMBA program presented itself as the right business course for him.

Tonya Touchstone, MD, MBA — Dr. Touchstone is an attending physician at the Children's Hospital of Michigan emergency department in Detroit, Michigan. She received her bachelor of science degree in microbiology from Howard University Medical School. She then completed a pediatric residency at Children's Hospital of Michigan. In 2000, she received the Dr. Scott Shipman Child Advocacy Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics for "Healthy Mother Healthy Child," a health awareness program for pregnant teen mothers. Dr. Touchstone has provided medical care and developmental analysis as part of the Senegal Project in Medina Baye, Senegal. She chose the University of Tennessee PEMBA program because "it is geared towards helping physicians become leaders by allowing them to understand the business of healthcare."

Ross Ungerleider, MD, MBA — Dr. Ungerleider is Chief of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vice Chair of Education, Department of Surgery at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He also serves as Professor of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Previously he was Chief of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery for the Oregon Health and Science University as well as the program director for its residency training program in cardiothoracic surgery. Prior to moving to Portland in 2001, he had been a tenured full professor and chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he helped develop one of the leading academic cardiac programs in the country, both in terms of patient outcomes and contributions to the field of cardiac surgery. He is well recognized for his work in developing safe techniques to perform complete repairs of cardiac defects in infants while protecting their neurologic outcomes. He is also a recognized leader for numerous surgical procedures, including pulmonary autograft replacement of the aortic valve. He is the author of over 300 abstracts, peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, as well as the editor of a major textbook on cardiac surgery for infants. He holds elected membership in the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, the Congenital Heart Surgeon's Society, the Southern Surgical Assoc and the American Surgical Association. He was the President for the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association from 2005–2006. He has appeared on national television numerous times including the Learning Channel, CNN medical news, and the 700 Club. He was the recipient of the James Carreras International Humanitarian Award in 2000 for his work performing heart surgery on children in Nicaragua. He has been named to America's Best Doctors and has also received national distinction in Castle Connolly's Top Doctors in America for the past six years. He has been recognized by Good Housekeeping as one of the best pediatric cardiac surgeons in the U.S. Along with his wife, Jamie, he is a member of the American College of Surgeon's Task Force on Professionalism, and the Ethics committees of both the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons. He hopes that his training with PEMBA at the University of Tennessee will provide him with knowledge and tools that can further enhance his potential for creating important cultural and visionary changes in medical care for the future.

John Wright, MD, MPH, MBA — Dr. Wright is the Executive Physician at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. Dr. Wright joined Ford in 1992 and has served in various positions of increasing responsibility since that time. In his present role, Dr. Wright serves as a member of the Ford health care team, participates in design and purchase of employee and retiree health care benefits and is responsible for management of in-plant medical services of Automotive Components Holdings LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford, engaged in the manufacture of small automotive parts. Before joining Ford, Dr. Wright was active in the field of emergency medicine, served as medical director of several hospital-based emergency departments and was Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Wright received an undergraduate degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, a doctorate of medicine from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and a master of public health degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Winsconsin. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Wright resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his wife, Barbara. Dr. Wright has a special interest in community service and is active volunteer in the United Way, Hospice of Michigan, and the American Red Cross. Dr. Wright enrolled in the PEMBA program to learn the concepts and tools that are regularly utilized by business professionals.

Dino Zacharakos, MD, MBA — Dr. Zacharakos is an anesthesiologist on staff at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, since 1989. He grew up in New York City, received his undergraduate degree at Columbia College, his medical degree at Northeastern Universities College of Medicine, and his residency in anesthesiology at Yale University College of Medicine. He also received subspecialty training in pain management at Yale University College of Medicine. He is board-certified in anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiologists and was recertified in 2005. Dr. Zacharakos has been a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale University College of Medicine and has been Director of Rotating Anesthesiology Residents at Norwalk Hospital. He has been Chairman of the Credentials Committee at Norwalk Hospital in addition to being his department's Continuing Medical Education Director. He is presently the Director of Anesthesia Services for Bariatric Surgery at Norwalk Hospital. Dr. Zacharakos is interested in the management of anesthesia and surgical services.