Physician Leader Profiles
Class of 2008 | Class of 2007 | Class of 2006 | Class of 2005 | Class of 2004 | Class of 2003 | Class of 2002 | Class of 2001 | Class of 2000 | Class of 1999 | Class of 1998
Ali A. Al Sanousi, MD
-- Dr. Al Sanousi is a medical informatics specialist and
assistant research scientist at King Faisal Specialist
Hospital & Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has
more than seven years of work experience in healthcare
informatics. After completing his medical degree from King
Saud University, he obtained a diploma in International
Health from the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin. His
interest in informatics, guided him to complete his
certificate in medical informatics from Stanford University.
Dr. Al Sanousi is a member of the board of trustees and the
chairman of the education committee for the Internet
Society, Saudi Arabian Chapter. He is also a member of the
advisory board and program manager of the National Genetic
and Birth Defects Registry. His diverse background and
experience encompass biomedicine, information technology and
business administration. As a guest speaker, Dr. Al Sanousi
presented papers at a variety of national and professional
conferences. He has published articles in different journals
and conducted several workshops in research methodology. He
has consulted for various companies both nationally and
internationally, including MeduNet and Wired.MD.
Professionally, he is a member in numerous organizations,
including the American College of Physician Executives. He
has been the recipient of several appreciative plaques and
awards. Dr. Al Sanousi is currently finalizing his masters’
degree in BioMedical Informatics at Oregon Health and
Science Univrsity. His research efforts are focused on
clinical informatics and translational research. Dr. Al
Sanousi enrolled in the Physician Executive MBA to sharpen
his leadership skills and fortify his knowledge in
healthcare economics and corporate finance. He is planning
to use the gained knowledge to establish a biomedical
informatics entrepreneurial venture.
Ernest F.J. Block, MD
-- Dr. Block is
Medical Director of the Level I Trauma Center at the Orlando
Regional Medical Center in Orlando, FL. Dr. Block was raised
in Montreal, Canada. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree
from Cornell University with a dual major in History of Art
and Biochemistry. After receiving his MD degree at the
University of Miami, Dr. Block completed a General Surgery
residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia
and then additional training in Trauma and Critical Care at
Jackson Memorial in Miami. Dr. Block is an active clinician
as well as medical director. He holds office in a number of
academic surgical associations including the Eastern
Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the American College
of Surgeons, the Florida Committee on Trauma, and the
Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. In
2002, after practicing for ten years as surgeon, Dr. Block
attended night school to become an EMT so as to better
relate to the prehospital team that brings the trauma center
its patients; he regularly participates in “ride along” time
with EMS and Fire-Rescue. He lives in Winter Park, FL with
his wife Susan and three children. Dr. Block is attending
the UTK PEMBA to improve leadership skills, quality
improvement tools and financial abilities. He plans to use
the new knowledge to assist with the complexities of medical
direction, improve the business dealings of his professional
groups and prepare him for future directions in academic
leadership.
Maceo Braxton, M.D.
-- Dr. Braxton serves as Medical Director
of Salina Regional Health Center in Salina, KS. Dr.
Braxton obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil
Engineering from Westpoint Military Academy. After
Westpoint, Dr. Braxton Attended the F. Edward Hebert School
of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the
Health Sciences where he graduated with a MD degree.
Joseph R. Brown, M.D. -- Dr.
Brown practices Anesthesiology in Johnson City, TN with
Anesthesia and Pain Consultants PC, and is a Clinical
Assistant Professor with East Tennessee State University
School of Medicine. Board certified in both Pediatrics and
Anesthesiology, he practiced Pediatrics six years prior to
training in Anesthesiology. Dr. Brown is a graduate of the
University of Virginia School of Medicine, followed by
residency in Pediatrics at UTMB in Galveston and
Anesthesiology residency at the University of South
Carolina. He is past chairman, and is presently vice
chairman, Dept. of Anesthesiology for Washington County,
Mountain States Health Alliance. He has held multiple
managerial roles with Anesthesia and Pain Consultants PC.
Dr. Brown expects the PEMBA program to enable him to see
opportunity in the many economic challenges Physicians
encounter.
Joaquin Cantillo, MD -- Dr. Cantillo has been practicing Anesthesiology for the
last eighteen years. He is currently the President of
Trenton Anesthesiology Associates, PA and Chairperson of
Anesthesiology at Capital Health System. Trenton
Anesthesiology is the sole provider of Anesthesia services
at Capital Health System’s two campuses in Trenton, New
Jersey and the Surgery Center at Hamilton. The Health System
will be going through a very rapid expansion in the next
five years as they are trying to build a new hospital to
increase their market share. New technologies and lines of
service are being introduced together with the new facility.
In an environment like this, new challenges will be
presented to Dr. Cantillo’s current anesthesia practice. In
order to benefit from this expansion the right business
decisions need to be made in his practice. Pursuing this MBA
program will give Dr. Cantillo the right skills to become a
better physician leader. It will give him the right tools to
make the right business decision for his group and also for
the Health System.
Ashen R. Chaudhry, M.D.
-- Dr. Chaudhry serves as Director of
Urogynecology at Mehary Medical College in Nashville, TN.
A native of Pakistan, Dr. Chaudhry is a member of a number
of professional organizations including the American College
of Obsetrics and Gynecology where he is recognized as a
junior fellow. He received his undergraduate degree in
Biology and Chemistry from Government College Lahore,
Pakistan. Dr. Chaudhry went on to earn his MBBS from
Allama Iqbal Medical College at the University of Punjab,
Pakistan. Dr. Chaudhry hopes the skills he acquires in
the PEMBA program will prepare him to become a proactive
leader in the modern Healthcare industry.
Michael
C. Choo, MD
-- Dr. Choo currently lives in
Wilmington, OH where he is President of Professional
Emergency Specialists of Southern Ohio, Inc. He
received his MD from Boston University. In addition to
being a member of the American College of Emergency
Physicians he also serves as volunteer faculty at the
University of Kentucky, Wright State University, and a
number of other teaching hospitals. Dr. Choo says his
PEMBA education will assist him in conjoining his
academic/clinical credibility with a business degree to
ensure the highest level of effectiveness within the
organizations he is involved with.
Umar
I. Chouhdry, M.D.
-- Dr. Chouhdry is a native New Yorker.
After attending the Bronx High School of Science, Dr.
Chouhdry attended Marymount Manhattan College before going
on to get his MD from St. George’s University School of
Medicine. During the course of his residency training from
Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Chouhdry served
as House Staff President, and won accolades for teaching
excellence, patient care, and cultural competence
initiatives. Dr. Chouhdry went on to practice hospitalist
medicine after graduation. Dr. Chouhdry is currently a
member of the Medical Affairs department at Sanofi-Aventis,
pharmaceuticals. As part of his role as a Senior Manager in
the Field Medical Managed Markets division, Dr. Chouhdry
primarily specializes in EBM knowledge transfer to elements
of the US Managed Care Markets. His role involves the
integration of current evidence-based medicine with an
understanding of health care economics (with focus on
pharmacoeconomics) towards the promotion of positive health
outcomes.
In the clinical arena Dr. Chouhdry is a Diplomate of the
American Board of Internal Medicine and his clinical
specialty lies in the field of Hospitalist Medicine. His
interests are in the development of hospitalist programs and
physician practice management organizations. On a larger
level he has an interest in hospital administration with
focus on Integrated Delivery System approaches.
PEMBA will play a key role in helping to integrate the
clinical and corporate aspects of Dr. Chouhdry’s training.
Dr. Chouhdry hopes that his Master’s training will allow him
to successfully utilize his different skill sets and blend
them to create a hybrid capable of functioning in multiple
positions across the healthcare industry.
Adrian Dancea, M.D.
-- Dr. Dancea is a pediatric cardiologist and Assistant Professor
of Pediatrics who practices at the Montreal Children’s
Hospital, Canada. After graduating in 1992 with a medical
degree from the University of Ottawa, Canada he completed a
residency in Pediatrics at McGill University, Canada. He
pursued then training in pediatric cardiology at the same
institution followed by a fellowship in percutaneous
congenital interventions at the University of California in
San Francisco. He currently heads the Heart Catherization
Laboratory at the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill
University Health Center. Dr Dancea has a strong commitment
to academic medicine and has been in charge of the Pediatric
Cardiology Training Program at the same institution for the
last six years in addition to pursuing various didactic
activities at McGill University at both undergraduate and
graduate level. He believes that the socialized Canadian
medical care, despite its virtues, is in dire need of fresh
initiatives that will ensure it’s survival over the next
decades. He looks towards this masters program to help him
acquire the specific set of managerial and leadership skills
that will help him contribute at rejuvenating health care
delivery in his milieu.
Luis
A. De La Cruz, M.D. -- Dr. De La Cruz graduated from
the Universidad Central de Venezuela with a MD. He followed
his MD with a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Dr. De
La Cruz currently practices Anesthesiology at Baptist
Hospital of Miami in Miami, FL.. He believes the
negotiations and quantitative skills, leadership, and
strategy are basic tools that a business degree can provide
to enhance the physician's ability to provide the highest
level of care for their patients.
Persharon
M. Dixon, M.D. -- Dr. Persharon Dixon began her professional
journey after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Chemistry from Berry College in Rome, Georgia in 1986.
She was accepted in Emory University School of Medicine's
Allied Health Program where she obtained a second Bachelor
of Arts degree and certification as a Physician Assistant.
She worked for three years primarily in Obstetrics and
Gynecology in a private practice and at a local hospital.
She also worked in sickle cell and surgery, but her
motivation to enter medical school would come from her
employer in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She entered
Morehouse School of Medicine in 1991 and received her degree
in 1995. her decision to practice primary care
pediatrics was nourished through a three year residency at
Emory University School of Medicine. She was able to
train in the top pediatric facilities in Georgia where
rotations were completed in general pediatrics and specialty
care areas. Dr. Dixon worked at Southside Medical
Center in Atlanta from 1998 to 2003, after which she
established Helping Hand Pediatric Services, LLC., which
offers locum tenens services for pediatricians in the
Atlanta Area. In 2005 Dr. Dixon was asked to
become Medical Director of an up-start urgent care center
where her primary duties were hiring staff and setting up
the operations. After Hurricane Katrina, she
volunteered in the Gulf Coast for a short time. Her
interest in the recovery of the area prompted a colleague to
recommend her for yet another unique program. She was
selected as Medical Director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Children's Health Project. In July of 2006 she began
her new responsibility of overseeing the development of
programs and provision of pediatric care via two
state-of-the-art mobile medical and mental health units for
children of the gulf coast. This position has allowed
her to integrate her skills as a provider and administrator
on a grander scale. Now she wishes to expand her
knowledge of the business requirements of healthcare so that
she is most effective in her current position and prepared
for advancement within the organization. She is
certain the PEMBA program at the University of Tennessee
will more than equip her with the necessary qualifications.
Mark Epstein, M.D. -- Dr. Mark
Epstein is an Emergency Physician and presently the Medical
Director for Urgent Care at Presbyterian Health Services in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Epstein completed his
undergraduate degree in Human Biology at Stanford
University, followed by his medical degree at Yale
University School of Medicine. He then completed a Residency
in Emergency Medicine at the University of New Mexico in
1995. Dr. Epstein served as the Chairman of the Emergency
Department at Lovelace Health Systems from 2000 to 2004 and
served as Medical Director of the newly-merged Lovelace
Sandia Health Systems’ group of four urban and suburban
Emergency Departments from 2003 to 2004. He served on the
local county EMS Medical Control Board and on the Board of
Trustees of Albuquerque’s largest ambulance service. After a
seismic shift in the organizational structure at Lovelace,
Mark pursued a year-long Emergency Medicine opportunity at a
210-bed hospital situated in a lovely farming community in
New Zealand, where he and his family enjoyed the very
sensible Kiwi lifestyle. His immersion in a substantially
different healthcare delivery system there proved to be an
invaluable experience. Dr. Epstein returned to Albuquerque
to resume work as an Emergency Physician at Presbyterian
Health Services and recently assumed the role of Medical
Director of the five Urgent Care Clinics at Presbyterian. He
continues to work clinical shifts in the ER in addition to
the Urgent Care Clinics. By participating in the PEMBA
program, Mark intends to understand more critically the
elements of financial analysis in healthcare and to acquire
acumen in financial decision-making. He also hopes to
explore venture capital strategies in healthcare, having
enjoyed his work with an EMS software start-up firm from New
Zealand.
Richard Fleming, M.D. -- Dr.
Fleming is native of Chicago and has lived in Phoenix
Arizona for the past 5 years. He received his Bachelors in
Biology for The University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Prior to entering medical school he worked in several fields
and additionally owned nightclubs in Chicago. Dr. Fleming
attended medical school and a Family Practice residency at
the University of Illinois in Chicago. After completing
residency he worked in Indian Health Services in Washington,
New Mexico and Arizona. Currently he works at NextCare a
national urgent care corporation with 27 clinics. He serves
as Site Medical director at one of their clinic.
Additionally he also is a Medical director with VibrantCare
Rehabilitation which provides physical therapy services. He
is planning on using his experience at PEMBA to develop an
entrepreneurial venture.
Jasen W. Gundersen, M.D.
-- Dr. Gunderson lives in
Massachusetts and is employed as Chief of Hospital medicine
at UMASS Memorial Healthcare. He graduated from the
University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 2000.
His residency was completed at UMASS-Family practice where
he was appointed chief resident in his final year. Dr.
Gundersen believes an MBA will give him the leadership
skills to better effect change within the business of
medicine.
Bill
Higgs, M.D.. -- Dr. Higgs graduated from Baylor College of
Medicine in 1969 and completed a mixed medicine/surgery
internship in 1970 at the University of Tennessee College of
Medicine Affiliated Hospitals in Memphis, Tennessee. He
completed his Vascular and General Surgery residency at
Baylor College of Medicine Affiliate Hospitals in 1974.
Following his residency, Dr. Higgs attended Emory University
School of Medicine for Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery
Training. He currently teaches at the University of South
Alabama School of Medicine along with his work in private
practice. Dr. Higgs hopes earning his MBA will aid in
communication and management in a hospital environment with
the intent of improving patient care delivery.
Inga Himelright, M.D., MPH -- Dr.
Himelright serves as a Regional Medical Director of
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, and is board certified in
Internal Medicine as well as Infectious Diseases. Dr.
Himelright received her MPH in Hospital Planning and
Administration from the University of Tennessee. She has
served in multiple leadership roles at the University of
Tennessee Medical Center over the last 15 years, joining the
administrative team in 2000. She served as vice president
and medical director over patient safety, performance
improvement, infection control, medical staff office,
hospitalist program, case management, and patient placement.
Concurrently, she served as medical director for the UPA,
the physician owned IPA at the University of Tennessee
Medical Center. Dr. Himelright is a Clinical Associate
Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of
Tennessee Medical Center having been a full-time faculty
member from 1991-1999. Dr. Himelright’s tenure in hospital
administration and current role at BCBST have served to
highlight the complexity of the healthcare industry. She
would like to focus her efforts in gaining greater
understanding of the fields of economics, leadership, and
communication. Dr. Himelright believes that improvements in
American healthcare will depend on greater diversity of
knowledge in healthcare leadership.
William Huffner, M.D.
-- Dr. Huffner attended medical school at Syracuse Upstate
Medical Center where he specialized in emergency medicine.
After residency, Dr. Huffner became involved with the
refinement of the regional Emergency Medical Servis (EMS)
system and participated in local, state and national EMS
organizations. In 1990 Dr. Huffner had many accomplishments
that included medical directorship of his emergency
department, chairmanship of the state EMS council, and
gaining approval for renovation and expansion of his
emergency department. In 2005 Dr. Huffner was hired as the
Chief Medical Officer and VP of Medical Affairs at Arnot
Ogden Medical Center. Dr. Huffner believes that education is
the key to becoming a successful manager and his needs could
be best met by obtaining an MBA from the PEMBA program.
Shkelzen Hoxhaj, M.D. -- Dr.
Hoxhaj received his Doctor of Medicine degree from New York
Medical College. He completed his residency training in both
Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine, then served as
Chief Resident and completed a fellowship in Administration
at the Medical Center of Delaware (Christiana Care Health
System). He is board certified in Internal Medicine and
Emergency Medicine and currently works as the Assistant
Medical Director and Director of Quality of the Emergency
Department at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York
City. Dr. Hoxhaj is an Assistant Professor at the Mount
Sinai School of Medicine and lectures nationally on the
topics of quality/ patient safety, customer service and
labor-management collaboration. He is actively involved in
and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine.
By enrolling in the UT PEMBA program, Dr. Hoxhaj wishes to
gain a greater understanding of the business concepts in
today's healthcare system and to become a more effective
physician leader.
Armin
Alexander Klesius M.D. -- Ph.D. Dr. Klesius is the Head of Clinical Coordination for
a clinical outsourcing company in Germany. He coordinates cardio clinical care
for a 16 hospital system. After finishing medical school and his Ph.D. at the
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt (Germany), he completed a
residency in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. He has worked as a consultant
at the Heartcenter Coswig and the Heinrich Heine University in Duesseldorf.
Seeing firsthand the immense problems within the German healthcare system, he
realized the importance of gaining a profound understanding of economics and
business management. Dr. Klesius enrolled in the Physician Executive MBA so that
he will be well prepared for the future.
Christopher Landess, M.D. -- Dr. Landess attended
Medical School at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine
at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN.
He completed residency at ETSU/ Kingsport Family Practice
and is Board Certified in Family Practice. He has been
employed by Emergency Coverage Corporation of Knoxville, an
affiliate of Team Health, as an ER Physician since 2000.
Team Health is one of the largest Providers of Emergency
Medical Care in the country. Dr. Landess is currently
Medical Director of the Emergency Room at Hawkins County
Memorial Hospital in Rogersville, TN, part of the Wellmont
Health System. Chris wants to acquire the business
knowledge and leadership skills necessary for future
opportunities to be a physician leader.
Anthony J. Mauriello, Jr. MD, FAAOS -- Dr. Mauriello
graduated from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) with an
undergraduate degree in Psychology, he then graduated form
Creighton University (Omaha, NE) with his medical degree.
Following orthopaedic surgery residency, Dr. Mauriello
completed a fellowship in Surgical Arthritis and Total Joint
Replacement Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital (New York City,
NY). After working in solo, group and multi-specialty
orthopaedic practices, Dr. Mauriello, a Board-Certified
Orthopaedic Surgeon, is a physician-partner at Penn
Orthopedics of Lancaster, Ltd., located in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania. By entering the PEMBA Program, Dr. Mauriello
is looking to expand his knowledge of medical practice
models and multi-specialty practice dynamics.
Marlon Michel, M.D. -- Dr. Michel
is a native of Canada from a small farming town of 300. For
his undergraduate, he studied at Brigham Young University,
in Provo, Utah majoring in Zoology. After receiving his
Bachelor of Science degree, Dr. Michel attended the MD
program at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta
where he received a full tuition scholarship. For his
residency in Anesthesiology he went onto Portland, Oregon at
Oregon Health & Sciences University. He is now board
certified and has been in private practice for over three
years. Dr. Michel currently works as a staff
anesthesiologist in Provo, Utah, for Mountain West
Anesthesia, one of the biggest MD only anesthesia groups in
the nation. Dr. Michel has a small real estate investing
business and would like the skills this PEMBA program can
give him to further his investing goals in this area. He
also hopes to acquire better leadership skills along with a
better understanding of the balance between medicine and
business. Dr. Michel hopes at some future time to
participate in administration in a hospital or surgical
center setting.
Paul
R. Morris, M.D. -- Dr. Morris lives in Coral Springs,
FL where he is employed as Medical Director at Community
Blood Centers of South Florida. He earned his MD from
Boston University. After his MD, Dr. Morris completed
a fellowship in blood banking/transfusion medicine in 1992.
He is a member of a number of professional organizations and
serves on the board of directors for the Florida Association
of Blood Banks. Dr. Morris believes that increased
competition, demand, and regulatory issues require the
strategic and analytical skills of a MBA-trained physician
executive.
Frank E. Mozdy, M.D. -- Dr. Mozdy arrives at the
University of Tennessee’s Physician Executive MBA program
after 21 years in the practice of medicine. Dr. Mozdy
started his professional journey in 1978 at Hahnemann
Medical College with a desire to provide holistic patient
care while ensuring his own personal intellectual and
emotional growth. For 19 years that wish was fulfilled by
practicing medicine as a family physician in his hometown of
Erie, Pennsylvania. Anticipating several dramatic changes in
the practice of medicine, Dr. Mozdy left office-based family
medicine to become a hospitalist physician in Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania. Dr. Mozdy hopes that completing the PEMBA
program at the University of Tennessee will allow him first
to assume leadership roles in hospitalist organizations then
to advance to a leadership position of a nationally known
organization.
Nirmal V. Nandakumar, M.D. -- Dr. Nandakumar Is currently employed at Team Health West in Pleasanton, CA. After obtaining his B.S. from the University of Michigan, Dr. Nandakumar attended the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. An avid entrepreneur, Dr. Nandakumar has pursued business endeavors in both the real estate and technology markets. Recently he has been involved with promoting medicine into developing countries, particularly India. Dr. Nandakumar believes that an MBA will further develop his interpersonal skills and talents to advance his career in medicine and his personal goals.
Sridhar
Rajamani, M.D. -- Dr. Rajamani attended medical school
at the Vinnitsa Medical Institute in Vinnitsa, Ukraine.
After some post graduate work in India, Dr. Rajamani
Immigrated to the United States where he served as resident
at New York Flushing Hospital Medical Center where he was
later promoted to chief resident. A member of several
professional organizations, Dr. Rajamani is currently
employed at Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in Yuma,
Arizona.
Hector
D. Reyes, M.D. -- Dr. Hector D. Reyes is Director of
the Latin American Initiative for St. Luke's - Roosevelt
Hospital in New York. After graduating from the University
of Santo Domingo School of Medicine. Dr. Reyes has
extensive experience in the field of health management,
concentrating on the delivery of quality health care.
Dr. Reyes realizes, however, that his empirical skills in
business are not sufficient to handle the increasingly
challenging complexity of medical services administration
which is why he decided to pursue an MBA.
Yisrael Safeek, M.D.
-- Dr. Yisrael M. Safeek is a physician executive with superior
performance at the national level. He is a current JCAHO
surveyor where he is involved with the formulation of
national patient safety standards. Dr. Safeek has
demonstrated commitment to excellence in patient care
offering solid national leadership from significant
experience in the healthcare management role. He was a prior
physician shareholder of Cleveland Community Hospital, and
has been CEO of two successful medical practices in
Tennessee and Kentucky. He is a Vanderbilt-trained
anesthesiologist with sixteen years of unblemished clinical
experience, including close to a dozen years as chairman of
anesthesiology. He is member of the American College of
Physician Executives, American College of Healthcare
Executives, and Association of Clinical Directors. He has
been a prior member of medical advisory panels and medical
executive committees. He is certified by the Royal College
of Preceptors, the American Board of Anesthesiology, and the
National Board of Medical Examiners.
Schuyler Steelberg, M.D. -- Dr. Schuyler Steelberg is
a native of Wichita, Kansas. He currently serves as the
Clinic Medical Director at the Muskogee Health Center in
Muskogee, Oklahoma. He also serves as the Medical Director
for Contract Health Services and is on the board of Cherokee
Nation Home Health. He has been with Cherokee Nation Health
Services Group since 1999. As a Clinic Medical
Director for the Cherokee Nation, Dr. Steelberg oversees
physician and mid-level providers and ensures that the
day-to-day tasks of managing a medical clinic run smoothly.
As Medical Director for Contract Health, he assists with the
prioritization of health care for patient needs which cannot
be met within the clinic or IHS hospital system. Dr.
Steelberg graduated from the University of Kansas in 1990
and the University Of Kansas School Of Medicine in 1996. He
completed his Family Practice Residency with University of
Kansas Medical Center in 1999 and was a Chief Resident in
his third year. He is board certified by the American Board
of Family Medicine and a member of the American Academy of
Family Physicians. At present, the Muskogee facility
is the smallest of the six Cherokee Nation clinics with the
ability to see only women and children. A new 100,000 square
foot facility is currently under construction in Muskogee to
open in September of 2007. My role is to prepare the
smallest Cherokee Nation clinic for the changes and
challenges that will occur as it transforms into the
flagship Cherokee Nation clinic. This clinic will employ
more than 200 individuals, including at least 14 physicians
and mid-levels. . The University of Tennessee Physician
Executive MBA program will help me better prepare for
managing a large group of physicians and mid-level
practitioners in a clinical setting.
Amol
Soin, M.D. -- Dr. Soin is currently a fellow in Pain
Management at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He began his
medical career after high school when he entered a combined
BS/MD program through the University of Akron.
Throughout his career, Dr. Soin has been active in health
care economics and public policy. He authored the book,
Curing America: A Look Inside America's Failing Health Care
System when he was 19 years old. Since then, Dr. Soin has
served as Chairman of the Illinois State Medical Society for
the resident and fellows section and is now Chairman of
Region 6 for his section of the American Medical Association
representing 6 states. After finishing fellowship, Dr. Soin
is planning to open a multidisciplinary Pain Management
Clinic in central Ohio.
David
W. Talbot, M.D. -- Dr. Talbott works as an emergency
medicine physician Oklahoma. He attended medical
school at the American University of the Caribbean where he
graduated in the top of his class. Dr. Talbott
completed his residency at Louisiana State University School
of Medicine. Dr. Talbott believes obtaining an MBA
will help him develop the managerial skills to run a
successful business and to positively impact the practice of
medicine here in America.
MacDara Tynan, M.D. -- Dr. Tynan is the Director of the
Pediatric Hospitalist Program at Carolinas Medical Center in
Charlotte, NC. Dr. Tynan obtained his Medical Degree at
University College Dublin, Ireland in 1986. He subsequently
trained in Pediatrics in the UK at Birmingham Children’s
Hospital and London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Moving
to Philadelphia in 1992, he completed a Fellowship in
Pediatric Hospital Medicine in 1996 at the Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Tynan was a member of the
Faculty at Temple University’s School of Medicine in
Philadelphia. He also contributed to the post-graduate
medical education programs at DeSales University and the
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr.
Tynan is a member of the Royal College of Pediatrics and
Child Health, the Royal College of Physicians London; he is
a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member
of the American College of Research Physicians. Dr. Tynan is
listed in the register of specialty trained physicians
maintained by the Medical Council in the UK. Dr. Tynan
selected the PEMBA program at UT Knoxville to improve his
understanding and skills with regard to the financial,
operational and business aspects of HealthCare.
Thomas Upshaw, M.D. -- Dr.
Upshaw graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in
1994. In 1998 he completed his internship and residency in
Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr.
Upshaw has spent his time since then in private practice in
South Carolina. He hopes that the skills provided by
the PEMBA program will allow him to expand or merge his
private practice into a long term treatment and
rehabilitation center to provide care for patients with co -
occurring substance abuse and mental disorders.
Muthukumar Vaidyaraman, M.D.
-- Dr. Vaidyaraman is currently the Medical Director of the
Pain Rehabilitation Clinic within the Department of
Psychology at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. He
completed basic medical training at Stanley Medical College,
Chennai India. He had the opportunity to work in different
healthcare systems of the world. Dr. Vaidyaraman spent 2
years in the NHS of UK and then proceeded to US. He
completed an anesthesiology residency at the Cleveland
Clinic and a post-doctoral clinical fellowship in Pain
Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Apart from board
certification in anesthesiology, Dr Vaidyaraman is also
board certified in Pain Medicine and Interventional Pain
medicine. He is also acknowledged by the World Institute of
Pain as a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice. He has had
the opportunity to practice in various settings throughout
the U.S. including private practice and managed care (HMO).
To complement this rich experience, Dr. Vaidyaraman decided
to develop his business skills dimension with the objective
to be a healthcare policymaker. Currently he, along with
other physicians, is working on a joint venture project
involving the U.S. Department of Defense and the Veterans
Administration. They will submit a grant proposal to
establish an Integrative Medicine Education and Research
Center affiliated with the Harvard Medical School.
Keenan Wanamaker, D.O. -- Dr.
Wanamaker is a general surgeon in private practice in
Winfield, Alabama. He graduated from Michigan State
University and completed a surgical residency in 2000. He
has practiced clinical medicine in both urban and rural
settings and currently enjoys a rural private practice. Dr.
Wanamaker would like to someday transition his career into
the administrative and corporate aspect of healthcare and
hopes that a University of Tennessee MBA will help him
achieve his goals.
Frederick Watson, D.O. -- Dr.
Watson attended the Kirksville College of Osteopathic
Medicine (Kirksville, Missouri) and graduated in 1997. He
was a student ambassador for the KCOM Admissions Office and
still acts as an Alumni Diplomate for the school. His senior
year he was inducted into, and acted as chapter treasurer,
of Sigma Sigma Phi, the National Osteopathic Honorary
Fraternity. Dr. Watson Completed his Internship and
Residency in Family Practice at Botsford Hospital in
Farmington Hills, Michigan. He was Chief Resident in
1999-2000. Also during that time he completed a fellowship
in Medical Education and Teaching through the Statewide
Campus System (SCS) and Michigan State University. Dr.
Watson lectures on proper coding and billing for physicians
at the annual SCS Medical Business lecture series. He
currently works in The Urgent Care at Baxter Village in Fort
Mill, South Carolina. Over the past few years Dr. Watson
has uncovered in himself an interest in the business and
administration side of medicine. “I see myself in Hospital
Administration or leading a multi-specialty physician
group. The Physician Executive M.B.A. Program is the next
step toward realization of that goal.” states Dr. Watson.
Virginia Yip, M.D. -- Dr. Yip
graduated from University of Illinois College of Medicine in
1993. She is a practicing radiologist since 1999, following
her radiology residency, and fellowship in the University of
Iowa. She devotes her time and energy to advance her
education in new imaging technologies and to practice in the
ever-changing field of radiology. Providing high quality of
care to patients require the understanding of management and
other business skills, including negotiation, human
relationship, and financial planning. The enrollment in
Physician Executive MBA program will enhance her
understanding of the business side of medicine and help her
improve the level of care to the patients.
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The University of Tennessee
Physician Executive MBA
608 Stokely Management Center
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: (865) 974-1772
Fax: (865) 974-0962
Email: click here