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
Hamad Al-Omar, MD, MBA -- Dr. Al-Omar is a practicing hematologist and a bone marrow transplant (BMT) subspecialist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He finished his training in Hematology and BMT in June 1999 in Canada and USA. After acquisition of the new facility of KFSH&RC-Jeddah by the parent facility KFSH&RC-Riyadh, he was chosen as a leader in establishing the BMT service and became the first director of the program. The program achieved its first-year targets in only 6 months. He was also the second man in the Research and Technology Department, which is now the Research Center of KFSH&RC-Jeddah. He was recently appointed as the Assistant Executive Director of the Research Center. In addition, he was instrumental in bringing and developing the concept of a Biotechnology Cluster in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Biotechnology Cluster will be the first of its kind in the Region. He is a founding member and a coordinator of the Jeddah BioCity Holding Company Executive Board, which is partially owned by KFSH&RC-Jeddah. He also started a successful collaborative program between KFSH&RC and University of Nebraska. He envisions himself as a leader, not a manager, of large innovative programs with a positive large impact.
Essam Al-Sabban,
MD, MBA -- Dr. Al-Sabban is the Executive Director of the Research
Center and Chief of International Collaboration at King
Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah,
Kingdom of Saudia Arabia. Prior to his current appointments
he was Chairman of Pediatrics, Head, Section of Pediatric
Nephrology and directed pediatric residency training and
pediatric nephrology programs for KFSP&RC in both Jeddah and
Riyadh. He is board certified by the American Board of
Pediatric Nephrology and by the American Board of
Pediatrics. Dr. Al-Sabban received his medical degree from
the Cairo University. He has served as a consultant and
participated on many hospital committees. He has published
many articles and papers in several peer-reviewed journals.
Ken Bielak, MD, MBA -- Dr. Bielak is a Family Physician with
extensive experience in Academic Medicine. He also is in
private practice. His medical degree is from Michigan State
University and he also holds a Master of Arts in Special
Education from Eastern Michigan University as well as a
bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. Dr.
Bielak is board certified by the American Board of Family
Practice and is ALSO and ACLS certified. Dr. Bielak is an
Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at
The University of Tennessee's Graduate School of Medicine.
Additionally within his department, he is appointed as the
Director, Sports Medicine Fellowship, Clinical Director of
the Family Practice Center. He is also Co-Chair of the
department's Curriculum Committee. He has served on several
committees at The University of Tennessee Medical Center at
Knoxville. He is the Team Physician for The University of
Tennessee's basketball team and the Women's Athletic
Department. In the past, he has served as a Medical
Director, Team Physician, and Assistant Director. Dr. Bielak
has presented at several professional meetings and
conferences. He has been published in Family Medicine and
has written or contributed chapters to seven medical
textbooks.
Berta Briones, MD, MBA
--
Dr. Briones was born in Nicaragua. She completed Medical
School in Costa Rica, where she met her husband, Dr. Benito
Alvarez (PEMBA Class of 2001), with whom she experienced
Medical School, Internal Medicine Residency, and now PEMBA.
She completed Pulmonary/Critical Care and Sleep Disorders
training at the Case Western Reserve University Program. She
is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Sleep
Disorders. After experiencing managed care as a solo
pulmonologist in Hartsville, South Carolina, she returned to
Cleveland to start a more rewarding career as an emergency
room physician with Emergency Professional Services, Inc.,
now part of Team Health. Since completing her fellowship in
'95, she has felt the need to learn more about the business
aspects of medicine.
Robert L. Cirillo, Jr.,
MD, MBA -- After graduating from the Georgetown University School of
Medicine, Dr. Cirillo completed a residency in diagnostic
radiology and a then a fellowship in interventional
radiology at the University of Rochester. He is currently an
Assistant Professor of Radiology and Vascular Surgery at
Medical College of Virginia where he is also interim
director of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology
section. He just recently accepted a new position at Wake
Forest University Baptist Medical Center for Spring of 2002.
He has an interest in clinical research and has been
published in many peer-reviewed journals.
Ed Diamond,
MD, MBA --
Dr. Diamond is a Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialist, as
well as the President and Managing Partner of a large
private respiratory health center. He is the founder and
Managing Partner of a pulmonary, critical care, allergy and
sleep practice which was started in the early 1980's in
Chicago’s western suburbs. His professional interests have
evolved into the development of outpatient services
including advanced diagnostic testing, fitness training and
pulmonary rehabilitation. Dr. Diamond's goal in earning an
MBA was to learn skills that would help him strengthen his
organization. He serves on the Finance Committee, and Chairs
the Private Practice Network of The American College of
Chest Physicians. In addition to his scientific interests,
he lectures and writes on practice management issues.
Natashia Dooley,
MD, MBA -- Dr.
Dooley is the Administrative Medical Director for Primary
Health Care in Oak Park, Michigan. She graduated from
Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She was
appointed two research fellowships at Meharry Medical
College. She is a member of the Association of Women
Surgeons, American Medical Women's Association, and the
Louis J. Bernard Surgical Society. Dr. Dooley seeks an MBA
to enable her to seek, "solutions to the problems and
rapidly changing faces of healthcare."
Carla Dukes, DO, MBA --
Dr. Dukes graduated from University of Tennessee's PEMBA
program in 2002. Immediately following graduation she became
the physician advisor of the Quality management & Case
management teams of her hospital. Subsequently she has led a
Rapid Cycle Financial Improvement Team and is currently
leading the redesign of the Quality System at her
institution. In July of 2003 she became the Emergency
Medicine Residency Program Director for St. Joseph’s Mercy
of Macomb; a new program instituted in July 2003. She has
been practicing Emergency Medicine since 1983 after prior
service with the National Health Service Corps in family
practice in Middleton, Tennessee. She is dedicated to
providing care to the historically underserved and has
provided part time emergency care with Indian Health
Services. She is currently working with Gift of Life to
develop & institute an educational outreach program to
physicians in Michigan. Dr. Dukes received the Michigan
Medical Society Physician Service award in 2002. Dr. Dukes
is a current member of the Michigan College of Emergency
Physicians Board of Directors. Dr. Dukes views her continued
role as an emergency physician personally rewarding on a one
to one intervention level; she views the MBA as providing
her the crucial opportunities to lead systems innovations
that will ultimately lead to lasting improvements in the
lives of whole populations.
Stephen Knazik, DO,
MBA -- Stephen R. Knazik, DO, MBA, FACEP, FAAP is a 2002 graduate
of PEMBA. Active as the medical director of the emergency
department at Children's Hospital of Michigan, a
free-standing children's hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Dr.
Knazik continues to see patients on nights and weekends as a
reward for a good week administrating. He is a Clinical
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at
Wayne State University-School of Medicine, with an active
teaching and research interests as well. He is particularly
interested in end of life pediatric care, access to care for
pediatric patients, and children's mental health access. He
is on the board of directors of the Michigan College of
Emergency Physicians and pursues advocacy for children's
health issues and access to care for the underserved.
Stephen is supported by his wife of nearly three decades,
Carla'nne Dukes, DO, MBA, FACEP who is also a 2002 PEMBA
graduate. Dr. Knazik has two adult children, Natalie and
Gabrielle. He plays bagpipes, sings, acts in community
theatre, and runs - three marathons, lots of shorter races,
and training runs, so that he may continue to eat all of the
calories he burns.
Demetrius E. Litwin,
MD, MBA -- Dr.
Litwin, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of
Massachusetts Medical School, is Chief of the Department of
Surgery as well as Division Chief of General Surgery at
UMass Memorial Medical Center. He joined the faculty of
UMass Memorial in August of 1997 as Director of Minimally
Invasive Surgery Services and Director of the EndoSurgery
Center at the University of Massachusetts and was quickly
recognized for his leadership skills. Born and raised in
Saskatchewan, Canada, Dr. Litwin received his medical degree
from the University of Saskatchewan. In addition to
completing a 5-year surgical residency program at the
University of Saskatchewan, he received specialty training
in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery as well as in surgical
endoscopy in Toronto, Ontario. Prior to his UMass Memorial
appointments, Dr. Litwin was Director of Minimal Access
Surgery at the University of Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Litwin is
a member of numerous surgical societies and associations
including the International College of Surgeons,
Massachusetts Medical Society, Society of American
Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), Society for
Surgery of the Alimentary Tract and the American-Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary
Association. He sat on the Board of Governors of SAGES from
1999-2002. He co-chaired the SAGES Credentials Committee,
and is currently on their Ethics Committee and Technology
Assessment Committee. From 1996-1997 Dr. Litwin was
President of the Canadian Chapter of the International
College of Surgeons. In addition to his full-time clinical
responsibilities, Dr. Litwin has served on several UMass
Memorial Committees including the Physician Advisory Board,
Chairs Council, Executive Committee, Board of Directors,
Benefits Committee, Finance Committee, and was Chair of the
Operating Room Executive Committee.
In the early 1990’s Dr. Litwin became one of the pioneers of
laparoscopic general surgery techniques, such as
laparoscopic cholecystectomy. By the mid-1990’s he attained
national and international recognition as a leader and
expert in advanced minimally invasive surgery techniques. He
is widely published in this area, with over 40 journal
articles, 13 book chapters and nearly 200 scientific
presentations to his credit. Dr. Litwin’s relationship with
the biomedical community generated quarterly Biomedical
Engineering & Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposia at UMass
Memorial Medical Center. The premise of these symposia was
to develop synergy between surgeons, medical scientists and
biomedical engineers, offering a unique forum, in a formal
Grand Rounds style. Moreover, his innovative ideas and
collaborative efforts with colleagues from other surgical
specialties including neurosurgery, cardiac, thoracic,
vascular, transplant and urologic surgery has enabled UMass
Memorial Medical Center to offer patients such advanced
procedures as laparoscopic living kidney donation,
laparoscopic anterior lumbar spinal fusion, laparoscopic
bariatric surgery, and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
The number of minimally invasive surgeries performed at
UMass Memorial has risen dramatically due Dr. Litwin’s
presence and influence.
Eduardo Martinez, MD, MBA
-- Born in Ecuador, Dr. Martinez
attended middle school and junior high school with the
Brothers of La Salle. He came to the United States in the
mid sixties and started high school at Miami Sr. High in
Miami. He attended medical school at the Catholic University
Madre Y Maestra in Santiago. He returned to the United
States to specialize in the field of Internal Medicine and
later on in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (initially
at Mount Carmel Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and University
of Missouri Hospital and Clinic in Columbia, Missouri). He
obtained board certifications in Internal, Pulmonary, and
Critical Care Medicine. He has always have been concerned
and involved in the business aspects of health care delivery
and organization. He actively participates in a number of
committees at different local hospitals.
Robert B. Morrow,
MD, MBA -- Dr. Morrow is currently the Chief Medical Officer at
Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas. His
responsibilities include care management, clinical quality
improvement, patient safety and helping to ensure the
effective functioning of the medical staff. He has served in
this capacity since 1998. Prior to assuming his current
role, Dr. Morrow spent eight years in full time private
practice in Family Medicine. He is a graduate of the
Memorial Hermann Southwest Family Practice training program
and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston; he
completed his undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Morrow is very active in organized medicine and serves
in the House of Delegates of both the Texas Medical
Association and the American Medical Association. He is also
a member of the American College of Physician Executives and
the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization
Review Physicians.
Harold Naramore, MD, MBA
--
Dr. Naramore graduated from East Tennessee State College of
Medicine in 1987 and entered a residency in psychiatry. His
training program was closely tied to Watauga Mental Health,
the local community mental health center, which included a
variety of outpatient sites and a free-standing psychiatric
hospital. Shortly after graduation he accepted a position
with Watauga Mental Health as Medical Director of crisis
services. Watauga Mental Health merged with other area
mental health centers in 1997. He is currently Medical
Director of a seventy-five-bed psychiatric hospital and
President of the Medical Staff of Frontier Health. He chairs
various corporate committees including Performance
Improvement and Peer Review. He has been honored with
various awards including Health Care Heroes 2000, Tri-City
Business Journal 40 under Forty 1997, and East Tennessee
State University College of Medicine Department of
Psychiatry Outstanding Clinical teacher 1999-2000.
Anselmo A. Nunez, MD, MBA
-- Dr. Nunez graduated from the
University of Miami School of Medicine in 1978. He trained
in general surgery in Miami and vascular surgery in New
York. He remained in an academic vascular surgery practice
at the University of Miami serving as Chief, Vascular
Surgery division, and on the Board of Governors of the
University of Miami Medical Group Practice. In 1997, he
moved to the Marshfield Clinic, Wisconsin, where he served
as Director of the General Surgery Residency Program before
accepting the position of Medical Director of Central
Division 1. From October 2002 to November 2004, he was
Medical Director of the Marshfield Clinic's Western
Division. In December 2004, he assumed his current position
as President & CEO of the Ministry Medical Group, a regional
multi-specialty group practice in North-Central Wisconsin.
James Pearce, MD, MBA – In 1983, Dr. Pearce finished his
Radiology Residency and began a solo practice in a county
hospital outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Over the next
fifteen years he managed the hospital’s Radiology department
as well as that of another county hospital. He co-founded a
Multispeciality Medical Group with a private office and
billing company. Tired of the business of medicine, he
merged the practice into a thirty-man Radiology group in
Indianapolis so he could get back to the joy of practicing
and teaching Radiology. In no time he found himself an
officer of the corporation and is now managing practices in
seven hospitals and multiple clinics.
Luis Rios-Nogales,
MD, MBA
– Dr. Nogales was born and raised in Lima, Peru. After
graduating from the German School in Lima, he enrolled in
the pre-med program at the College of the Bavarian
Universities in Munich, Germany. He graduated from the
Ludwig-Maximilians University School of Medicine (Munich)
and passed the Federal Medical Boards in 1982. His basic
research training was in Cardiovascular Physiology and after
4 years at the Institutes for Surgical Research in Munich
and Heildelbeg, he received his Doctoral degree in 1984. He
also trained as a Neurological Surgeon at the University
Hospital in Munich and Tuebingen. In 1989 he joined Hoechst
AG, first as a Medical Advisor in Global Medical Affairs and
then he advanced to jobs of increasing responsibility in
Global Marketing, New Products Development, Regional and
Country Management. He is presently with GlaxoSmithKline and
serves as its Vice President for Clinical Development and
Medical Affairs, Latin America. He survived foreign
countries and four mergers. He has volunteered for over 15
years as a flight surgeon and has performed over 800 rescue
missions with the German Air Rescue and Lufthansa.
Ray
Rodriguez, MD, MBA --
Dr. Rodriguez received his medical training from the Ponce
School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. He is the founder of a
allergy-immunology practice in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He served
in the U.S. Army as a physician and completed many foreign
and domestic tours of duty. He is board certified in
pediatrics, allergy-immunology and clinical laboratory
immunology. After establishing his practice and completing a
Master of Public Health degree program, Dr. Rodriguez found
he "...did not have the necessary tools to accomplish his
full potential" and that he needed an MBA "...to broaden his
business knowledge." At the present, Dr. Rodriguez is
attending law school to complement his knowledge in public
health and business for a future position in health
administration and teaching.
Anil Sharma, MD,
MBA -- Dr. Sharma is a native of
India. His interest in medicine began at an early age when
he was very impressed by his family physician who had great
clinical skills and he was amazed how he could take care of
his patient’s pain and suffering. Dr. Sharma attended
medical school in India. After completing school, he came to
the United States to conduct research. He worked as a
research assistant at the University of Iowa School of
Medicine. He completed a residency in psychiatry at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Sharma is the
Associate Director of the Pharmacogenomic and
Pharmacogenetics Research Group at the David Geffen School
of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. He is also a
Staff Psychiatrist at the Palo Alto VA Health Care System.
Keith Steward, MD,
MBA -- Dr. Steward is the Franchise
Director, Medical Neurosciences at Ortho-McNeil
Pharmaceuticals. Previously he served as Senior Director for
Global Clinical Sciences at Pharmacia Corporation.
Previously, he was Director of Regional Healthcare Services.
He attended medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical
School, Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Steward oversees an
organization whose responsibilities are heavily focused on
managed care decisions, physician practices and the overall
process of bringing new drugs to market. Dr. Steward
"...believes that becoming more knowledgeable and
well-rounded from a business perspective would not only
create a diversity of professional opportunities for him,
but also help to establish a foundation for future success."
Sophie J. Womack,
MD, MBA --
Dr. Womack is President of the Medical Staff at Detroit
Medical Center. She is also Chief of Neonatology at
Sinai-Grace Hospital, a member of the Detroit Medical
Center. Dr. Womack is a member of the Detroit Medical
Center's Board of Trustees. She is Board Certified in
Pediatrics and Neonatology. She is also an Assistant
Professor at Wayne State University in Pediatrics. A
graduate of Howard University and Meharry Medical College,
she now resides in Detroit after training in Pediatrics and
Neonatology. She has been active in infant and child health
issues for several years. She serves as the Chairman of the
Michigan Board of SIDS Alliance and is active in promoting
the “Back to Sleep” Campaign in Michigan, particularly in
the urban community. Along with her husband, they formed The
Coalition lnc.-Circle of Hope, an organization that promotes
childhood health and well being. The organization has
donated over $250,000 to support home health care for
indigent children and supports small groups that support
infant and childhood well being. She is currently the
Chairperson of the Wayne County Medical Society’s Violence
Reduction Committee. She received the Image Award in
Medicine from the Women’s Justice Center in 1988. She also
received Ameritech and Channel 56 “Living the Dream” Award
for community service in 2000. In 2001 she received the
“Spirit Award” from the Wayne County Council Against Family
Violence.
Ibrahim Zabani,
MD, MBA – Dr. Zabani graduated from King Abdulaziz
University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He joined King Faisal
Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh for one
year. He then joined the University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, Canada where he obtained his Fellow of the Royal
College Of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada in
Anesthesiology. After that, he finished his fellowship in
Cardiac Anesthesiology and then joined KFSH&RC as a
Consultant Cardiac Anesthesiologist. Examples of his
achievements include the establishment of The Department of
Anesthesiology and section of cardiac anesthesiology in the
newly established KFSH&RC Jeddah. His is currently Deputy
Chairman of Anesthesiology, which has ten anesthesiologists.
He is the director of the operating rooms as well as the
Chairman of Morbidity and Mortality Committee in the
hospital.
