Michael W. Adams, M.D. Dr. Adams owns and is the president of Adams Family Practice in Marion Illinois. This is a full service FP office with one MD and a PA. He started the practice from scratch and has been in business since 2001. Staff positions include Assistant Chief of Medicine at Heartland Regional Medical Center as well as Chair of the Performance Improvement Committee. Michael wants to pursue further education in Physician Leadership in order to expand the practice as well as providing consultative services in communication and practice management.

Biral Amin, M.D. Dr. Amin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in 1995. He graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2000. He is currently a fourth year resident in Radiation Oncology at New York Methodist Hospital where he serves as chief resident. As the corporate and medical worlds continue to merge, he feels it necessary to further his education. This will allow him to achieve his personal goals as well as ensure that his patients best interests are being met.

David Alan Baker, M.D.   Dr. Baker was raised in western Kentucky, enlisted into the US Marine Corps at age 18, and served in Viet Nam in 1970-71. His combat experiences were a significant reason for his entry into the medical field. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and his MD from the University of Louisville in 1979. His next 12 years were spent in the US Navy in San Diego, California. There he trained in the Navy as a General Surgeon and at the University of California, San Diego as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. Upon completion of his training in 1987, he found himself to be the only practicing cardiac surgeon in the US Navy. He helped to successfully re-establish the cardiac surgery program at Naval Hospital, San Diego. In mid 1990, he left the military for private practice in eastern Tennessee. After 3 years in Chattanooga, he was encouraged by a former Navy colleague to set up a solo practice in Johnson City, Tennessee. Dr. Baker was successful in building that practice into a 5-physician cardiovascular and thoracic surgery group. This group became the dominant cardiovascular surgery group in northeast Tennessee, resulting in that hospital becoming the fourth largest cardiac surgery program in the state and a member of the top 200 cardiac surgery hospitals in the nation. Dr. Baker has represented the medical staff as Chairman of the Department of Surgery and as Vice Chief of Staff.

Gary L. Berlin, M.D.   Dr. Berlin has graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 1998. He completed is residency in Emergency Medicine at the New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York; he graduated the residency with the Academic Achievement award.  Dr. Berlin then joined the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and served there as a Clinical Assistant Professor for more than five years.  Currently, Dr. Berlin is a Director of a privately-held independent Immediate Care Center in Wheeling, Illinois.  He is responsible for all clinical, operational and strategic leadership of the organization."

William T. Betz, D.O.  Dr. Betz is Vice President/Chief Academic Officer and Dean at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences and the G. Chad and Julianne Perry Chair of Family Medicine at Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville Kentucky. He received his Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine at the University Of Health Sciences College Of Osteopathic Medicine in 1981 and completed his postdoctoral education at Lakeside Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri. He is active in the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Through this program, he anticipates an enhancement of his academic and political career in medicine.

Daniel W. Blue, M.D. Dr. Blue attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls and majored in biology. He attended the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. He completed a residency in Family Practice and was in private practice for eleven years. He has always had an interest in business and a desire to focus more of his time toward improving the processes and day to day operational issues of the practice of medicine. In 2000 Dr. Blue accepted and developed the new role of Chief Medical Officer for the Sioux Valley Health System, an aggressive, visionary system that stretches across a four-state area. After three years he was chosen as the President of Sioux Valley Clinic which is composed of 300 physicians and 1500 staff in both urban and rural settings. Many of his duties include strategic planning and initiatives system-wide, in addition to direct responsibility for clinic activities.

Valentine J. Burroughs, M.D.   Dr. Burroughs is the Chief Medical Officer for North General Hospital in New York. Previously he served as Associate Medical Director and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at North General. He has broad clinical experience and has served as medical director, educator, and lobbyist. As an innovator and designer of health-care services, he has been especially active in the management and delivery of wellness programs for minority and and public health patient populations. Dr. Burroughs is an active leader for the American Medical Association and the National Medical Association. His educational goals include obtaining a far greater understanding of the healthcare financial management and accounting, marketing and business development along with the decision-making process associated with these activities. Dr. Burroughs found that he needs these tools to implement his long-term goal of excelling as a Physician Leader.

Mark A. Carlson, M.D. Dr. Carlson graduated from the University of Colorado Medical School in 1984 and completed Family Practice Residency training in 1987 at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley Colorado. He has worked at various locations in Washington State since that time, including group practice, solo Family Practice, contracted care for the Navy, multiple emergency rooms and urgent care centers at Group Health Cooperative. Presently he is employed as lead physician at the Eastside Hospital Urgent Care. Recent management experience includes: Urgent Care Chief at Group Health Eastside Hospital, and prior to that role Chief of the Ambulatory Care Clinic at Bremerton Naval Hospital. He also is president of MU Educational Enterprises, a not-for-profit teaching and medical presentation company. His passions include photography, plants and tropical fish. Non-medical accomplishments includes photographer for Pacific Northwest Ballet Sleeping Beauty fundraiser and videographer and editor of the Tiny Teas DVDs children's ballet videos.

Linda Mewis Christmann, M.D. Dr. Christmann is the Vice President of Medical Affairs of Wilson Medical Center in Wilson, North Carolina, a vertically integrated health system which consists of a 320-bed hospital, a long-term care facility, medical office building, two satellite clinics, a free-standing imaging facility and women’s facility. She was formerly the Associate Executive Director of Montreal Children's Hospital, a member hospital of the McGill University Health System. In addition, she has practiced pediatric ophthalmology for 16 years in South Carolina, and been a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics at the University of SC School of Medicine. Her medical training was performed at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. She holds membership on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Pattern Committee, and the Socioeconomic Committee of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. She holds membership in the ACHE, ACPE, ASQ, and other national organizations. She is married to Michael, a retired Luftwaffe pilot, and is the mother of five, and grandmother of three. She really likes to play tennis, cook Indian cuisine, sample fine wines, and travel.

Joseph T. Crane, M.D.   Dr. Crane completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Linguistics while completing his premedical requirements. He completed his medical training at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia and went on to the University of Illinois at Chicago where he finished his residency training in Emergency Medicine. He returned to Virginia where he currently serves as the Associate Director of his group, Fredericksburg Emergency Medical Alliance. In 2004, he graduated from the Physician Executive MBA Program (PEMBA) at the University of Tennessee where he currently teaches classes in healthcare operations. Since graduation, he has served as Business Director of his group of 18 physicians and 10 physician assistants. His consulting company, “Innovative Healthcare Consulting,” focuses on innovative approaches to ED and hospital-wide operational and patient flow improvement. He currently serves as a faculty member in the IHI’s National ED Collaborative.

Condessa M. Curley, M.D.   Dr. Curley, a native of Philadelphia, PA, completed her BS in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and her MD from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. She later earned the MPH at the University of California, Los Angeles. After completion of her residency program, Dr. Curley continued as clinical faculty while completing a one-year fellowship in Maternal and Children's Health Care. She is a faculty member at the University of Southern California (USC) Family Practice Residency Program. Condessa is also on staff at the Eisner Pediatric Family Health Center and California Hospital Medical Center. Condessa volunteers as the President and Chief Medical Officer for a non-profit organization E.D.F.F/Project Africa. She plans and administers medical humanitarian missions to the people of West Africa and Swaziland. She is a member the National Medical Society (NMA), the Charles R. Drew Medical Society Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Mentoring Committee. Condessa is a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves and was recently deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Noble Eagle.

Richard J. Gajdowski, M.D.   Dr. Gajdowski is an emergency physician with extensive experience in organizing and leading healthcare enterprises. He founded Airmaster, a Toronto based, fixed wing Air Ambulance Company. He also worked as an assistant director of medical management and physician networks while with Kaiser Permanente in Ohio. Presently Dr. Gajdowski serves as an emergency physician and flight surgeon for the 179th Airlift Wing, Ohio National Guard. As its chief of professional services, he presides over the unit's laboratory, radiological, pharmacy, credentialing, and drug testing programs. Dr. Gajdowski earned his M.D. at the University of Ottawa and completed residency at McGill University in Montreal. He also serves as Medical Director of Cigna Healthcare, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

Rachel M. George, M.D.   Dr. George is currently Regional Medical Director of Cogent Healthcare, a leading Hospitalist Company that sets the standard in providing excellent inpatient care. There, she oversees hospitalist programs in a several states in the Midwest and West. Prior to her current position, she was Medical Director of Hospitalist Services at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, IL. She also served as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at UIC Medical School in Rockford. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, and is a practicing hospitalist. After receiving her medical degree in 1998, she completed an Internal Medicine residency from the University of Illinois, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. George served on several committees in her former position, including the Medical Executive committee and is currently active on multiple committees with the Society of Hospital Medicine, of which she is an active member. In her own words, the Physician Executive MBA has helped her achieve the next level as a physician executive.

Robert Granacher, Jr., M.D.  Dr. Granacher is president and director of the Lexington Forensic Institute, a private forensic neuropsychiatric practice in Lexington, KY providing consultation throughout the United Sates. He has practiced clinical and forensic psychiatry since 1975. He obtained a chemistry degree from the University of Louisville and a medical degree from the University of Kentucky. After serving as resident and chief resident in psychiatry at the University of Kentucky he then completed a clinical and research fellowship at the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. His recent contribution to the neuroscience literature is: Traumatic Brain Injury: Methods for Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychiatric Assessment, CRC Press, 2003. Dr. Granacher has written other textbooks, book chapters, and many scientific articles as well. His board certifications include: general psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, sleep medicine and clinical psychopharmacology. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and he teaches fourth year psychiatric residents 8 hours weekly as a voluntary professor of psychiatry at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He was chairman of the board of St. Joseph Hospitals in Lexington and oversaw policy for their 630 beds and 18 clinical divisions 1999-2002. Dr. Granacher currently co chairs the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation.

Kirk B. Jensen, M.D. Dr. Jensen has spent over 20 years in Emergency Medicine Management and clinical care. Board-certified in Emergency Medicine, he has been medical director for several emergency departments and is President and CEO of Southeastern Acute Care Specialists. Starting in 1997, Dr. Jensen has been a faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and a participant in three previous IHI Breakthrough Series collaborative focusing on patient flow, quality improvement and patient satisfaction in the ED. Dr. Jensen is currently chair of the IHI collaborative on improving patient flow in the acute care setting. In addition, Dr. Jensen is on the expert panel and site examination team for Urgent Matters, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative focusing on helping hospitals eliminate emergency department crowding and congestion as well as preserving the health care safety net. Under his leadership, Nash General Hospital's Emergency Department achieved national recognition as a "Best Practice Clinical Site" by the Emergency Nurses Association as well as several VHA awards for quality and clinical effectiveness.

Lane Lee, M.D.   Dr. Lee is the founder and owner of San Marcos Family Practice in San Marcos, Texas. As a board certified physician, he oversees the daily managerial and clinical operations of this multi-office, multi-physician practice. Dr. Lee is a member of the board and president-elect of the medical staff at Central Texas Medical Center. He received his M.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas in 1996. He has served as principle investigator and as a research assistant on a variety of research projects. He is a member of the editorial review board for Family Practice Management Journal. Dr. Lee enrolled in UT's Physician Executive MBA program in order to obtain the leadership skills he will need to lead his practice for the next thirty years.

Tony Marzoni, M.D. Dr. Marzoni is president of the Palo Alto Division of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Palo Alto, California, with operational responsibility for 350 physicians and 1300 employees at five locations. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, he attended Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Upon completion of a surgical internship and residency at Stanford University Medical Center, he joined the Palo Alto Medical Clinic as a general surgeon in 1978. Dr. Marzoni served on the voluntary clinical faculty at Stanford from 1978-2003, was chief of staff of the Menlo Park Surgical Hospital from 1992-1996, and was executive board chairman of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic from 2001-2004. He currently chairs the governing board of the Surgecenter of Palo Alto and the planning committee of the Group Practice Improvement Network, and is a board member of the American Medical Group Association.

Mark McAlpin, M.D.   Dr. McAlpin is president of Partners in Faith, Inc. He is a practicing peripheral-vascular and general surgeon in addition to his duties as president of this clinic, which delivers healthcare with a Christian orientation. Formerly, he was Chief of Surgery with a HCA/Columbia hospital in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Dr. McAlpin has served on numerous committees and is especially interested in Quality Assurance and Critical Care. He earned his M.D. at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Dr. McAlpin's Physician Leadership goal and reason for enrolling in the program is multi-faceted. He seeks to improve access to healthcare for all patients. He also seeks to better understand the policy forces that influence the delivery model of healthcare so that quality and patient outcomes are maximized.

Kent T. Melbourne, D.D.S.   Dr. Melbourne serves as Director of Hospital Dentistry. He practices at Western Heights Dental P/H/D/C. He is a member of the hospital's surgical staff committee. Dr. Melbourne earned his doctorate at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee and his B.S. from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Postgraduate residency training was completed at Hubbard Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee and at Columbia University's Harlem Hospital. He enrolled in the program to advance his career goals and to realize his leadership potential. He also found that the program curriculum will enable him to master his leadership skills, people management skills, and provide him with the tools necessary for business development and implementation as a healthcare executive.

Craig Alan Nachbauer, M.D. Dr. Nachbauer is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University and Doctor of Medicine from Ohio State University. He completed general surgical training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and thoracic surgical training at Ohio State University. He has served as Fellow in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine and Clinical Associate in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Fellow in the American College of Surgeons, and member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. Dr. Nachbauer has been in practice since 1991. He is a member of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Associates, a five-man partnership practicing in Lexington, Kentucky. The physicians operate in Lexington, but also conduct 15 outreach clinics throughout central and southeastern Kentucky where new patients are seen and post-operative patients are followed. The practice operates a non-invasive vascular laboratory of which Dr. Nachbauer is the Medical and Technical Director. He became a Registered Vascular Technologist in 2000 and has been instrumental in the laboratory's 2003 re-certification by Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories.

Ajith Nair, M.D.  Dr. Nair is a pain management physician in Louisville Kentucky. He is the medical director of Kentuckiana Pain Specialists, where he specializes in interventional techniques in the treatment and relief of acute and chronic pain. After growing up in Hong Kong, Dr. Nair completed medical school training at Kasturba Medical College in India. He attended the University of Buffalo for internship training in family medicine, following this internship with an Anesthesiology residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Nair also completed a fellowship at the University of Alabama, Birmingham in pain management. Rounding out his clinical education, he earned a Master's in Pain Medicine at the University of Newcastle. His wish is to use this business acumen from this MBA to open India's first Center of Excellence dedicated to the treatment of Cancer and Chronic pain.

Jeffrey E. Nelson, M.D.   Dr. Nelson is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He is trained in Critical Care and Nutritional Support Medicine. Dr. Nelson has practiced medicine for 20 years, and he supervised and taught residents at The University of Tennessee Medical Center for ten years. Currently, he is an Intensivist/Nutritionist at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, Tennessee.

Amina Patel, M.D.  Dr. Patel is a family physician by training or more simply a "jack of all trades". Her job description requires her to be a medical doctor, a social worker, an educator and a learner. She is sure there are many more facets to the profession that she has yet to discover. After finishing her residency training in family medicine, Dr. Patel spent some time working in Pakistan and then in New Zealand. The experience gave her a more practical insight into the role of a family physician. It also gave her an opportunity to explore the management aspect of a health organization. Dr. Patel is the leader of her recently restructured group practice's "self managed team" This has provided her with a unique opportunity to develop her "managerial skills" and contribute towards implementation of cost efficient patient care. She strongly feels that a degree in business with the health management as the main focus with help her grow as a multifaceted health care provider. It will provide the opportunity to form a better understanding of the functioning of the health care system. Dr. Patel states that, "I aspire to utilize the knowledge gained to form an effective and powerful union between medicine and business."

Anil J. Patel, M.D.   Dr. Patel is the chief anesthesiologist at a private free-standing surgical center in Bergen County, New Jersey. He has been in private practice for 4 years. His practice is limited to outpatient surgery and office based anesthesiology. Dr. Patel attended the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education and obtained his Medical Degree from the SUNY-Health Science Center at Brooklyn. He did his residency at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Patel believes that pursuing an MBA will provide him the opportunity to improve and obtain the skills of understanding finance, plan creation and implementation, and effective business management.

Helen Z. Patel, M.D. Dr. Patel is currently in practice at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin, she attended medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston followed by a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. She now serves on the Medical Executive Committee of Physiatric Medicine Associates and the Compensation Committee of Health Texas Physician Network. She also works as a volunteer physician for Baylor Sportscare events such as the White Rock Marathon, Dallas Cup Soccer Tournament, and Hoop It Up basketball tournament. Previously, she served as medical director for the BaylorWorx occupational medicine clinic at Baylor Medical Center at Grapevine. Dr. Patel is now pursuing her MBA to acquire the leadership skills that will assist in better managing her practice and in facilitating future projects in the Baylor Rehabilitation System. She is also interested in working on healthcare policy in the future and feels this program will be of great benefit toward reaching that goal.

Richard C. Prielipp, M.D. Dr. Prielipp received a Bachelor of Science degree in medical microbiology and his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin. Following two years of general surgery training at the University of Minnesota, he completed an anesthesiology residency at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a critical care fellowship at Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, California. Following his graduation in December 2004, Dr. Prielipp accepted appointment as the J.J. Buckley Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Prielipp served as a Professor of Cardiac Anesthesiology and was the former Section Head of Critical Care Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine prior to his current appointment where he was also Program Director for the specialized year of critical care fellowship program at Wake Forest. He is an Associate Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology, on the Editorial Board of the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, and previous editor of the Society of Critical Care Medicine's Multidisciplinary Critical Care Knowledge Assessment Program. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (ASCCA) and the chairman of the 1998 ASCCA Annual Meeting. He has won several teaching awards and is a recipient of a research grant from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research and two safety grants from the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.

Sabrina Rajendran, M.D.   Dr. Rajendran has been practicing occupational medicine in the Chicago, Illinois area for the past six years. She served as Center Medical Director of an occupational medicine clinic for four years. She enjoys being part of a large organization, the business aspects of occupational medicine such as diverse corporate clients, and the clinical aspects of providing medical care to workers. Dr. Rajendran believes firmly in the value of physician leadership in health care organizations, the health care industry, and the community. Dr. Rajendran is pursuing the Physician Executive MBA as a means of obtaining formal education in leadership and business skills and looks forward to applying these skills as a physician leader.

Steven Hector Rivera, D.O.   Dr. Rivera graduated from the emergency medicine program at Wayne State University in 1993. His first job was in the emergency department of a large community trauma center in Tampa Florida where he served as medical director of the Care Flight program. During his leadership, the flight program expanded to 3 helicopters, tripled its fixed wing transports and became profitable for the first time in 5 years. Dr. Rivera returned to Michigan in 1996 worked briefly at Wayne State University and then started Independent Emergency Physicians with 9 other founding members. IEP is a democratic, physician-owned company that provides emergency services to 5 hospitals and 200,000 patients each year. Dr. Rivera has been the managing partner and a board member of IEP since its inception. His position entails corporate financial management, contract acquisition, third party payer negotiations as well as clinical practice. Dr. Rivera believes physicians should be primarily involved with the financial management of their business. IEP has grown significantly since 1997 and he hopes PEMBA will give him skills to continue the success and growth of his company.

Aseem Saklecha, M.D. Dr. Aseem Saklecha received his MD degree from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in 1996 after graduating from their six year combined BS/MD program. He completed his emergency medicine residency in Detroit, MI from William Beaumont Hospital in 1999. He is currently board certified in Emergency Medicine and practices as a full time emergency room attending physician at Ingalls Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. He is Medical Director at both the Tinley Park and Calumet City Urgent Care Centers and is the Associate Director at the Emergency Dept of Ingalls. He has made partner of Midwest Emergency Associates. He is looking to further his management and leadership skills to grow as a physician executive within his current environment and also to broaden his understanding of the health care industry as a whole.

David Stilley, M.D. Dr. Stilley has been involved in EMS and Emergency Medicine in Central Iowa since 1980. After completing Family Practice residency at Broadlawns Polk County Hospital in 1983, he practiced rural family medicine in western Iowa. In 1988 he relocated to Des Moines and joined the ED staff at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. In 1993 he became the Medical Director of Broadlawns ED. In 1995 he was recruited to Mercy Medical Center ED and became Medical Director there in 1998.Throughout these years Dr Stilley served as medical director of one to as many as nine paramedic level EMS services, including Mercy Airlife. Mercy Medical Center has the busiest ED in Iowa, with over 60,000 visits annually. A Level II ACS Trauma Center, Mercy treats critical patients of all types, including trauma, pediatrics, neurology, cardiology, and others.

Gamini Soori, MBBS Dr. Soori is a medical oncologist and hematologist practicing in Omaha, NE with six other associates. He graduated with honors from the University of Ceylon school of medicine, Sri Lanka and received his residency training in Internal Medicine in the U.K. He is certified by the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom in Internal Medicine. He has completed his fellowship training in Medical Oncology and Hematology at University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Soori has received additional training at Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research in the U.K. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Medical Oncology and in Hemataology. Dr. Soori is actively engaged in clinical cancer research and is a member of the board of directors and past-president of Missouri Valley CCOP. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine and serves as the Medical Director of Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Cancer Center and Co-Director of Bone Marrow Transplantation Program. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the medical staff of Alegent Bergan Mercy Medical Center and will assume duties as the President and Chief of Staff in January 2005. Dr. Soori has held many leadership positions and is a recipient of honors from many community, regional and national organizations. He has published in peer reviewed journals and written book chapters in Oncology. He is listed in Marquis's Who's Who in the World and in Who's Who in Science and Technology. Dr. Soori's interest in health care management has led to his enrollment in PEMBA.

Jerry Speer, M.D. Dr. Speer attended medical school at the University of Texas in San Antonio. He graduated in 1983 and entered the residency program in Family Practice at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He completed his residency in 1986. In 1987 he moved to Great Falls, Montana and joined a multispecialty group, where he started the department of family practice. In 1991 he founded Great Falls Family Medicine and ultimately the group comprised family physicians, ob-gyn and psychology. He has been involved extensively in hospital leadership. He is looking forward to honing his business and leadership skills in the MBA program and being involved in consulting for hospitals and clinics.

Kent Stock, D.O. Dr. Stock was born and raised in Bloomingdale, New Jersey. He earned a B.A. in chemistry and sociology from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and a D.O. degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York. Following graduation, he completed a combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at The Ohio State University Hospitals/Clinics in Columbus, Ohio and then an Infectious Disease fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Stock is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases. He began private practice in Infectious Diseases in Charleston, S.C. in 1999 and currently serves as the practice's managing partner. He is also active in several hospital leadership positions, including Chairman of Medicine and Chief of Staff Elect at Trident Medical Center in Charleston, S.C. He serves as the Infection Control Director for two area hospitals, is chairman of several hospital committees and acts as a delegate for the Charleston County Medical Society to the state medical association. Dr. Stock participated in Leadership Charleston for 2002-03. He is recognized as a 2003-2004 South Carolina Department of Education Policy fellow and he received the 2003 State of South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control's Physician of the Year for the Lowcountry Health District.

Dennis Townsend, M.D. After receiving his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Mississippi, Dr. Townsend completed residency in Family Medicine at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. While there he served as Chief Resident and was in the inaugural class of a developing Practice Management curriculum for the residents. In the two and a half years since completing residency, Dr. Townsend has been 'learning the ropes' in a four physician practice in Northeast Tennessee. Though relatively new to practice, Dr. Townsend considers himself a forward thinker and wants to become a more hands-on type of medical businessman and manager. As an employee physician of a small Family Practice group he has quickly discovered many of the pitfalls of trying to practice medicine and business without adequate knowledge of the way the two should coexist. He looks forward to the challenges and opportunities the PEMBA program will provide.