Jeanette Abell, MD
Dr. Abell is the Regional Director, Central Division for Hospitalists Management Group (HMG).  She has Administrative and Clinical responsibility for operations at HMG's Ohio locations.  She works collaboratively with the President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as the Chief Medical Officer, to facilitate and implement medical and operational improvement changes.  Dr. Abell joined HMG as Regional Director in February 2006.  Dr. Abell's experience as a Hospitalist, since 1993, has included co-creator and President of the first strictly hospitalist service at Riverside Methodist Hospital and the merger of two hospitalist practices to create a large inpatient service.

Dr. Abell is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.  After receiving her Doctorate of Medicine at Wright State University, she completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.

Ahmad Al-Alou, MD
Dr. Al-Alou is an Internist and the Medical Director of his group on the Island of Saipan. Al-Alou completed his Medical Degree at UTESA in Santo Doming and his Internal Medicine Residency at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, NJ. He is enrolled in the PEMBA program to gain academic knowledge in management, be a better Physician leader, have better communication skills and acquire deep knowledge in healthcare economics and corporate finance.

Tareq Al Hamdan, MD
Dr. Al Hamdan is an Emergentologist working for Saudi Aramco oil Company. He obtained his medical degree from King Saud University Riyadh 1999, and completed his residency training in Emergency medicine at the University of Ottawa Royal Collage Program. During his residency training Dr. Al Hamdan obtained a Master in Disaster Medicine from the University of Piedmont, Novara, Italy.

Dr. Al Hamdan identified Medical Administration as an area of possible improvement in his Saudi health care system, trying to encompass basic knowledge and practical experience, Dr. Al Hamdan joined Medical Administration Fellowship in University of Ottawa and the PEMBA Program to enhance his administrative knowledge and to promote safer and more efficient medical services for his countrymen.

Benson Abbi Babu, MD
Dr. Babu began his career at the University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Center at Hungary. After completing his medical degree, he trained in General Surgery and Internal Medicine at SUNY Stony-brook and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation respectively. The University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA serves to bridge the gap between academic medicine and business. Furthermore, he seeks to develop a strong collegial network of medical professionals.

Ray Oliver Bahado-Singh, MD
Ray O. Bahado-Singh MD is an Ob/Gyn with subspecialty training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Diagnostic Ultrasound and Genetics. After residency training at New York Medical College – Metropolitan Hospital, he underwent Fellowship training at University of California at Irvine and Yale University. Professional experience includes faculty member, Acting Division Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine and Residency Program Director at Yale University, Director of the Division of Fetal Imaging and Associate Director of Fetal Therapeutics (surgery) at the University of Cincinnati. Currently Dr Bahado-Singh serves as the Associate Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Division of Fetal Imaging at Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan. Dr Bahado-Singh’s research interest include the genetic basis of common birth defects.

Stephen Berman, MD, Ph.D.
Stephen Alan Berman M.D., Ph.D. is a neurologist and neurobiologist at Dartmouth Medical School. He is currently a Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at Dartmouth and is chief of the neurology service at the White River Junction VA. Dr. Berman believes that the tools and methods he will learn in the Physician Executive MBA Program will be as useful in a government environment as they are in the private sector.

Don D. Bouchard, DO
Dr. Bouchard grew up in rural Maine and completed his undergraduate studies in Zoology at the University of Maine in Orono. He earned his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. Dr. Bouchard completed his Pediatric Residency from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. After residency, Dr. Bouchard practiced in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 12 years. He is currently the Medical Director of a provider based Rural Health Center in Dowagiac, Michigan. This health care system, which includes a Critical Access Hospital and three clinics, services the residents of Cass County with comprehensive medical care.

Gary Lee Carter, MD, MA
Dr. Gary Carter attended Northwest Missouri State University followed by four years at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. He completed an Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Louisville in 1987. Dr. Carter is hopeful the PEMBA program will give him the tools to succeed in a competitive health care market and develop new models for the delivery of emergency services.

Norman Chapin, MD
Norman Chapin received his M.D. from Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine in 1982. Following his graduation he was accepted into the Family Practice Residency at Midland Hospital Center in Midland Michigan. Assuming the role as medical director renewed Norman's desire to become more knowledgeable regarding the business of healthcare. Norman is very excited about embarking on this new direction in his career. He is looking forward to becoming part of a group of fellow physicians seeking to improve themselves through this program.

Edward Deutscher, MD
After obtaining a BA from Hobart College, Ed Deutscher graduated from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium. The next step was an MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Following an internship at Beth Israel in NYC, he did his residency at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. He is optimistic that PEMBA will provide the leadership skills necessary to contribute to the management of his clinic, as it faces the future challenges to the delivery of health care.

Jacqueline T. Do, MD
Dr. Jacqueline Do graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1986. Before entering medical school, she completed one year of basic research in Neuroscience at UCI. In 1991, she received her Medical Doctorate Degree from UCLA School of Medicine. She fulfilled her residency in Internal Medicine at UCI Medical Center. Dr. Do believes PEMBA will give her the business fundamentals that she needs to overcome current and future challenges and may open doors to other leadership positions in the healthcare system.

Susan Dobbs Curling, MD
Dr. Susan Dobbs Curling founded and has managed North Houston Anesthesiologists since 1991.  A graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, and a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia at Emory University in Atlanta, Susan has directed the development of several anesthesia departments, including Kingwood Medial Center Hospital, Renaissance Surgical Center, and Memorial Hermann Specialty Hospital at Kingwood. Beyond the local community, Susan has served as President of the Harris County Medical Society, a Delegate to the America Society of Anesthesiologists, and Susan currently serves as the Vice-Speaker of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists.After taking a Certificate of Business Administration Course, Susan realizes how much more there is to learn. She has a desire to serve, and make projects more successful. She hopes this program can improve her abilities to do so, and that the PEMBA program will open doors to yet undiscovered career opportunities, perhaps even of an international flavor.

Serge Dumay, MD
Dr. Serge Dumay completed his undergraduate studies in Chemistry (BS-Chemistry) at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. He worked as a clinical chemist for a year before going to medical school. He received his MD from the School of Medicine of The Universidad Central del Caribe in Puerto Rico. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and a Pulmonary Fellowship at Bergen Pines County Hospital in Paramus, New Jersey. Dr Dumay has worked in various inpatient and outpatient settings and held multiple leadership positions. He was Chairman of the Emergency Department at Kennedy Memorial Hospital , Saddle Brook , New Jersey for six Years. He served as Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey for five years. He enjoys teaching medical students, residents, he is well liked and received Physician of the Year Award in 1990 and 2007.He is member of the Board of Trustees of the Bergen County Medical Society and member of the Board of Trustees of the Bergen Regional Medical Center Foundation. Dr. Dumay has maintained a private practice in Pulmonary Medicine for the past 18 years. In what he considers spare time, he likes downhill skiing in the winter and bicycle riding in the summer. He hope that the PEMBA program will give him a deeper understanding of the business side of healthcare and facilitate a smoother transition into the dark side of medicine.

Nestor Felix Esnaola, MD, MPH

Dr. Esnaola is Assistant Professor in the Section of Surgical Oncology/Department of Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a General Surgery residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, during which he obtained a Master in Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed a Surgical Oncology fellowship at the U.T. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and currently specializes in hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and colorectal surgery. At MUSC, he serves as Medical Director for Surgical Quality and Safety as well as Medical Director for Quality for the Hollings Cancer Center. Dr. Esnaola hopes that the skills he acquires in the PEMBA Program will prepare him to become a more efficient clinician-administrator and allow him to more creatively address the sometimes-conflicting missions facing academic medical organizations.

Akash Ghai, MD
Dr. Akash Ghai is an adult cardiologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Florida State University who practices at Southern Medical Group, a private practice in Tallahassee, Florida. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University, Canada he completed his medical degree at the University of Toronto, Canada. He then pursued training in Internal Medicine at the same institution followed by a fellowship in adult Cardiology at Columbia University in New York City. He then pursued further specialization in cardiovascular CT at Cabrini Medical Center in New York City. He currently heads the cardiac imaging department at Southern Medical Group. Dr. Ghai hopes that pursuing this MBA will give him the right skills to become a better physician leader and make better business decisions for his group.

Herbert Ho, MD
Dr. Ho is a family physician from Los Angeles, California.  He began his career  as a veterinarian following graduation from the University of Saskatchewan.  Called to the healing arts, he earned his Medical Doctorate from the American University.  He completed residencies in family medicine and anesthesiology.  He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.  Dr. Ho has served as a commissioner (and/or a delegate) for for several economic and business trade development initiatives with China on behalf of the State of California.   As President and CEO for five Adult Day Health Care Centers in the Los Angeles metropolitan area., Dr. Ho  leads each of the centers in the provision of skilled nursing care, social services, physical and occupational therapies, nutritional counseling and transportation service for over 450 elderly patients at each center.  Dr. Ho joined the PEMBA program to learn about new opportunities the MBA will afford him.

Jairy Hunter, MD
Jairy C. Hunter, III, MD received his undergraduate degree in English from Furman University (Greenville, SC), then attended medical school at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He trained in Family Medicine in Richmond, Virginia, then gained additional acute care experience as an Emergency Department physician. After 5 years in Family Practice in Summerville, SC, he founded the area's first Hospitalist group at Trident and Summerville Hospitals (Charleston, SC), working as both Medical Director and Hospitalist. Six years later, the group has grown from four physicians to fifteen, with two physician extenders and a small office staff, and continues to experience growth in size and scope of responsibilities. In 2006, Dr. Hunter successfully navigated the transition of ownership of the hospitalist group from a small private entity to the corporate umbrella of HCA.

Since 1997, he has been involved in various areas of medical staff leadership and has seen the importance of physician participation in the processes required for efficacious operation of a hospital system. Having learned a great deal "on-the-job," he nevertheless found his comfort in management somewhat lacking. Dr. Hunter sees a Physician Executive MBA as an opportunity to gain important skills as he continues to pursue further areas of leadership within his organization.

Dr. Hunter is married with one child, and his wife, an Ob/Gyn, is expecting another. He enjoys all forms of gadgets and technology, reading, college basketball, and is an accomplished amateur photographer.

Tarek Karaman, MD
Dr. Karaman received his premedical education at the University of Louvain in Brussels, Belgium, and his Medical Degree at the University of Tel-Aviv, Israel. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Illinois, Chicago.I n 1997 he joined Advocate Health Centers as a Hospitalist and in 1999 he became a Lead Hospitalist. Currently Dr. Karaman is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is the president of the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) Chicago Chapter and the Section Chief of Hospital Medicine at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.  Dr. Karaman is joining the PEMBA program to expand his skills and knowledge in management and leadership.

Clarissa Lawrence, MD
Dr. Leesa Lawrence is a Pediatrician with 14 years of experience in a General Pediatrics private group practice in Wilson, North Carolina. Eastern Carolina Pediatrics provides care both within the office and the hospital (Wilson Medical Center), as Wilson’s only Pediatrics group. In 2004, ECP participated in a quality improvement collaborative involving open access scheduling and office efficiency. Dr. Lawrence was the physician champion for ECP’s involvement in the collaborative. From there she became involved in the medical staff, re-starting the quality improvement and patient safety committee. In 2007, she participated in the IHI Quality Improvement Advisor (IA Wave 5) program. This proved life-changing; she is now working towards quality improvement as a career focus. The leadership and management training of PEMBA plus the qualifications MBA are both necessary for the next step of her career. The MBA received will place her in a better position to obtain the career she wants; the training obtained during the year will help her perform her best when she gets there.

Howard Lee, MD
Dr. Howard Lee currently serves as the division chief of nephrology at Kaiser Permanente Riverside medical center. He completed his medical school training at Western University of Health Sciences, followed by internal medicine residency and nephrology fellowship at Hahnemann University Hospital of Philadelphia. After finishing his chief fellowship, he joined Southern California Permanente Medical Group and assumed the position of division leader, involving in the quality management and the administrative aspect of medicine. The Physician Executive M.B.A. Program would be the logical next step toward acquiring the knowledge and skills for effective patient care delivery in the current ever more complex health care enviroment.

Jeffrey Lee, MD, MPH
Jeffrey A. Lee, MD, MPH is a 1994 graduate of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. After initial training in family medicine at Ft. Bragg, he served as a military physician until 2003. Upon retiring from the Army, he returned to training and completed a preventive medicine residency with a master of public health at the University of South Carolina. Jeff currently practices occupational medicine at Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse, WI while running his own medical consulting company. Jeff's wife, Maria, is a family medicine physician and they have two children - Christian, 8, and David, 4. Jeff is an avid sports fan and enjoys triathlons, skiing, hunting and fishing. He looks forward to the upcoming challenges of the year. Jeff's desire is to use the tools he develops this year to build his consulting company.

Jeffrey Taylor MacMillan, MD
Please check back soon for this Physician Leader’s profile.

Kit McCalla, DO
Kit C. McCalla, DO is a board certified orthopedic surgeon in Phoenix, Arizona. He is passionate about healthcare, ethics, and the public policy debate in America. Like many health care providers, he never dreamed the life of a physician would be so consumed with politics, greed, and inequity. While practicing medicine in Arizona, Dr. McCalla is doing what relatively small numbers of his peers usually do; Dr. McCalla has volunteered to try and make a difference by getting involved. He completed his Fellowship training in Healthcare Policy in 2006. He serves as a Board Member of the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association Board of Trustees and on the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Insurance.

Most importantly, he talks with his patients on a daily basis about how they are affected by the American Healthcare system with its inequities in access, quality, and cost. In conclusion, he is convinced that there is a real probability that American patients will suffer in growing numbers at the hand of “business as usual,” unless our leaders study the issues and take a greater advocacy role in leadership. As a result, Dr. McCalla has chosen to enroll in the PEMBA program at the University of Tennessee in order to garner the business skills necessary to help build a better public policy solution in the American Healthcare dilemma.

Steven Suketu Mehta, MD
Dr. Steven S. Mehta obtained his undergraduate degree from Kent State University in Kent, OH, and his Medical Degree from the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. During his career as an Interventional Cardiologist, Dr. Mehta has been involved in clinical research, and has taught and lectured internationally. While in private practice in the metro Phoenix area, he served as the Chairman of Cardiology and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization laboratories at the Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center, in Glendale, AZ. Currently, Dr. Mehta serves as the Arizona Governor of the American College of Cardiology. In 2003, Dr. Mehta developed the Heart Institute of Northeastern Arizona - a privately owned medical facility designed to bring interventional cardiovascular services to rural Arizona. Now in its fourth year of operation, the Heart Center has developed into a successful model that may be extrapolated to other rural markets. Dr. Mehta anticipates that furthering his formal business education will bring valuable experience to his consulting company, Axiom Lifesystems Development Group.

Belinda Leigh Miller, MD
Belinda L. Miller Topa is a Board-certified Pediatrician with a CAQ in Sports Medicine and a Certificate in Women's Health. She has worked in multiple practice settings, including College Health, Sports Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Urgent Care, and Solo Pediatric Practice. She also owns a part-time cosmetic business, performing Intense Pulsed Light Treatments. She is looking to advance her understanding of the business of medicine through the Physician Executive MBA program

Thomas Patrick O’Malley, Jr., MD
Thomas Patrick O'Malley Jr. received his M.D. degree from Rutgers Medical School in 1988. After completing a residency in Ophthalmology at the Wake Forest University Eye Center in 1992, he returned to his hometown, Stevens Point Wisconsin, joining the Rice Medical Center which was later acquired by Ministry Medical Group, a multi-site, specialty group practice serving central and northern Wisconsin. During his Ophthalmic career, he developed several services such as small incision cataract surgery, retinal laser surgery, and refractive laser vision correction. He redesigned patient flow for his ophthalmic practice, improving patient access and service, as well as practice efficiency. In October, 2006, he left practice for for a newly created position, leading all specialty clinicians throughout Ministry Medical Group. Tom and his wife of 23 years have two teenage daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys swimming, running, and bicycling. Committed to life-long learning, Tom believes that the greatest challenges and opportunities for the healthcare industry in the coming years lie in the development of new systems of care which improve access, quality and safety. He believes that the successful systems will be physician led and that the UT/PEMBA program will help him to understand the science of healthcare delivery and help him to acquire the skills needed to lead in a modern healthcare environment.

Patti Paris, MD
Patti Paris, MD is an Emergency Medicine Physician practicing at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage Alaska. Patti received her undergraduate and graduate degree in the University of Maine system and then attended University of Vermont College of Medicine, graduating in 1995. Patti was an Indian Health Service scholar and after completing residency, started at the tribally owned Alaska Native Medical Center for her scholarship payback. After four years, she returned to her home in Maine for a year and then worked as part of the medical staff at McMurdo Base Station in Antarctica for a season. The Indian Health Service and Alaska had turned out to be a good fit for her and her husband Dan and they returned permanently in 2005. The IHS and the tribally owned health system is evolving rapidly and Patti is looking for her MBA to give her the tools of leadership and business to be part of that growth.

Setul Patel, MD
Dr. Setul G. Patel completed his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Virginia. In 2006, he completed his residency training and service as chief resident in Emergency Medicine at the Christiana Care Health System / Medical Center of Delaware. He is now an attending physician and partner with Greater Houston Emergency Physicians. He also serves as the Associate Director of the Pearland Emergency Center, in Pearland, TX. Dr. Patel also does independent contractor work through his own company and seeks to expand these services in multiple facets. Through the UT PEMBA business program, Dr. Patel wishes to augment his clinical practice and expand the practice of Emergency Medicine into more markets and newer sectors. He seeks to acquire further leadership skills to successfully navigate our medical system and continually improve upon the quality and efficiency of care delivered. Understanding the networking potential and caliber of his classmates, he also wants to make new friendships and connections that will empower all parties to achieve their goals.

Zandra R. Petway, MD, MPH
Dr. Zandra R. Petway, a Nashville, Tennessee native and graduate of Meharry Medical College, is the president and owner of Christian Family Medical Clinic, a chain of 4 family practice medical clinics in the Nashville area. Dr. Petway also holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from Meharry Medical College and a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Tennessee State University. She has been in private practice since year 2000 and operates the 4 clinics by hiring other physicians and nurse practitioners. Dr. Petway chose to enroll in the Physician Executive MBA program to gain valuable business skills in order to help better manage her chain of medical clinics.

Adam Gates Ravin, MD
Dr. Ravin is currently a private practice plastic surgeon in the Lake Norman area north of Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended Vanderbilt University for his undergraduate studies and then completed his medical school as well as his plastic surgery residency training at Duke University. During his training, he spent an additional 6 months at the Christine M. Kleinert Institute for hand and microsurgery in Lousiville, KY. Dr. Ravin hopes that in the near term the PEMBA will improve his business acumen to more efficiently run his practice. He understands that despite years of medical training, physicians generally have very little business experience or financial knowledge. In addition, Dr. Ravin is hopeful that the PEMBA may facilitate an eventual transition into healthcare administration.

Peter A. Sanderson, MD
Pete Sanderson graduated from the Medical College of Georgia and was in the first graduating class of the Fox Valley Family Practice Residency Program in Appleton, Wisconsin. He was the founding and managing partner of Plover Family Practice S.C. and was responsible for implementing one of the first electronic medical records in Wisconsin during 1989. After being acquired by Ministry Health Care in 1996, he oversaw the development of family practice centers in rural central Wisconsin. Dr. Sanderson became part of the Rice Clinic’s (a 70 clinician multi-specialty clinic in Stevens Point, Wisconsin) Department of Family Practice after the clinic was acquired by Ministry and eventually became President of the Clinic. As President he redesigned the budget process and pushed for integration with both Ministry’s local hospital unit and other recently acquired physician groups. After a number of physician groups were consolidated into Ministry Medical Group, Dr. Sanderson was named Ministry’s Director of Medical Informatics Operations and was given the task of bringing a single Electronic Health Record to Ministry Health Care’s 400 clinicians located throughout northern Wisconsin.

Donald Charles Shields, MD, Ph.D.
After completion of medical scientist training at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2000, Dr. Shields did his neurosurgery residency at UCLA Medical Center. During this time he became interested in functional neurosurgery, and served as a director of GlobalNeuroRescue, an international medical missions organization. Dr. Shields later began fellowship training in functional neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2006, and founded 4ALife foundation in order to support international medical mission development. However, the ability to translate concepts in the rapidly expanding field of functional neurosurgery from the bench to bedside, can be significantly enhanced with graduate training in business administration. Dr. Shields plans to develop a corporate partnership which can effectively develop innovative concepts for functional neurosurgery and provide financial support for international medical missions.

Robert Michael Sookochoff, MD
Dr. Sookochoff has been a family practice physician since 1981. He trained in Canada and practiced in Ontario for 5 yrs. before moving to the U.S. He has worked in multiple practice models including solo practice, small group practice and for the last 14 yrs. in Ministry Medical Group (MMG) a 180 clinician multispecialty group practice in north central Wisconsin. In 2003 he took on a part time medical director role with MMG serving as satellite medical director in the northern region of MMG's service area. In October, 2006 his medical director duties expanded to that of Service Line Medical Director for Primary Care throughout MMG.  He feels strongly that for medical organizations to be successful in the future strong physician leadership will be necessary and it is no longer acceptable for physicians to confine their expertise to medical topics alone. Physicians need additional tools to aid in the construction of innovative care systems that focus on bringing value to the patient through cost efficient, high quality and safe care. He was attracted to the highly regarded PEMBA program at the University of Tennessee to improve his knowledge of the business of medicine and realize these goals.

Marianna V. Spanaki, MD
Dr. Marianna V. Spanaki is a Senior Staff Neurologist at Henry Ford Health Systems, Detroit, MI and Associate Professor of Neurology at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. Dr Spanaki practices Neurology with emphasis in epilepsy. She has presented at national and international conferences and has authored or co-authored a number of scientific papers mainly in the field of epilepsy. Dr Spanaki organizes an annual symposium on women’s issues in Neurological disorders. She has a leadership position in the Clinical Neurophysiology Program, particularly in the development of the curriculum of this program. She participated in the Henry Ford Leadership Academy and is a member of the planning Committee of the Wellness Center at West Bloomfield Hospital.

At State level, she serves on the International Graduates Council, State Legislation and Governments affairs committee and Women’s Council of Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS). She is on the Medical Advisory Board of the Michigan Epilepsy Foundation.  Dr Spanaki is leading an effort to introduce legislative changes to Michigan driving law as it pertains to physicians' immunity from third party liability.  At national level, Dr Spanaki is on the Advocacy Board and Scientific Program Committee of the American Epilepsy Society (AES).

Dr Spanaki was selected to become a Palatucci advocate in 2006 and a Palatucci mentor in 2007 as part of the AAN Palatucci Leadership Forum. Dr Spanaki is a member of the Epilepsy Section Executive Committee and Medical Management and Medical Economics Committee of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). She is the editor of the official newsletter of the AAN Epilepsy Section. She is a spokesperson for epilepsy-related issues for the AAN. Dr Spanaki believes that the next logical step to take for her career development is an executive MBA that will help her master business and leadership skills that are both required in a rapidly changing health care environment.

Takeo Tedoriya, MD
Dr. Tedoriya studied general and cardiovascular surgery at one of the oldest medical universities Japan, and then had clinical experiences in Berlin, Germany for about four years, where he received a board surgeon of cardiac surgery and attending position. He also had a clinical experience in the heart lung transplantation unit in Sydney, Australia for about one year. Thereafter, he worked at two different medical university hospitals in Japan. His roles there involved teaching students and young surgeons to understand the advantage and disadvantage of education system in each country including Japan. Currently, he holds a position of professor of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Showa University that is about 70 years old. His role is to introduce a new trend and inspire our surgical team that will provide ideal opportunities for young surgeons learning cardiac surgery to integrate themselves. He believes it is a very useful and important experience for him to manage a cardiac surgical team. Dr. Tedoriya believes the Japanese medical system has been suffering for a number of years now and is only getting worse. When faced with government decisions to shrink the budget for medical services while still maintaining a safety net for medical affairs it becomes time to reconsider the whole medical system and introduce the rationalization and improvement of the hospital distribution system. Dr. Tedoriya believes PEMBA will help him create a new system of clinical and educational hospital, which will also accommodate the culture in Japan. In that sense, he would like to become a real leader who can offer the learning field to young people with noble ambition as a cardiac surgeon.

Charles Ray Trentham, MD
Dr. Trentham practices Anesthesiology in Franklin, NC where he is Director of Anesthesia and Vice Chief of Medical Staff at Angel Medical Center. He will be obtaining his third degree from the University of Tennessee, as he obtained his B.A. from UTK and his M.D. from UTHSC. Board certified in both Pediatrics and Anesthesiology, Dr. Trentham completed a Pediatric residency at the University of Colorado, an Anesthesiology residency at the University of Florida, and a Pediatric Anesthesia fellowship at the Children's Hospital, Denver. Currently, Dr. Trentham also serves as Regional Medical Officer for Clinical Colleagues, Inc., an Anesthesia service provider. From his PEMBA studies, he hopes to obtain an acumen in business matters that will serve him in both management and consultant roles.

Charlie Tsalamandris, MD
Dr. Charlie Tsalamandris better known as Charlie was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He completed his B.S. in Biology at the University of Windsor, and went on to complete his M.D. degree at Wayne State University in Detroit. He remained local and received his specialty degree in Emergency Medicine from St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit in 1998. He then remained in the area and practiced for a group that covered multiple hospitals environments from suburban to the inter-city in the area.  Being always on the go Dr. Tsalamandris spent time practicing medicine in Hawaii. He wanted the experience of island medicine. Dr. Tsalamandris hopes that PEMBA will provide the tools necessary to understand and compete in the ever evolving world of healthcare.

David Christopher Wells, MD
Dr. Wells graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in 1980. He did both his General Surgery and Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, After completion of his training, he and his family moved to Roanoke, Va. and he joined Cardiovascular Surgical Associates in 1987. He has been very active in the clinical practice of Cardiovascular Surgery since his arrival in Roanoke. A shift in his focus has developed since 2000, when he became the managing partner of his seven member group. In 2006, he successfully navigated the merger and integration of CVSA into Carilion Health Systems. As section chief of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, his administrative and managerial skills have continued to grow.  Both of his  sons work in the financial markets, and he has learned from them that a different skill set is necessary to be successful in today's complex business environment. Chris looks at PEMBA as an opportunity to grow and develop these skill sets and thus allow a transition from a clinical role to an administrative/executive role.