Mark Basik is a surgical oncologist practicing at the Jewish General Hospital. His main clinical and research interest is breast cancer. He is the Medical Director of the Inter-disciplinary breast cancer team at the Segal Cancer Center in Montreal, which is affiliated with McGill University. His laboratory work involves the use of genomics and proteomics technologies to discover novel therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers for breast cancer.
Marc Beauchamp is an orthopedic surgeon who completed his residency at the Université de Montreal in 1993 and his fellowship in 1995 at University of Toronto. He has been assistant professor of surgery at the Université de Montreal since 1996 and his main interest is upper extremity reconstruction and arthroscopy. He also works in a private practice since 2005 at MISS (Montreal Institute of Specialized Surgery).
He is currently involved in research projects related to arthroscopic shoulder surgery (imaging, anesthesia, post surgical pain control, development of new surgical instruments). He is author of several scientific communications, medical articles, and book’s chapters. He is a consultant for the Journal of Medicine and the Person and he is involved in charity funds as administrator of the EnRoute foundation, Canada.
He is married to Caroline (hematologist and oncologist at Hopital du Sacré-Coeur, Université de Montreal) since 1993, and father of six children.
Dr. Brungardt is currently medical director for Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita, and chair of the Ethics Committee of Via Christi Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Brungardt is board certified in Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Geriatric Medicine and Internal Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine as well as the American College of Physicians. He completed a License (Masters) degree in bioethics at the Regina Apostolorum in Rome in 2008.
Born in Las Villas, Cuba, Milagros Camacho immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1973. They resided in West New York, New Jersey where she graduated with honors from the public school system. Milagros went to New York University where she received a degree in Psychology with minors in Political Science and Education. In 1993, after receiving her jurist doctorate, she accepted a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Severiano Lisboa, III, J.S.C.
Milagros is a partner at Camacho Gardner & Associates, a general practice law firm with offices in Jersey City and North Bergen. She specializes in federal and state criminal, family and immigration law. Prior to being in private practice Milagros was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey since May of 2004 where she was assigned to the OCDEFT Unit. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office she was an Assistant Prosecutor at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office since 1994. In 2002 after having prosecuted hundreds of criminal matters she was placed in charge of the Sex Crimes, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and Megan’s Law Units.
In September of 2003, through gubernatorial appointment, Milagros worked on the Division of Youth and Family Services (D.Y.F.S.) Restructuring Plan as a member of the Case Practice Working Group Committee. While on this Committee, Milagros was asked by D.Y.F.S. Director to Co-Chair the Committee with him. She was also asked to join a panel whose purpose was to educate the public about the D.Y.F.S. Restructuring Plan. She is a member of numerous professional organizations and boards including the immediate past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey. She has received numerous awards and distinctions for her advocacy work on behalf of women, children and the Hispanic community.
Her happiest moment was the moment she kissed her daughter, Angelina Maria, for the first and only time. Shortly thereafter Angelina died.
Dr. Canetta graduated at the University of Milan, Italy and he is Board certified in Clinical and Laboratory Hematology. He worked at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan, Italy from 1974 to1980 and his research focus was on clinical trials in lymphomas and gastrointestinal tumors. Since joining Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) in 1980, Dr. Canetta has held numerous roles of increasing responsibility and leadership, including head of clinical cancer research; head of development, life cycle management; and, currently, as vice president, oncology global clinical research. His experience can be summarized with the clinical development leading to the acceptance by Health Authorities and the introduction to the medical practice of 14 new anticancer agents and 2 new anti-viral drugs. His area of expertise relates to cancer patient care, diagnosis and experimental treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, methodology of clinical trials, and new drug development.
Giancarlo Cesana, is Professor of Hygiene and Public Health, and Director of the Research Center of Public Health at the University of Milan, Italy. After his graduation at the medical school of the University of Milan, he completed his residency in Occupational Medicine and Psychology. His main interest, over the course of more than 35 years of medical profession, has been devoted to the study of stress psychophysiology applied to aging, and work related diseases. He expanded his interest to epidemiology and risk factors of coronary disease, with particular attention to the etiological role of socio-occupational factors.
Dr Cesana is also an expert of economic and cultural influences on health, as he has been teaching for many years the course of history of medicine at the University of Milan.
He has been the PI of several national and international projects. He has received several grants from public and private institutions, he is author/co-author of some100 papers published in peer reviewed journals, and 5 books.
Dr. Filippo Ciantia graduated as medical doctor at the University of Milan in 1979, where he also specialized in Public Health (1982) and in Tropical Medicine (1988). Since 1980, with his wife Dr Luciana Bassani and their 8 children, lives and works in Uganda. From 1980 to 1989 he worked in several capacities in the northern district of Kitgum. He was UNICEF PHC officer from 1993 to 1995. Now he is the regional representative of the NGO AVSI in the Great Lakes region. He has published several scientific articles for specialized magazines on tropical medicine and HIV/AIDS.
Regina Kasun currently works as a registered nurse in one of Inova Health System's free standing Emergency Departments in Fairfax, VA. She is currently completing a Master's of Science in Nursing at George Mason University with an anticipated graduation in May of 2009 and will be board eligible for ANCC Nurse Practitioner Certification exams for both Adult and Geriatrics. Regina began her nursing career as an Army Nurse Corps officer over 20 years ago. She has practiced in both civilian and military settings and has experience in the following specialties: general medicine, hematology/oncology, critical care, orthopedic rehab, emergency and case management. Regina is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International and Northern Virgina Council of Nurse Practitioners. Regina is a breast cancer survivor who has experience as both a health care provider and patient.
Mr. Pierre Mertens is the President of International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IF). He is of Belgian nationality and he is a visual artist and psycho-therapist.
His first child, Lies, was born with hydrocephalus and spina bifida and one year later Pierre and his wife started the Belgian Association for Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida. They have two other children, Leen and Maarten, and are foster parents to Roxanne, Fadie, Shana and Lynn. For ten years Pierre Mertens was President of the Belgian association, stepping down in 1989 when Lies died after a shunt operation. At that time he was elected Vice-President of IF. In 1994 he started PHOS (Platform Handicap and Developing Country work) in Belgium, the umbrella organization of non governmental organizations and organizations of people with disabilities addressing disability issues as they relate specifically in/to developing countries. In 1995 he was elected President of IF. In 2001 he published Liesje a book about his daughter with Spina Bifida. This book was translated into French, Italian, English and Norwegian. In 2002 he was asked to become European Ambassador for the Environment.
Elvira Parravicini is a neonatologist and assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Columbia University. Dr. Parravicini has been working on kidney development. Currently her major research focus is the study of urine NGAL (Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin) as an early biomarker of acute renal failure in very low birth weight infants.
Her main clinical interest is prenatal diagnosis and postnatal treatment of infants with congenital anomalies. Dr Parravicini is a team member of Prenatal Pediatrics at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NY-Presbyterian, whose aim is caring for babies with abnormalities before and after birth. Her specific focus is following infants who have been prenatally diagnosed with a potential lethal malformation and organizing a plan for comfort care. She is author of several scientific communications, medical articles, and book’s chapters.
Dr. Pellegrino is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University Medical Center. He also serves as Chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics in Washington, DC. He was the John Carroll Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics and the former director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, the Center for the Advanced Study of Ethics at Georgetown University and the Center for Clinical Bioethics.
He received his B.S. degree from St. John’s University and his M.D. from New York University. He served residencies in medicine at Bellevue, Goldwater Memorial, and Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospitals, following which he was a research fellow in renal medicine and physiology at New York University. During Dr. Pellegrino’s 60+ years in medicine and university administration, he has been departmental chairman, dean, vice chancellor and president.
Dr. Pellegrino is the author of over 585 published items in medical science, philosophy, and ethics and a member of numerous editorial boards. He is the author or co-author of twenty books, and the founding editor of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy. Dr. Pellegrino is a Master of the American College of Physicians, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and recipient of fifty honorary doctorates in addition to other honors and awards including the Benjamin Rush Award from the American Medical Association, the Abraham Flexner Award of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Laetare Award of the University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Pellegrino’s research interests include the history and philosophy of medicine, professional ethics, and the physician-patient relationship.
Carole Séguin is a clinical nurse specialist, who graduated from the University of Montreal and is presently practicing at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. Starting her practice in Lausanne Switzerland, Mrs Séguin has accumulated over 25 years of experience in critical care, emergency room as well as oncology out-patient nursing. For the past seven years, Mrs Séguin has been administrating the Marlene and Joel King Breast Centre at the Jewish General Hospital, specialized in advanced screening of patients for breast cancer. She also provides guidance and counselling for these patients. Mrs Séguin has participated in many educational days on breast cancer and is involved in ongoing breast research. Recently, Mrs Séguin worked on the accreditation of the interdisciplinary breast cancer team as a supra-regional center designated by the Programme Québécois de Lutte contre le cancer. She is also participating with other health professionals of a local community clinic in establishing the clinical project for breast health. This project, in conjunction with the preparation of an educational brochure, will enable access to resources in community services and specialized centres for patients and their families.
Dr. Sulmasy, a Franciscan Friar, has recently been nominated as the inaugural Clinton-Kilbride Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine, with joint appointments as Professor of Divinity and as Associate Director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. He has previously held faculty positions at New York Medical College and at Georgetown University. He received his A.B. and M.D. degrees from Cornell University and completed his residency, chief residency, and post-doctoral fellowship in General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University in 1995. He has served on numerous governmental advisory committees. His research interests encompass both theoretical and empirical investigations of the ethics of end-of-life decision-making, ethics education, and spirituality in medicine. He is the author of four books—The Healer’s Calling, Methods in Medical Ethics, The Rebirth of the Clinic, and A Balm for Gilead. He serves as editor-in-chief of the journal, Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics. His numerous articles have appeared in medical, philosophical, and theological journals and he has lectured widely both in the U.S. and abroad.
Mr. Christopher Vath was born in New Orleans and attended North Texas State University, where he received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance with Joseph Banowetz. After doing graduate studies at the Julliard School in New York with Martin Canin, he resided in Italy, where he worked as a solo pianist, chamber musician, and chamber music teacher. On his return to the US, he started teaching piano and working as the music director/choir director at a church in New York City, activities that continue today. He has worked as composer, arranger, and pianist in the field of commercial music (VISA, Mercedes Benz, Anderson Consulting) and co-written music for two film scores, as well as incidental music for the theatre. Two of his choral arrangements are published by World Library Publications. He gave solo recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, in addition to his Carnegie Hall debut, he gave a private performance for Pope Benedict XVI at the papal summer residence. He has performed in Spain, Italy, Mexico and Peru, and has recently performed Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Metro Chamber Orchestra in New York City.
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