The MedConference 2016

Princy Rose Abraham, R.N.

Princy Rose Abraham, R.N., has been working as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center (New York) of NSLIJ Health System since September 2009. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Molloy College in 2008 and has been working since then at Cohen’s. She is currently working on the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program at Stony Brook University, NY. Princy is also involved in the bereavement support practices in the NICU.

Mark Basik, M.D.

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.

Gerard Brungardt, M.D.

Gerard 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.

Jeff Bushman, R.N.

"My name is Jeff Bushman. I am 41 years old and live near Albany, MN with my wife, Kathryn and five sons. I started my work career in the automotive field working at a local dealership in middle management and was in charge of about 18 employees. After about 10 years, I felt it was time for a change and decided to pursue a career in nursing. After going to school for three years while working full time, I graduated from an Associate in Nursing program at North Hennepin Community College in 2004. In July of that year I was hired into a full time position at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, MN working as an Oncology nurse in the inpatient setting. I wanted a new career that would help remind me about what is most important in my own life. My work with cancer patients has definitely provided that for me. Many people ask me,” Isn’t it depressing to work with such sick people or people that are dying?” My work can be difficult at times but is a joy and my co-workers can usually find my by listening for my laughter as well as the laughter of my patients during the course of a shift. They truly are a blessing in my life. I recently completed my OCN last fall and currently serve on the planning committee for our newly started Schwartz Center Rounds program. I am humbled and honored to participate in this year’s MedConference. Thank you."

Veronica Bushman, R.N.

Veronica Bushman is a native of Milan, Italy. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from New York University. For over four years she worked as a staff nurse in general medicine inpatient unit at Tisch Hospital, where she cared for adult and older adults affected by acute illnesses. Recently Veronica has moved to an internal medicine practice within NYU Medical Center. She assists eight physicians by triaging urgent calls, administering immunizations, immunotherapy and educating patients about their medication regimen and health maintenance.

Renzo Canetta, M.D.

Renzo Canetta graduated from the University of Milan, Italy and is Board certified in Clinical and Laboratory Hematology. He worked at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan, Italy from 1974 to 1980 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 best summarized by 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.

Alberto Costa, M.D., Ph.D

Alberto Costa is Associate Professor of Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Costa has spent over 15 years investigating the pathophysiology and potential pharmacotherapeutic approaches to Down syndrome. His research team was the first to demonstrate learning and memory enhancing effects of the Alzheimer’s disease drug memantine on a mouse model of Down syndrome. Recently, he has built off of these findings and conceived and led the implementation and data collection and analysis for the first translational clinical trial in the field of Down syndrome.

Dr. Costa received his M.D. from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a Ph.D in Biophysics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland, School of Medicine and was a Research Associate at the Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine.

As an independent investigator, he first held the position of Research Scientist at The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine. He then moved to the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute/University of Denver, where he served as an Institute Scientist/Research Associate Professor for five years before moving to his current position at the University Colorado Denver School of Medicine.

He is the recipient of the “Science Scholar Award” from the National Down Syndrome Society, New York, and the “Josephine Mills Research Award for Exceptional Contribution to Research in Down Syndrome,” from the Down Syndrome Research Foundation, British Columbia, Canada. His daughter, Tyche, was born 16 years ago with Down syndrome and is the motivation and inspiration behind his research.

Philene (Bean) Cromwell, R.N., M.S., P.N.P.

Philene Cromwell is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who helped develop and now directs the medical team for CompassionNet, an all inclusive home based pediatric palliative care program in Upstate New York. The CompassionNet team has an informal yet close working relationship with local hospitals in 3 large Upstate New York Hospitals and has served over 1100 families since its inception. Her clinical role includes pediatric nurse practitioner consultation for pain and symptom management, leading and facilitating conversations with children and their families to determine goals of care and supporting and caring for the terminally ill child and their family when the child is nearing end of life.

As a member of the HYPCANYS’ Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Advisory Board, Ms. Cromwell helped develop the core curriculum for NYS trainings in pediatric palliative care. She presents at the HYPCANYS trainings and at other regional and national palliative care fora. She is PELNEC trainer and has facilitated sessions at IPPC.

Prior to her work at CompassionNet, she was employed at Golisano Children’s Hospital for 23 years, including 11 years in pediatric hematology/oncology where she co directed the Pediatric Comprehensive Brain Tumor Clinic.

Clara Gaymard

Clara Gaymard is the Vice President of Government Strategy and Sales at GE International, and President and CEO of GE France.

Gaymard joined GE in September 2006 as National Executive for France. With 10,000 employees in France, GE operates in the financial services, health, media and environment sectors.

From February 2003 and until her nomination at GE, Clara Gaymard was Ambassador, President of Invest In France Agency (AFII). Prior to her appointment, Mrs. Gaymard served for seven years as Deputy Director at the Foreign Economic Relations Department of the French Finance Ministry. In 1999, she became Head of the Small and Mid-Cap Businesses Division. From 1991 to 1993, she was an Economic and Commercial Advisor at the French Trade Office in Cairo, Egypt.

A graduate of the French National School of Administration (ENA) and the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) in Law and History, Clara Gaymard is a member of the “Jérôme Lejeune Foundation” dedicated to research on mental disabilities and named after her father, a prominent geneticist, who discovered the disease known as Down syndrome. She is also the author of several published works, her latest novel being S’il suffisait d’aimer.

Gaymard, 50, is mother of nine children (one adopted) and married to former French Finance Minister, Mr. Hervé Gaymard, Member of Parliament. Decorated with the Italian Republic Merit Order, she is also Knight of Merit National Order and Knight of Legion of Honor.

John I. Lane, M.D.

John I. Lane completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Scranton in 1981 and earned his M.D. degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1985. He completed a four year residency in diagnostic radiology at The Reading Hospital and Medical Center in 1989 and a two year fellowship in Neuroradiology at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in 1991. Following his medical training, he served on active duty in the U. S. Navy at the Oakland Naval Hospital until 1995. After 4 years in a private radiology practice in Great Falls, MT, he joined the Mayo Clinic in 1999 were he holds the rank of Professor of Radiology. He has been active in the Catholic Medical Association since 1991 and is currently serving on the board as President-Elect. He and several of his Mayo Clinic colleagues are adjunct faculty at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family on the campus of the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where they teach a post-graduate course in Faith and Medicine each Spring.

Cheryl Lekousi

Cheryl Lekousi is the Executive & Artistic Director of Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troupe.

Cheryl trained as a hospital clown in 1999 and has made hundreds of hospital visits. She was appointed to the role of Executive Director in 2005 and as the troupe expanded, assumed Artistic Director responsibilities in 2007.

Under Cheryl’s direction, Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troupe has trained medical clowns for their own troupe and medical clowns from the U.S. and other countries.

In addition to executive and artistic responsibilities she manages the special relationships with numerous Boston-area hospitals including nationally recognized Boston Medical Center, Franciscan Children’s Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and the Massachusetts Hospital School.

During her non-clown hours Cheryl is a full-time home child care provider offering a curriculum environment inclusive for special needs children.

Michael W. Street, RA, LEED® AP, EDAC

With more than 18 years of experience, Michael has been instrumental in the design of numerous healthcare facilities. His healthcare experience encompasses a broad spectrum of domestic and international projects in both the ambulatory and acute care environments, as well as comprehensive facility master planning. Michael’s primary project role is to lead the development of the overall design and clinical planning. Keeping a big picture perspective and drawing on his experience of complex and high profile projects, he engages the healthcare team in design workshops and user group meetings to ensure clinical functionality is paramount.

With a focus on designing surgical, interventional, imaging and other procedural centers, Michael has developed an interest in how architecture can enhance infection control measures and how in health facility design, form follows flow. Some of his recent projects of note include Toronto’s fully digital Humber River Regional Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital’s Advanced Treatment and Development Center, and the soon to be complete Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Michael is a graduate of Roger Williams School of Architecture and is a licensed Architect in the States of California and Connecticut. He has presented at numerous conferences including the Healthcare Design, Healthcare Facilities Symposium, Labs21, and as an annual guest speaker with the San Diego State University Graduate Program in Healthcare Administration.

Daniel P. Sulmasy, M.D., Ph.D.

Daniel Sulmasy is the Kilbride-Clinton Professor of Medicine and Ethics in the Department of Medicine and Divinity School at the University of Chicago, where he serves 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, and was appointed to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues by President Obama in April, 2010. 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 (1997), Methods in Medical Ethics (2001; 2nd ed. 2010), The Rebirth of the Clinic (2006), and A Balm for Gilead (2006). 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 lectures widely both in the U.S. and abroad.