Dr. Levien practiced clinical surgery for 33 years, 20 of which were as Chairman of Surgery and 12 as Program Director of a Surgical Residency. He has served as a Member of The Board of Directors of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia County Medical Society, The Board of Directors of Meals on Wheel and Senior Outreach Services of Walnut Creek (Chairman of their audit committee), The Board of Directors of The Chamber of Commerce of Pleasant Hill, and The Shore Acres Point Corporation. He has been President of The Baltimore Academy of Surgery and The Pennsylvania Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery. He has been Vice President of The Academy of Surgery of Philadelphia and Vice President of the national society, The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
Dave has published three textbooks of surgery and multiple papers in the peer reviewed journals. He is a Fellow of The American College of Physician Executives (now the AAPL) and is a Certified Physician Executive.
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William Greene-Board of Directors
Bill is a supply chain and logistics specialist who worked for Penske Corporation for over 26 years. Penske is a diversified company with over 26 billion dollars in revenue. Since then, he has had several other executive positions in the field of logistics and transportation and has been Vice President of Sales at The Institute for Consultative Bioethics. Bill's business acumen and commitment to ethical health care is a great asset on the Board of Directors of the American College of Healthcare Trustees. Bill is working on a project to improve the lives of people with neurodiversity issues. In addition to serving on the ACHT Board, he is our SVP. Bill brings a wealth of wisdom and business sense to the organization.
Email Bill here
Raj Gupta, PhD-CFO and Board of Directors
Raj Gupta, PhD, is CFO, American College of Healthcare Trustees and has served as a lecturer at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He joined the American College of Healthcare Trustees as a Faculty Contributor in 2014. Previously he was Research Director of the Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets (CISDM) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has also taught finance at Clark University.
Gupta has extensive experience developing online courses in Finance. He has published articles in the Journal of Portfolio Management, Journal of Alternative Investments, Journal of Investment Consulting, and Journal of Performance Measurement, among others. He holds a PhD in Finance from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.Email Raj
Richard Juda, MD-Board of Directors
Dr. Richard Juda completed his clinical residency training at the University of Connecticut with specialty fellowship training in Critical Care at Yale University. He holds board certifications in both Anesthesiology and Neurocritical Care. Areas of specialization include all aspects of critical care (Medical, Surgical, Neurological and Trauma Critical Care, etc.). He has active memberships in multiple medical societies include the AAPL, ASA, SCCM, and Neurocritical Care Society. Achievements include receiving his Certified Physician Executive Degree through the Certifying Commission for Medical Management. Educational activities include instructorships in advanced critical care through the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Neurocritical Care Society. He also has published multiple research papers and holds academic appointments for clinically educating residents and fellows in the field of critical care.
As an Associate Medical Director for the North Collier Fire District, Dr. Juda has brought advanced critical care medicine provided in the ICU into the prehospital arena. Having multiple years of experience in the fire service, the early high quality advanced care developed by Dr. Juda provides for better patient outcomes at discharge from the hospital. This in turn results in an increase reimbursement for healthcare institutions.The business element of medicine has become an integral part of practicing medicine.
Another activity is development of a profitable fiscal platform for both physicians and hospital systems. While acting as Director of Critical Care services, Dr. Juda performed a turnaround driving one ICU from a $2 million deficit to a +$40 Million dollar profit in 3 year period. As President of Innovative Healthcare Group, over $55 million dollars in revenue has been uncovered for healthcare institutions and physicians. Other areas of expertise include developing quality critical care programs, revenue cycle management, business developmental training for hospital staff, Coding/Billing and developing the business platform of Critical Care for hospital systems. As quality becomes a driving factor for revenue streams, Dr. Juda develops the framework and implementation necessary for profitability.Dr. Juda's Business website
Jeffrey I. Kakish, MD, MBA, FACHT is Board Member and Senior Vice President of Academics & Administration at The American College of Healthcare Trustees
With over 15 years of medical and social service in the healthcare industry, Jeffrey has the unique advantage of combining his medical education with his executive leadership MBA, with his talent of building relationships for healthcare institutions providing considered resources and referrals. Recognized for his unique experience, he joins the American College of Healthcare Trustees as Senior Vice President of Academics and Administration. Dr. Kakish is also currently a Lecturer at the Physician Executive MBA program at the Haslam School of Business, University of Tennessee Knoxville, a program from which he graduated Magna cum laude in December 2018. . Jeffrey has been a respite provider for more than 15 years. He is licensed, currently owns and operates an assisted living program through the New York State Office of Mental Health in the Hudson Valley, NY.
Email Dr. Kakish
Darshan Kulkarni, Esq. Board of Directors
Dr. Kulkarni is the Principal Attorney of the Kulkarni Law Firm and focuses his practice on helping FDA regulated companies successfully bring their products to market. He has over 20 years of experience in providing legal, medical and regulatory services, and has served as a pharmacist for over a decade—making him uniquely well-positioned to help clients through all stages of the development process. He advises clients on issues varying from FDA regulatory strategy, clinical trial negotiations, manufacturing audits, FDA compliant promotional and non-promotional review, FDA responses, to genericization and other interdependent processes.
Prior to starting the Kulkarni Law Firm, Darshan was the Global Corporate Counsel for an international pharmaceutical holding company, where he provided services including writing licensing and employee contractor agreements, warning letters and SOPs. He was also responsible for developing a quality system for the facility and engaging with the FDA.
In his spare time, Darshan regularly contributes to his pharmacy podcast Gavel & Pestle, and has written for several books on federal regulatory law including multiple editions of Research Compliance Professional’s Handbook.
Felton Lewis IV is Vice President of Alliances and Member Benefits of the American College of Healthcare Trustees. He has expertise in IT, supply chain, marketing, revenue cycle, business strategy, and more. Mr. Lewis's website
Revenue Recovery Consulting for Physicians, Clinics, Labs, Med Centers and Hospitals
Securing Access to Funding for Veteran Owned Businesses and Small Minority Owned Businesses
Employee Benefits for Small Businesses, 1099 Professionals, Ride Share and Transportation Drivers
Email Felton
Demetrius Litwin, MD,FACS-Board of Directors
Dr. Demetrius Litwin is Harry M. Haidak Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Surgery at The University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is a master surgeon, educator, innovator, and leader.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), the state’s first and only public academic health sciences center, focuses on enhancing the health and well-being of the people of the commonwealth and the world through pioneering innovations in education, research and health care delivery. UMMS is one of the fastest-growing research institutions in the country! They educate physicians, scientists and advanced practice nurses to heal, discover, teach and care, with compassion. UMMS is a world-class institution that is consistently ranked as one of the leading medical schools in the nation for primary care education by U.S. News & World Report. The institution ranks near the top among public medical schools in the Northeast in the amount of funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
View Dr. Litwin's website
Carl Middleton, DMIN-Chief Operating Officer, Senior VP for Ethics, Board of Directors
Dr. Carl Middleton is Senior VP for Ethics and COO at the American College of Healthcare Trustees, and a member of its Board of Directors. He has been a theologian/ethicist from 1973 till present for a total of 43 years in Catholic Health Care.
Dr. Middleton also has an extensive work record including: teaching ethics in a Catholic Seminary, nursing schools and medical residency programs; serving as Director of Pastoral Care, Vice President for Human Educational Services, Corporate Director of Values, Ethics and Ministry. He is an expert on discernment, pain management, capital budgeting, retreat planning, conflict resolution, and a host of other administrative issues. Carl can be reached at 844 322-4867 or at carl.middleton@facht.org.
Email Carl
Olakunle Olaniyan, MD, MBA, FACP, FACPE-Board of Directors
Dr Olaniyan is a Physician leader with over 20 years’ experience, with demonstrated expertise in managing escalating medical cost and increasing profitability, by developing medical management models that reduce waste and redundancy, while increasing quality and customer satisfaction.
He is currently the Medical Director at Anthem National Accounts. He was formerly the president of Case Management Covenants (CMC), a healthcare consulting firm he founded in 2005. CMC is focused on Medical Necessity denials mitigation and counts as clients some of the most prestigious hospital systems in the Nation.
Dr Olaniyan is also involved in numerous other enterprises. He co-founded Maryland Association of Physician executives, an organization of physician leaders focused on working with Maryland State executives on healthcare priorities in the state. He sits on the board of United Cerebral Palsy of Central Maryland and is board president of Christian Jail Ministry of Maryland. He is also president of a not for profit organization focused on supporting Christian missions and churches worldwide.
He is a Fellow of the American college of Physicians and The American College of Physician Executives. He is also a member of The Healthcare Financial Management Association, and American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management.
He has published numerous articles and lectures extensively in the area of medical management.
Dennis J. Patterson, B.A., M.H.A., D.Ed.-Board of Directors
Dennis J. Patterson, B.A., M.H.A., D.Ed.is Founder and Chairman, Verras Ltd,and Co-Founder, MedVector. Dennis J. Patterson, Ed.D., is the Founder and Chairman of Verras LTD, a 35-year-old healthcare informatics firm that creates high-performing hospitals, through a transformational process leveraging physician practices, clinical documentation, productivity, and organizational change management. It had been recognized and endorsed by the American Hospital Association.
He more recently Co-Founded MedVector (his seventh start up) a company that will transform Clinical Trials in the pharmaceutical industry by finding subjects in a network of hospitals and delivering the clinical protocols through telemedicine. This will eliminate years from completion of a clinical trial by finding subjects in weeks verses the current model which takes years.
He has five decades of executive hospital and turnaround management experience in the United States, Canada,and Europe. He has been instrumental in devising and implementing transformational programs that dramatically improved performance in some of the nation’s top hospitals and health systems. He also serves as a trusted advisor to senior executives, trustees, and government officials in healthcare worldwide.
Dr. Patterson has held pivotal roles in senior management at Cook County Hospital, Shaughnessy Hospital,
Vancouver General Hospital, Misercordia. He later created or joined HealthcareNet, FHP Consulting, Ernst &Young (Partner), Wellspring Partners Ltd (Co-Founder, and Partner) serving as CEO or Chief Transformation
Officer at:
• Mercy Hospital, Chicago,IL,
• GreaterHazleton HealthAlliance, Hazleton, PA,
• Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL,
• Capital Health, Trenton,NJ.
He has served as an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and as a Fellow of the Manchester University Health Unit in England. He lectures internationally on health care issues and is the author of numerous books and publications including Indexing Managed Care (McGraw-Hill). Dr. Patterson is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is a past Trustee for Elmhurst College, Alliant International University and The George Washington University and Medical Center. He recently received admission into the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Patterson earned a B.A. in Political Science at Elmhurst College, an MBA in Hospital Administration at The George Washington University, and a Doctorate from the School of Education and Psychology with a major in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University.
Verras, Ltd.
855 El Camino Real, Suite 13A-365, Palo Alto, CA 94301 (888) 791-5556
Verras
MedVector Trials
Irma Rastegayeva-Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Engagement and Board of Directors
Irma Rastegayeva is a Boston-based consultant, coach and Innovation Catalyst at the intersection of health, technology, humanity and storytelling. Named in the Top 30 Women in Tech, she is recognized as a top influencer in DigitalHealth, HealthTech, Personalized Medicine and IoT. Irma’s professional career spans two decades and includes roles as a software engineer in medical software, devices, and life sciences; managing consultant at IBM; and senior engineer, program and technology manager, and technical account manager at Google. Irma left a successful 5-year tenure with Google in 2016 to fully indulge her passion for medical technology and healthcare innovation. She now combines deep technical expertise, product development experience and patient advocacy with storytelling and community engagement at eViRa Health.
Family connection to breast cancer put Irma on the caregiver's journey and launched her into patient advocacy that lasted for 16 years, helping patients with various medical and mental health conditions. Irma's passion for patient engagement, disease prevention/early diagnosis, and improved healthcare outcomes continues to fuel her. Irma is recognized as a top 10 influencer in major health industry events including ConnectedHealth, HIMSS, xMed, CES and HLTH.
Deeply committed to service and lifelong learning, she serves on the board of Ideas in Action and is a co-founder, curator, and program director at TEDxBeaconStreet.
Irma earned Master of Science degree in Systems and Software Engineering from Boston University and Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from Tufts University.
Recent thought leadership:
Digital Health, Health Tech, and AI With Irma Rastegayeva (#AskTheCEO video/podcast series)
The Effect of 5G Technology on the Healthcare Industry
LiveWorx 2018 Overview, IoT Advances and Internet of Medical Things
Detected: How IoT, Cloud, Wearables, and AI show hope in the fight against breast cancerVisit Irma's website
Richard Satava, MD, FACS-Board of Directors
Richard Satava, MD, FACS, is Professor Emeritus of Surgery, University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.Prior academic positions include Professor of Surgery at Yale University and a military appointment as Professor of Surgery (USUHS) in the Army Medical Corps assigned to General Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Government positions included Program Manager of Advanced Biomedical Technology at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for 12 years and Senior Science Advisor at the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in Ft. Detrick, Maryland, and Director of the NASA Commercial Space Center for Medical Informatics and Technology Applications at Yale University. Upon completion of military career and government service he had continued clinical medicine at Yale University and University of Washington.
His undergraduate training was at Johns Hopkins University, Medical School at Hahnemann University of Philadelphia, Internship at the Cleveland Clinic, Surgical Residency at the Mayo Clinic, and a Fellowship with a Master of Surgical Research at Mayo Clinic.
He has served on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Committee on Health, Food and Safety and was also awarded the prestigious Department of Defense Legion of Merit and Department of Defense Exceptional Service medals as well as awarded the Smithsonian Laureate in Healthcare. He has been a member of numerous committees of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), currently serving on the ACS-Accredited Education Institutes (ACS-AEI). He is a Past President of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS), and the Society of Medical Innovation and Therapy (SMIT). He was a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and is currently on Board of many surgical societies and on the editorial board of numerous surgical and scientific journals, and active in a number of surgical and engineering societies.
Dr. Satava was the surgeon on the project that developed the first surgical robot, which later became the DaVinci Surgical Robot. In addition, as a government official, he funded all of the surgical robot development for the first 10 years, until commercialization became possible. For 5 years he was a member of the Advisory Board of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) advising NASA in surgical robotics, advanced biometric sensing and other life science research for astronauts. Now Dr. Satava has added being continuously active in surgical education and surgical research, with more than 200 publications and book chapters in diverse areas of advanced surgical technology, including Surgery in the Space Environment, Video and 3-D imaging, Plasma Medicine, Directed Energy Surgery, Telepresence Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Virtual Reality Surgical Simulation, Objective Assessment of Surgical Competence and Training and the Moral and Ethical Impact of Advanced Technologies.
During his 23 years of military surgery he has been an active flight surgeon, an Army astronaut candidate, combat tours of duty as MASH surgeon for the Grenada Invasion, and a hospital commander during Desert Storm, all the while continuing clinical surgical practice. Current research is focused on advanced technologies to formulate the architecture for the next generation of clinical Medicine and Surgery, education and training.
Richard Satava, MD, FACS, is Professor Emeritus of Surgery, University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.Prior academic positions include Professor of Surgery at Yale University and a military appointment as Professor of Surgery (USUHS) in the Army Medical Corps assigned to General Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Government positions included Program Manager of Advanced Biomedical Technology at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for 12 years and Senior Science Advisor at the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in Ft. Detrick, Maryland, and Director of the NASA Commercial Space Center for Medical Informatics and Technology Applications at Yale University. Upon completion of military career and government service he had continued clinical medicine at Yale University and University of Washington.
His undergraduate training was at Johns Hopkins University, Medical School at Hahnemann University of Philadelphia, Internship at the Cleveland Clinic, Surgical Residency at the Mayo Clinic, and a Fellowship with a Master of Surgical Research at Mayo Clinic.
He has served on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Committee on Health, Food and Safety and was also awarded the prestigious Department of Defense Legion of Merit and Department of Defense Exceptional Service medals as well as awarded the Smithsonian Laureate in Healthcare. He has been a member of numerous committees of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), currently serving on the ACS-Accredited Education Institutes (ACS-AEI). He is a Past President of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS), and the Society of Medical Innovation and Therapy (SMIT). He was a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and is currently on Board of many surgical societies and on the editorial board of numerous surgical and scientific journals, and active in a number of surgical and engineering societies.
Dr. Satava was the surgeon on the project that developed the first surgical robot, which later became the DaVinci Surgical Robot. In addition, as a government official, he funded all of the surgical robot development for the first 10 years, until commercialization became possible. For 5 years he was a member of the Advisory Board of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) advising NASA in surgical robotics, advanced biometric sensing and other life science research for astronauts. Now Dr. Satava has added being continuously active in surgical education and surgical research, with more than 200 publications and book chapters in diverse areas of advanced surgical technology, including Surgery in the Space Environment, Video and 3-D imaging, Plasma Medicine, Directed Energy Surgery, Telepresence Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Virtual Reality Surgical Simulation, Objective Assessment of Surgical Competence and Training and the Moral and Ethical Impact of Advanced Technologies.
During his 23 years of military surgery he has been an active flight surgeon, an Army astronaut candidate, combat tours of duty as MASH surgeon for the Grenada Invasion, and a hospital commander during Desert Storm, all the while continuing clinical surgical practice. Current research is focused on advanced technologies to formulate the architecture for the next generation of clinical Medicine and Surgery, education and training.
Biju Thomas, MD, MBA, ACHT Board of Directors
Biju Thomas is an executive hospital leader with demonstrated results in hospital operations and documented success in change management. He has a master's of business administration for from Northwestern University and has been an active Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Trustees. He is the medical director of patient access at Metro Health systems in Cleveland Ohio and director of patient safety and quality for pediatrics at MetroHealth. He's also associate director of the medical student clerkship and his assistant professor of neonatology and staff neonatologist.
Terrence Tormey-Board of Directors
In June 2017, the Board of Directors of Kibow Biotech appointed Tormey as the Chief Executive Officer. The primary product is the world’s first and only use of probiotics for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. Prior to Kibow he was Vice Chairman of Prevention Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Delaware corporation, where he previously held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
Mr. Tormey has more than 40 years of Sales and Marketing experience in the global pharmaceutical and OTC product markets. From 1976 to 1985, he was Director Sales Staff Management with McNeil (a Johnson & Johnson Division). From 1985 to 1990, he was A.V.P. Medical/Hospital/Industrial Sales with Wyeth (later known as Pfizer).
From 1990 to 2003 Mr. Tormey was associated with Nelson Communications Worldwide. In 1990, he joined Professional Detailing Network, as its VP-Sales. Later he served as President of The Medical Phone Company®, and finally, President/COO of Nelson Professional Sales (now Touchpoint/Publicis Selling Solutions), division of Publicis, S.A., Paris.
In 2005 he was Co-Founder & President/COO of LifeGuard Health LLC (now Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals, PRN).
From 2006 to 2007, he was Senior Vice-President of Business Development for North America at Quintiles Transnational.
From 2003 to 2011, he was the Founder/President of The Tormey Consulting Group.
From 2006 to 2015, Mr. Tormey served on the Board of Directors of EuroMed Inc., a privately held medical device manufacturer specializing in advanced hydrocolloid wound care technology – where he was on the Compensation, and Audit Committees; and since 2007-2015, he served on the Board of BioVid, a provider of primary market research services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostics firms, worldwide.
From 2004 until 2009, Mr. Tormey served on the Board of Directors of the Quigley Corporation, NASDAQ: QGLY, a diversified natural health medical science company. In 2018, he has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors at MedSign International Corporation, which delivers enhanced healthcare services into the home via the patient’s television.
Since 2001, Mr. Tormey has served on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types, Inc., a patient advocacy and support group that funds medical research of rare skin disorders.
Mr. Tormey received his B.S. in Biology from Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA, in 1976. Additional course work in Business at Wharton (University of Pennsylvania) and Duke University Law School/Fuqua Business School (The
Directors’ Institute).
Tormey is a past member of the National Association of Corporate Board of Directors, and founding member of the Princeton Life Sciences Collaborative. In 2015 Tormey was a founding member of the KEH/CHUBB Risk Management Group. He has also been featured in the Canadian Broadcast Company documentary, Counterfeit Culture, which explores the dangerous and sometimes deadly world of fraudulent healthcare products.Kibow Biotech
Thomas Whalen, MD, FACS-Board of Directors
Thomas V. Whalen, MD, MMM, FACHE is a pediatric surgeon and Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Lehigh Valley Health Network, an exceedingly well-respected institution in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he was the Anne and Carl Anderson Distinguish Chair of Surgery at Lehigh Valley health Network.
Tom has served on the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons and is a Past President of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Tom chaired The Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Dr. Whalen received his Bachelor of Arts from Boston University and Doctor of Medicine degree from Boston University School of Medicine. He received a Master of Medical Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
Tom did his general surgical training at Boston University and at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. Dr. Whalen served his pediatric surgery training at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. He is certified in general surgery, surgical critical Care, and pediatric surgery.
Tom has published many articles relating to postgraduate medical education. Tom has served as a Captain in the Naval Reserve and many other important capacities.Email Tom
David Vaughn, Board of Directors
Dr. Ward developed strategies to optimize care of injured workers with high risk injuries and demonstrated cost saving and improved functional outcomes. He served as Medical Director of Rehab Performance Therapy at Concentra Medical Centers and was recruited as Chief Division of Occupation Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine at St. Agnes Healthcare in 1999 where he still serves.
Dr. Ward founded Physician Objective Evaluation & Management in February 1999 (merged into SPRC – Seton Pain & Rehabilitation Center in 2005) to provide consultation services to third party administrators, municipalities, and Federal agencies with clients ranging from Baltimore City, Baltimore Cluster of United States Postal Service, Sedgwick, Key Risk, and Comp Management while also caring for patient’s referred by physicians.
Dr. Ward has provided expert medical opinions for the Board of Physician Quality Assurance, DEA and the FBI regarding appropriate opioid prescribing practices. He has been an active volunteer with Maryland Association of Osteopathic Physicians serving as Secretary/Treasurer, Vice President, President. Ward is Co-Chair of the Medical Economics Council of Med Chi, The Maryland State Medical Society.Dr. Ward is Board Certified by ABMS in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation with a ABMS subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine. He was honored by the Baltimore Magazine as a “Top Doc” in PM&R in late 2010.