Career Pulse

SPRINGFIELD — Susan Toner has joined Baystate Health as vice president for Development and executive director of the Baystate Health Foundation.

Baystate is engaged in a significant and growing range of charitable work, and soon will begin construction on its Hospital of the Future. The expansion of Baystate Health’s philanthropic efforts and further development of the Baystate Health Foundation will be the chief responsibilities of Toner, who has 23 years of development experience in health care and academia.

“I’m looking forward to working with our many important partners, inside and outside the organization, to take Baystate Health’s philanthropic program to the next level,” said Toner. “We need to build on Baystate Health’s culture of philanthropy, expand opportunities for engagement with the community, and enhance the awareness of how donor partnerships greatly impact the patient population served by Baystate Health.”

The Baystate Health Foundation raises funds for all Baystate Health hospitals and services. Baystate Health’s charitable efforts include the Rays of Hope breast-cancer walk, the Children’s Miracle Network telethon, the Step Out for Hospice walk, and a number of other projects. Baystate Health also supports community and public-health initiatives throughout Western Mass., and is delivering $9.6 million in new community-benefit funds to the city of Springfield as part of its Hospital of the Future project.

Prior to joining Baystate Health, Toner served as executive director for the Providence Community Health Foundation and as a senior leader for Providence Medford Medical Center in Medford, Ore. She also served for eight years in advancement, capital campaign, and development positions of increasing responsibility at Idaho State University.

Crane, Tabassum Join Maplegate Rehab Team

SPRINGFIELD — Maplegate Rehab Inc. has announced the addition of two new practitioners — acupuncturist Tansy Crane and chiropractor Dr. Wazida Tabassum — to its growing facility.

Crane, a licensed acupuncturist, earned her master’s degree in Oriental Medicine and bachelor’s degree in Professional Health Sciences at the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, Fla. She is board-certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Tabassum graduated summa cum laude from the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic. Originally from India, Tabassum’s parents made a decision to send her to the U.S. in 1998 for medical studies. While attending chiropractic school, Tabassum served as president of the Students of the American Chiropractic Assoc.

Maplegate Rehab Inc. provides chiropractic, acupuncture, internal medicine, massage therapy, and active physical rehabilitation services.

Sullivan Board-certified in Renal Nutrition

SPRINGFIELD — M. Sheila Sullivan, a clinical dietitian in Food and Nutrition Services at Baystate Medical Center, has achieved board certification in Renal Nutrition.

In order to become board-certified by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency for the American Dietetic Association, a registered dietitian must successfully meet rigorous specialty practice requirements and pass a nationally-administered examination.

Board-certified specialists in Renal Nutrition work in the hospital, home, or other treatment centers with adults and children with acute or chronic renal disease or failure who are undergoing dialysis or awaiting kidney transplantation. They also work in management, education, or research practice linked to renal nutrition.

Sullivan, who joined Baystate Medical Center in 1998, earned her undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition from UMass Amherst and went on to earn her master’s degree in Education in Nutrition from Framingham State College. She is the past president of the Mass. Dietetic Assoc. and the Western Area Mass. Dietetic Assoc.

The Commission on Dietetic Registration’s mission is to protect the nutritional health and welfare of the public through dietetics certification. CDR currently awards seven separate and distinct credentials.

The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals and empowers members to be the nation’s food and nutrition leaders by optimizing the nation’s health through food and nutrition.

Bradway Opens Practice for Colon, Rectal Surgery

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Health Systems has announced the appointment of Dr. Marcella Bradway, a colon and rectal surgeon, to the Berkshire Medical Center medical staff. Bradway has opened her surgical practice at the BMC Medical Arts Complex on North Street in Pittsfield, and is accepting new patients.

Bradway most recently chaired the Department of Surgery at Griffin Hospital in Connecticut, and practiced at Colon and Rectal Surgeons of Fairfield County. She was fellowship-trained in colon and rectal surgery at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, and is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.

She received her medical degree from UMass Medical School and completed her residency training in General Surgery at the UConn Integrated Surgical Residency program, which includes Hartford Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, New Britain General Hospital, and John Dempsey Hospital. She served as administrative chief resident from 1998 to 1999.

Bradway will provide comprehensive colon and rectal surgery services, including colon and rectal cancer surgery, endorectal ultrasound staging of rectal cancers, surgery for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, all aspects of perianal disease and colonoscopy, and laparoscopic surgery for cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and diverticulitis.

Kuchinskas, Laughingwell Join CDH Medical Staff

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital has announced the arrival of physiatrist Dr. Sherri Kuchinskas and obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Raeph Laughingwell to its medical staff.

Kuchinskas, a board-certified physiatrist, is in practice with Hampshire Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, Inc. She is a non-surgical specialist in the treatment of sports, musculoskeletal, joint, nerve, and spine injuries, and also performs electrodiagnostic testing.

She earned her medical degree at St. Louis University and completed her residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She completed a one-year sports medicine fellowship at the University of Illinois, where she was a team physician for all athletics and served on the medical staff for the WNBA Sky team.

A former All-American softball player at UMass Amherst, Kuchinskas focuses on sports medicine and works closely with area colleges and high-school athletic teams.

Laughingwell joins the practice of WomanCare/Northampton OB-GYN. He earned his medical degree at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey/New Jersey Medical School. He completed his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Recently, Laughingwell earned the Senior Resident Gynecologic Surgeon Award. In 2007, he earned the B. Frank Lovett Award for Excellence in Surgical and Medical Care of Women, and in 2005, he was lauded for Excellence in Medical Student Teaching. His special interests include operative laparoscopy and advanced pelvic surgery. He is fluent in Spanish and Danish.

Killin Board-certified as Medical Practice Executive

HOLYOKE — Shawn Killin, a partner with Positive Results, LLP, has earned the professional designation of Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) from the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE).

The designation of CMPE demonstrates that Killin has achieved board certification in medical practice management. ACMPE certifies an individual’s professional competence when he passes rigorous essay and objective examinations that assess knowledge of the broad scope of medical practice management skill sets. These include financial management, human-resources management, planning and marketing, information management, risk management, governance and organizational dynamics, business and clinical operations, and professional responsibility. The individual must also complete a presentation requirement and earn a minimum of 50 continuing-education credit hours.

Killin has been co-owner of Positive Results, a local medical billing and revenue-cycle management company, since June 2002. With more than 10 years of health care management experience, including practice administration for private practices and ambulatory surgical centers, he stays up to date with the current laws and trends in the industry.

He has also obtained designations as Registered Medical Manager and Registered Medical Coder from the Assoc. of Registered Health Care Professionals, as well as Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist from the American Medical Billing Assoc.