Career Pulse

Cavagnaro Elected Fellow of American College of Physicians

PALMER — Dr. Charles E. Cavagnaro III, president and CEO of Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers, has been elected a fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the society of internists. The distinction recognizes achievements in internal medicine, a specialty of adult medical care.

He was elected upon the recommendation of peers and the review of ACP’s credentials subcommittee, and may now use the letters FACP after his name in recognition of this honor.

“I am delighted, but not surprised, to learn of Dr. Charles Cavagnaro’s election to fellowship in the American College of Physicians,” said James Phaneuf, president of Bell and Hudson Insurance Agency Inc. and chair of the Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers board of directors. “This election will confirm what many already know: that he is a talented and compassionate physician who continually strives to attain the highest level of excellence. On behalf of the entire board of directors, I congratulate him on this achievement.”

Cavagnaro, named president and CEO in 1999, has been with Wing Memorial Hospital for 27 years and continues to maintain a limited medical practice serving area patients. He is certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Cornell University School of Medicine in New York, and completed his residency at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

The American College of Physicians is the second-largest physician group in the U.S. Membership includes more than 130,000 internists, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internists are specialists in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults.

Ahmed Named COO of Baystate Mary Lane

WARE — Dr. M. Shafeeq Ahmed has been named chief operating officer of Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. In his role as COO, he will oversee the hospital’s day-to-day operations. Ahmed will continue in his current role as chief medical officer of the Baystate Health Eastern Region, and he will also continue to have a clinical presence with the Baystate Medical Practices – Mary Lane Ob/Gyn group in Ware.

“We are delighted Dr. Ahmed has accepted this new responsibility,” said Chuck Gijanto, president of BMLH and the Eastern Region. “He is a highly regarded leader at our hospital and on our medical staff, and brings great depth of knowledge to our entire medical community.”

Ahmed completed his undergraduate and medical school studies at Boston University and his residency in obstetrics and gynecology through Tufts University School of Medicine at Baystate Medical Center. In 2003, he joined the staff at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital as a practicing physician and medical director of Baystate Medical Practices – Mary Lane Ob/Gyn, and chief of Ob/Gyn. In 2008, he was elected to serve as vice president of the medical staff. Initially promoted in 2006 to serve as regional medical director for the Baystate Affiliated Physician Organization, he was then promoted in 2010 to his current role as chief medical officer for the Baystate Health Eastern Region.

Ahmed will continue to lead the patient care team at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. In the past year, he and the senior management team extended their commitment to the community by adding several new physicians to the team of providers, building new programs, and redefining services to ensure the highest standards of safety and quality care.

Northern Berkshire Healthcare Board of Trustees Taps Cheung

NORTH ADAMS — Dr. Chi Cheung, an internist with Adams Internists, was elected to the Northern Berkshire Healthcare board of trustees at the annual meeting of the NBH board of corporators on Feb. 22. Corporators also re-elected five trustees and added 11 new members to their ranks.

Cheung, board-certified in internal medicine, joined Adams Internists in 2001.  He earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and served his residency at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. He also holds a law degree from New York University. He will serve as liaison to the NBH ethics committee.

Re-elected to the NBH board were Ellen Bernstein, Dr. Jonathan Cluett, Bruce Grinnell, Bryon Sherman, and Dr. Susan Yates. Bernstein is a consultant and former publisher of the Advocate weekly newspaper. Cluett is an orthopedic surgeon with Orthopedic Associates of Northern Berkshire and serves as medical staff liaison at NBH. Grinnell is an attorney who chaired the CARE Campaign for North Adams Regional Hospital. Sherman is a partner and certified public accountant with Smith Watson & Co. Yates is a gynecologist with Northern Berkshire Ob/Gyn.

Newly elected corporators include Dr. Childsy Art, Kevin Bopp, Bill Bowden, Cheung, Jason Dohaney, Rebecca Gold, Duffy Judge, Matt Neely, Dr. Benjamin Rudin, Micah Singer, and Jim Stakenas. NBH corporators serve as liaisons to the Northern Berkshire community, elect members of the NBH board of trustees, and approve bylaws. For a complete list of NBH corporators and trustees, visit www.nbhealth.org.

Northern Berkshire Healthcare is the parent organization of North Adams Regional Hospital, the Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of Northern Berkshire, and the Northern Berkshire Healthcare Physicians Group.

Jacelon Earns Prestigious Nursing Award

LONGMEADOW — Dr. Cynthia Jacelon, associate professor at the UMass Amherst School of Nursing and scholar-in-residence at Jewish Geriatric Services, has earned the 2012 Eastern Nursing Research Society’s John A. Hartford Geriatric Senior Research Award. The award was presented at the ENRS’ 24th annual Scientific Sessions on March 30 in New Haven, Conn.

ENRS is comprised of RNs and others interested in promoting nursing research. It was established in 1988 as the research arm of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Nursing Association and the New England Organization for Nursing. The ENRS region includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. ENRS is dedicated to creating a community of nurses interested in promoting research in the eastern region of the U.S.

“I’m extremely pleased to be recognized by such a prestigious organization as the ERNS,” said Jacelon. “To be chosen from among this dedicated group of nursing professionals and scholars is truly an honor, and I’m very grateful.”

Jacelon is being recognized for her work studying and promoting dignity in the care of older adults with chronic illness. As scholar-in-residence at JGS, she created the JGS Chronic Care Model of Nursing, which is a philosophy of nursing care that puts patients, together with their caregivers, at the center of their care plans, encouraging patient choice and decision-making. She has also led JGS nurses in studies on ’dignity in dining’ and decreasing re-hospitalization rates in chronic-care settings.

Jacelon is committed to the concept of well-educated and well-trained licensed professional nurses working in elder-care settings. To that end, she invests her time and talent in mentoring faculty regarding improvement in the geriatric content and care of older adults in nursing school curricula.

Through presentations and posters at local, regional, national, and international conferences, she promotes research on aging. She also teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses on such subjects related to aging, and works to attract undergraduate and graduate students to geriatric-nursing careers.

Berkshire Health Systems Welcomes McEleney

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Health Systems has announced the appointment of Dr. James D. McEleney, a board-certified occupational-medicine physician with additional specialization in urgent care, as the medical director of Berkshire Occupational Health. McEleney has extensive experience in occupational medicine, and will join Dr. Richard Dodge in providing comprehensive occupational-medicine services to businesses throughout the region.

McEleney comes to the Berkshires following twelve years as clinical director of Occupational and Travel Medicine and Employee Health at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston. He previously worked for Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital and the Cambridge Health Alliance as medical director of Occupational Health and Employee Health.

He is board-certified in occupational medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine and received his medical degree from St. Louis University Medical School. He completed his residency in occupational medicine at the former University Hospital in Boston, now Boston Medical Center, and earned a master’s degree in Public Health at Boston University School of Public Health.

For more information, contact Berkshire Occupational Health at (413) 447-2684.

Sloat Joins CDH Center for Midwifery Care

NORTHAMPTON — Megan Sloat, certified nurse midwife, has joined the Cooley Dickinson Center for Midwifery Care and the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Medical Staff.

Sloat believes the care every family receives surrounding reproductive health, pregnancy, and birth has profound and lasting effects. It is her priority to provide individualized and personal care and to help women make informed decisions about the health care they receive. She is excited to be working with women in and around Northampton as they grow themselves, their babies, and their families.

Sloat earned a master’s degree in Nursing from the Yale School of Nursing and a master’s degree in Public Health from the Boston University School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Center for Midwifery Care, Sloat worked in public health around New England, most recently as a registered nurse at the Fair Haven Community Health Center in New Haven, Conn. She also has experience working as a doula.

She welcomes new patients at the Center for Midwifery Care. The services she provides range from gynecologic care for women of all ages to care for pregnant women and those who are thinking of becoming pregnant. For more information or to make an appointment, call (413) 584-8953.