CAREER PULSE – Aug 17

HMC Promotes Mark to Chief Medical Officer

HOLYOKE — Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, announced the promotion of Dr. Jennifer Mark to chief medical officer at Holyoke Medical Center.

“Dr. Mark is a highly skilled physician with a proven track record and expertise in leading a team to success. Her focus on patient satisfaction, in conjunction with high-quality care and open communication style, will continue to be an asset to HMC as she enters this new role,” said Hatiras. “Dr. Mark’s knowledge of the culture within the organization will continue to be appreciated and allow for a smooth transition to this position.”

Added Mark, “I really like the fact that Holyoke Medical Center is very focused on patient-centered care in terms of our overall strategy and how we make improvements in safety and quality. The administration is aligned with providers and other caregivers, all of whom want what’s best for our patients.”

Mark, whose extensive background includes both primary and emergency care, has been with HMC since 2008, serving for the past five years as Emergency Department (ED) medical director. During that time, patient satisfaction has increased by 85{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} for overall care in the ED, and the length of stay for discharged patients has decreased by about 30 minutes. These changes have been made despite increasing patient volumes and severe space constraints, which should improve in the new ED that opened earlier this month. “It is a beautiful new facility that will be wonderful for our patients,” Mark said.

As director, Mark worked closely with the ED nurse manager to direct operations of the facility that treats over 44,000 patients per year, with oversight of 14 doctors and 12 mid-level providers. She also went through intensive communication training and then helped teach those skills to her team in the ED in order to raise patient satisfaction.

Previously, Mark, who graduated from Yale University School of Medicine, served in various emergency and adult-medicine physician roles throughout Massachusetts. She was also a founding partner of a private Emergency Department physician group where she served as assistant medical director for five years.

 

Taylor Street Dental Welcomes Daleo to Team

SPRINGFIELD — Taylor Street Dental announced the addition of James Daleo, DMD to its dental practice. Daleo began treating patients in July in the practice’s office at 41 Taylor St.

Daleo earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and biophysics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and graduated magna cum laude from Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine. After college, he completed a general-practice residency at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y.

Prior to joining Dr. David Peck at Taylor Street Dental, he practiced in Vermont and was a clinical assistant professor at the University of New England School of Dental Medicine. He is a member of the American Dental Assoc., the Massachusetts Dental Society, and the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society.

“James has extreme passion and excitement about his profession,” said Peck, owner of Taylor Street Dental. “His services include oral surgery, implants, restorative and cosmetic dentistry, laser dentistry, endodontics, and treatment of anxious/phobic patients. These are all things that will serve our practice — and our patients — very well.”

Added Daleo, “I am thrilled to be joining Dr. Peck and his fantastic staff. I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to practice in Springfield and meet all of the wonderful patients at Taylor Street Dental.”

Daleo is welcoming new patients. Appointments can be made by calling (413) 781-7645.

 

Kargbo Nabs NIH Internship to Study Sickle-cell Anemia

CHICOPEE — Ibrahim Kargbo, a post-baccalaureate, pre-med student at Elms College, earned a prestigious summer internship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md. Kargbo will work with scientists in the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

“This is a group I wanted to work with,” he said. “Specifically, I’ll be working on sickle-cell anemia, which is a genetic blood disease that primarily affects African-Americans and other minority populations.”

He had followed the work of this group at NHLBI for a while and specifically contacted it about internship opportunities because of the significance of its research. “What they’re doing is translational research, where they’re actually trying to find a cure for the disease,” he said.

Kargbo has friends with sickle-cell anemia and has seen firsthand how debilitating it can be. “It’s very intense pain. Women who have sickle-cell who have had children and gone through the labor process say the pain of sickle-cell is worse than labor pain,” he said.

He is excited to put what he’s learned in the classroom into practice in the lab, he added. “I can really see that what we’re learning in class is actually applicable in the real world. It puts an even higher level of importance to a lot of the material we’re learning in class because, at the end of the day, if you choose to continue in this field, you’re going to have to apply a lot of these basic concepts we’re learning to try to make the world a better place.”

A native of Sierra Leone, Kargbo came to the U.S. when he was 5 years old. He attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and graduated in 2010 with a degree in international health and policy. He will complete his post-baccalaureate certificate in 2018.

“I’m the typical ‘first in the family to do X,’” Kargbo said of attending college. His father, a grocery-store clerk, wasn’t educated in the U.S., but has put Kargbo and three of his brothers through college; his youngest brother is in middle school.

Once he decided on a career in medicine, either emergency or clinical research, Kargbo sought a post-baccalaureate program to complete the classes he needed to take the Medical College Admission Test.

The post-baccalaureate, pre-medical certificate program at Elms enrolls 20 to 30 students each year who have earned a BA or BS from an accredited college or university. The program serves two populations of students: those who wish to improve their GPAs and prepare for standardized tests, and those who need to take prerequisite coursework for the first time in preparation for standardized tests and application to medical and other professional health programs (dental, physician assistant, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary, occupational or physical therapy, and more).

Students who have already taken pre-medical prerequisite courses in chemistry can usually earn their certificates in one academic year, or two semesters. Those who have not taken prerequisites in chemistry or sufficient biology courses can usually finish the program in two academic years, or four semesters.

 

West Central Family and Counseling Welcomes Gaughan-Cabral, Pozzetto

WEST SPRINGFIELD — West Central Family and Counseling (WCFC) announced the appointment of two new co-clinic directors: Jo-Anne Gaughan-Cabral and Simona Pozzetto. Prior to their recent appointments, both had served as clinic supervisors for WCFC. Combined, they have more than 40 years of clinical social-work experience across outpatient, inpatient, and long-term-care settings.

Aside from their daily operational responsibilities of the clinic, both will oversee the implementation and growth of clinical programs. This past April, Gaughan-Cabral launched WCFC’s Cancer Informed Therapy Program, which provides mental-health treatment specifically for cancer patients, families, caregivers, and loved ones. Referrals for this program are currently being accepted. WCFC has also developed a Geriatric and Family Services Program, which works to provide clinical services to elders and their family members throughout Western Mass.

“Unfortunately, mental-health resources for elders are sometimes difficult to find, and there is an increasing demand due to population growth,” said Vice President of Operations Karen Mozzer. “We plan to use our expertise in working with this group over the last 23 years to provide psychotherapy and psychopharmacological management. In addition, we will be able to meet with family members and caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in order to provide education and behavioral consultation.”

With the development of these programs Gaughan-Cabral and Pozzetto will be hiring clinical staff for therapist and supervisory roles. Part-time and full-time positions are available. Visit www.westcentralfamily.com for more information on applying.

 

Conneely Joins CMIC as Director of Finance

GLASTONBURY, Conn. — CMIC Group, a member-owned medical professional liability insurance company, announced that Michael Conneely has joined the CMIC Group team as the new director of Finance.

Conneely has more than 25 years of business and accounting experience, including 17 years in the insurance industry. He spent the most recent 14 years in financial roles supporting several distinct business lines at Travelers Insurance. Prior to that, he worked in a variety of financial roles in the insurance industry, including roles with a prominent reinsurer as well as seven years with Deloitte & Touche. He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude in accounting from the University of Connecticut.

“Michael brings an impressive and in-depth financial background to CMIC Group,” said CEO Denise Funk. “His vast experience in the financial sector and across various facets of the insurance industry will further enhance CMIC’s long history of financial diligence and stability.”

 

CFO Change Announced at athenahealth Inc.

WATERTOWN, Mass. — athenahealth Inc., a provider of network-enabled services for hospital and ambulatory clients nationwide, announced that John “Jack” Kane, a member of the athenahealth board of directors and current chair of the board’s audit committee, will serve as interim chief financial officer.

Karl Stubelis is stepping down as chief financial officer to pursue other opportunities. To help ensure a smooth transition, Stubelis will continue to support the company through the reporting of athenahealth’s 2017 second-quarter results. athenahealth has initiated a search to identify a permanent CFO and has retained DHR International to assist in the process.

“This CFO transition reflects our commitment to ensuring that athenahealth has world-class leaders to support the company and our increased scale and scope,” said Jonathan Bush, chairman and CEO of athenahealth. “We intend to focus our CFO search on leaders who bring a record of operating discipline and value-creating capital allocation. I look forward to working closely with the athenahealth board, especially Jack Kane and Tom Szkutak, former CFO of Amazon, to identify the best individual for the role.”

Bush added that “Jack’s knowledge of athenahealth and his experience serving as the CFO of another public healthcare-technology company make him well-suited to serve as interim CFO during this transition.”

Added Kane, “I look forward to working closely with the athenahealth team as I take on these additional responsibilities. We share Jonathan’s confidence in athenahealth and his focus on identifying a CFO who can serve as a strong partner to the senior management team in guiding the company’s success.”

 

Friends of the Homeless Welcomes Rhone

SPRINGFIELD — Friends of the Homeless, a program of Clinical & Support Options (CSO), recently welcomed Keith Rhone as the new director of Operations, overseeing day-to-day management of the Worthington Street facility.

Most recently, Rhone served as assistant director of Safety and Crisis Management with ROCA Inc. of Springfield and established strong connections to community law enforcement and local program providers. He has also served as fiscal director with the Black Chamber of Commerce.

“The shelter and housing business has some uniqueness to it. We are very excited to have Keith join us and strengthen our team overall,” said Bill Miller, CSO’s vice president of Housing and Homeless Services.

Rhone earned an associate degree in accounting from Springfield Technical Community College, and both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from American International College.