Career Pulse- dec 2015
Staples Joins Team at Lenox Family Health
LENOX — Berkshire Health Systems announced the appointment of Dr. Amanda Staples to the medical staff of Berkshire Medical Center and the physician staff of Lenox Family Health Center.
Staples is accepting new patients in need of primary-care services and joins Drs. Heather Flynn, Mehernosh Khan, and Karen Prestwood, and nurse practitioners Kim Bladh-Silverstein and Jennifer Nugent in providing care for patients in Central Berkshire through Lenox Family Health.
Staples received her medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Berkshire Medical Center. While a resident at BMC, she served as medical chief Rresident and osteopathic chief resident, and was honored with the 2014 Jordan B. Fieldman, MD Award for Medical Humanism.
For an appointment with Staples, call Lenox Family Health at (413) 344-1700.
Brattleboro Retreat Appoints Josephson President, CEO
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Brattleboro Retreat announced that its board of trustees has appointed Louis Josephson as the hospital’s new president and CEO. He will start on March 1.
Josephson, a native of New York City, comes to the retreat from Los Angeles, where he has served as the president and CEO officer of Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services since 2013. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, he served for eight years as president and CEO of Riverbend Community Mental Health in Concord, N.H. During that same period, Josephson was also vice president of behavioral health at Concord Hospital, also in New Hampshire.
Before joining Riverbend Community Mental Health, he served as assistant commissioner in the Office of Child and Adolescent Services for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and as director of Family Court Mental Health Services for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.
“I am thrilled to have been chosen to lead such an outstanding organization, and grateful to be following Rob Simpson after all he has accomplished at the Retreat,” said Josephson. “Vermonters and people in surrounding communities deserve an outstanding mental-health resource, and I am committed to continuing the Retreat’s drive to provide premier psychiatric and addiction care.”
Josephson holds a doctorate in clinical social work from NYU, a master’s degree in social work from the Columbia University School of Social Work, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Tufts University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
The appointment of Josephson is the culmination of a lengthy national search to replace the retreat’s outgoing president and CEO, Dr. Robert Simpson Jr., who will step down on Dec. 31 after nine years with the organization, according to Elizabeth Catlin, board chair.
“It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Dr. Josephson to the Brattleboro Retreat and to the entire state of Vermont,” Catlin said. “Our ability to attract such a high-caliber candidate speaks volumes about the Retreat’s mission, history, and ongoing commitment to providing quality, compassionate care. We are blessed to be passing the torch to another exceptional leader who has the vision, skill, and heart to continue growing and strengthening the hospital and also to provide an exciting new start that’s filled with opportunities.”
Cooley Dickinson Announces Awards
NORTHAMPTON — More than 100 people attended the 129th annual meeting of the Cooley Dickinson board of trustees staged recently at the Hotel Northampton. At the meeting, several awards were given.
Dr. Geoffrey Zucker, physician with Hampshire Gastroenterology Associates, vice president of the Cooley Dickinson medical staff, and a Cooley Dickinson Medical Group director, received the William E. Dwyer Distinguished Service Award. The Dwyer award is given each year to outstanding individuals whose service on behalf of Cooley Dickinson exemplifies loyalty, leadership, and dedication to improving the health of the community.
Nominated by her colleagues, Chris Orlen, clinical director, case management, received the BECOME Award, a recognition that celebrates an employee who models Cooley Dickinson’s organizational values. According to her nominators, “she has demonstrated a vast institutional knowledge, an ability to work across departments, and an understanding of the importance of all of our BECOME values.”
As with the BECOME Award, recipients of the Medical Staff Awards were nominated by their colleagues.
The Medical Staff Clinical Excellence Award, given by the Cooley Dickinson Hospital medical staff to the physician who has achieved significant improvement in clinical outcomes, was presented to Dr. Holly Michaelson, a general surgeon and chief of Surgery, and in practice at General Surgical Care in Northampton. Her leadership has been instrumental in high-quality surgical care and outcomes at Cooley Dickinson.
Dr. Frank Meyers, a physician at Hampshire Gastroenterology Associates, received the Medical Staff Patient-Centered Care Award. The medical staff gives this award to the physician who demonstrates a high level of empathic care and always looks to the patient’s values to guide decisions. His gentle, unhurried, and highly personalized approach to his patients is maintained day after day, case after case.
The Advanced Practice Clinician Award is given to the provider who best represents teamwork with physicians and hospital staff to create quality patient outcomes and improve care. It was presented to Matthew Lawrence, a nurse practitioner who works on the hospital’s Critical Care Unit.
The medical staff gives the Teamwork Award to the physician who demonstrates a highly developed ability to bring teams of clinicians together to improve care. It was presented to Dr. Helena McCracken, who brings to CDH the ability to interact with a variety of clinicians on the healthcare team to help organize care and consultation for her patients, to monitor clinical outcomes, and to guide the time to improved care.
The Medical Staff Nursing Care Excellence Award is given by the Cooley Dickinson Hospital registered nurse who best represents teamwork with physicians to drive best clinical outcomes. This year’s recipient, Amy Hamel, a registered nurse in the Case Management department, embodies the spirit of teamwork and commitment to excellence in clinical outcomes. According to her colleagues, she is a “team player and has an outstanding ability to facilitate a patient’s transition from inpatient to discharge. She is always available to help with other aspects of patient care, including pitching in during acute emergencies.”
Cooley Dickinson Medical Group Welcomes Smith
NORTHAMPTON — Dr. Deborah Smith, a medical oncologist, has joined Cooley Dickinson Medical Group Hematology Oncology. She is now seeing patients in the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and has closed her practice at 190 Nonotuck St., Florence.
“In my 30 years of practice in this community, I have seen many advances in cancer treatment,” Smith wrote in a letter to her patients that announced her move. “The advent of the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital is another giant step toward providing our community with the very best in cancer care, and I eagerly look forward to being part of it.”
Smith earned her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed residency at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center and completed her fellowship at Roger Williams General Hospital. She is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology.
For more information or to make an appointment with Smith, call (413) 582-2900.
Home Health Solutions Welcomes Ashton
HOLYOKE — Nancy Magri, president and owner of Home Health Solutions, recently welcomed Sharon Ashton to the company’s business-development staff.
Ashton has been a nurse for more than 30 years, working in assisted living, long-term care, and sub-acute rehabilitation. She was president of the Alzheimer’s Assoc. for six years and Westfield Kiwanis Club president. She continues to chair the Western Mass. Eldercare Professionals Assoc.
Home Health Solutions has been in operation for 15 years, helping families in the four-county area. With 7,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day in the U.S., the company’s goal is to help them realize their goal of staying at home.
“We see more folks wanting to stay in their own homes, but require some assistance with safety, medication reminders, cooking, and transportation” Ashton said. “I’m excited to be in a health field that is growing and meeting the personal goal of folks being able to stay in their home.”
Brain Balance Appoints Hudson National Lead Trainer
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Dr. Megan Hudson, executive director of the Brain Balance Achievement Center on Riverdale Street, was selected to be the lead sensory motor trainer for the company’s national training center in Hauppauge, N.Y.
Hudson, a doctor of chiropractic medicine, was chosen for the position by Brain Balance Centers co-Founder Robert Melillo for her expertise in strengthening motor skills and sensory detection.
Talitha Abramsen, director of the West Springfield center, said Melillo is a well-respected specialist in childhood neurological disorders in America who has been helping children overcome learning disabilities for more than 20 years. Hudson has studied under Melillo for nearly 10 years in the field of functional neurology.
“It is a huge honor to be offered this position by both the National Brain Balance team and Dr. Melillo,” Hudson said. “I am excited to give back to the company and share with incoming and existing Brain Balance employees, both my experience and training from Dr. Melillo and the important learnings I have gained from running our center in West Springfield for the past five years.”
Hudson will be responsible for training new and existing Brain Balance staff in the latest sensory motor protocols and concepts. Employees from the company’s 80-plus centers gather throughout the year in small groups at the firm’s training facility in New York.
Hudson works with children through natural integrative approaches at the Brain Balance Achievement Center of West Springfield. She has extensive post-doctoral training in childhood developmental disorders and functional neurology.
While at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and was certified to teach K-6 in Vermont. In addition to her clinical experience in private practice for over a decade, Hudson has worked with students in reading, special education, outdoor education, and athletic coaching.
Goldfarb Joins Staff of Berkshire OB/GYN of BMC
ADAMS — Berkshire Health Systems announced the appointment of Dr. Miriam Goldfarb, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, to the medical staff of Berkshire Medical Center and the physician staff of Berkshire OB/GYN of BMC.
Goldfarb comes to the Berkshires after practicing with Cambridge Health Alliance and Cambridge Hospital. She has previously served with Mount Auburn Hospital, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and Norwood Hospital. She received her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her residency in ob/gyn at UMass Medical Center.
Goldfarb is accepting new patients in need of ob/gyn care. For an appointment, call Berkshire OB/GYN of BMC in Adams at (413) 664-4343 or in Pittsfield at (413) 499-8570.
CDH Announces New, Returning Trustees
NORTHAMPTON — At the recent annual meeting of the Cooley Dickinson board of trustees, voting members of the board elected the following new trustees:
• Laurie Fenlason, vice president for public affairs and strategic initiatives at Smith College, serves as the chief public-affairs officer of Smith College and counsel to the president on matters of institutional strategy and planning, strategic communication, visibility, and constituent relations. She oversees the Office of College Relations/Public Affairs, which is responsible for campus communications, media relations, alumnae and development communications, publications, digital communications and social media, special events, community relations, and government relations.
• Eliza Lake, executive director, Hilltown Community Health Centers, is responsible for the oversight of a federally qualified community health center that is the only provider of medical, oral-health, behavioral-health, optometric, and community services in rural Western Mass. Under her leadership, she ensures that the Hilltown Community Health Centers move forward in achieving its clinical, strategic, and operational goals. These include the provision of patient-centered quality care, organizational sustainability, and expansion into new markets.
• Nancy Reeves, fund-raising consultant, currently oversees the planning and implementation of a comprehensive, $9 million 50th-anniversary campaign for New England Public Radio. She returns to the Cooley Dickinson board of trustees after previously serving from 2001 to 2014. Earlier this year, she chaired the Hospice Gala, a fund-raising event that celebrated 35 years of hospice care in the community.
• Kumble Subbaswamy assumed the office of chancellor of UMass Amherst in 2012. One major new initiative has been the establishment of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, with a $95 million investment from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Apart from his duties on the Amherst campus, he serves on the board of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts and coordinates the UMass System Cybersecurity Task Force.
“It is my pleasure to announce three new trustees and welcome back one returning trustee to the Cooley Dickinson Hospital board of trustees,” said Sanford Belden, board chair. “Their insights and commitment, coupled with the skills and experience of our existing trustees, will contribute to Cooley Dickinson’s mission of providing high-quality health care to our community.”
Joanne Marqusee, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, said she is impressed by the caliber of the new members. “They each excel professionally in their fields and have a track record as dedicated community advocates and leaders.”
Other local trustees who were re-elected at the annual meeting include Dr. James Donnelly, Kevin Lake, James Nunnelly, and Charles Staelin.
Massachusetts General Hospital trustees who were re-elected by Mass General or are continuing their terms are Tony James, vice president of network development; and Dr. Peter Slavin, president of Mass General.
Also recognized were those trustees whose tenure ended: William Gorth, Margo Welch, Matthew Pitoniak, Danielle Ramdath, and John Todd.
