John Briley
John Briley is a journalist and Web content specialist with 17 years' experience covering a range of health topics, from breaking health news and fitness to travel health issues and FDA regulation of drugs, medical devices and food.
He authored the Washington Post's popular Moving Crew fitness column and hosted online fitness chats on Washingtonpost.com for three years, and wrote numerous health features for that newspaper. He then worked at the consumer health portal Revolution Health, where he ran the news and home page production, wrote features and oversaw production of a number of large-scale health guides. His most recent title was vice president of special editorial projects.
Briley has appeared on National Public Radio, CNN, the BBC and the Travel Channel. His writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Washington Post, L.A. Times, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Men's Journal, National Geographic Traveler, Skiing and the Harvard Health Letter.
Disclosures: None
Alan Dappen M.D.
Alan Dappen, M.D., is the founder and CEO of Doctokr Family Medicine. Dr. Alan Dappen graduated from the University of Washington Medical School in 1979. He completed his Family Medicine residency in 1983 at the University of California, Davis program in Modesto, California. He completed a Song-Brown Fellowship in 1984, and coursework in Family Therapy in 1989. He has remained Board-certified in Family Medicine since 1983. Doctor Dappen has practiced medicine in California, Kenya, Mexico, and since 1992, in Vienna, VA. He is an Associate Clinical Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Department of Family Practice, and recently became a graduate of Leadership Fairfax. He has published medical journal articles on diverse topics, including malaria, nutrition, and smoking. He speaks Spanish fluently. Doctor Dappen is the founder of Doctokr.
Disclosures: None
Maria Gifford
Maria Gifford is a consumer health information consultant and former Community Moderator for MyBreastCancerNetwork.com. Maria is a seasoned health writer, editor, author, and medical researcher who collaborated with teams of specialty physicians to produce and manage evidence-based health content for the initial launches of MayoClinic.com and RevolutionHealth.com. Skilled in translating complex medical topics into engaging, consumer-friendly health and wellness information, Maria has contributed to HealthCentral.com, EverydayHealth.com, Health.com for Time Inc., Captivate Network, the University of California, the American Diabetes Association, Rodale, Univita Health, ABC-CLIO, and Ladies' Home Journal.
Disclosures: None
Website: Gifford HealthInfo, LLC
James Herndon M.D.
James H. Herndon, MD, MBA is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and chairman emeritus of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Partners Healthcare (an integrated health system founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital) in Boston, Mass.
In addition, he is the William H. and Joanna A. Harris Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. In 2003, Dr. Herndon became the President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has also served as President of the American Orthopaedic Association and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and as Chairman of the Residency Review Committee for Orthopaedic Surgery.
Dr. Herndon graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine. After preliminary training in general surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, he completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program in Boston. After serving as chief of Amputee Service at Valley Forge General Hospital during the Vietnam War, he was in private practice for 4 years in Michigan. He then spent 25 years working as Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Brown University, the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard Medical School.
Throughout his career, Dr. Herndon has won a variety of awards, including the Golden Apple Teaching Award from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and 2 Partners in Excellence Awards from Partners Healthcare. In addition, he's delivered more than 30 keynote and presidential guest lectures at national and international meetings, has been awarded honorary membership in 7 international professional organizations (including the Royal College of Surgeons of England) and has received 3 honorary degrees. He has been listed in several editions of Who's Who as well as listed as one of the "Best Doctors in America" since 2001.
Dr. Herndon is widely published in professional and peer reviewed journals and is a frequent speaker in the United States and abroad. His areas of expertise in orthopaedic surgery include trauma, reconstruction of the upper extremity, arthritis, patient safety, medical errors and leadership issues in medicine today. He is currently chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Disclosures: Dr. Herndon is a consultant for Navigant Consulting, Inc., The Orthopaedics Health Network, and the Orthopaedic Practice Newsletter.
Val Jones M.D.
Val Jones, M.D., is the CEO of Better Health, LLC, a medical blogger network and education company. Most recently she was the Senior Medical Director of Revolution Health, a consumer health portal with over 120 million page views per month in its network.
Dr. Jones is the author of the popular blog, "Getting Better with Dr. Val", which won The Best New Medical Blog award in 2007 and was a finalist in the health policy and ethics category for 2008.
Dr. Jones has been quoted by various major media outlets, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the LA Times. She has been a guest on over 20 different radio shows, and was featured on CBS News. Dr. Jones volunteers as a rehabilitation medicine physician at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and is a graduate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Disclosures: Dr. Val Jones is a consultant for MedPage Today.
Gwen Mayes J.D., MMSc
Gwen Mayes, a resident of Alexandria, VA, is a freelance health and wellness writer specializing in areas of bioethics, women's health and health law. She is the featured columnist for A Health Step, a monthly column in Today's Woman magazine. She has extensive publications in both consumer and trade publications including WebMD, Medscape, Infertility Times, Transplant News, and the International Spa Association. Ms. Mayes has an undergraduate degree in Biology and Pre-Medical Studies from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, a Masters of Medical Science from Emory University and a JD with honors from the University of Maryland with a concentration in health law. She has 25-plus years experience in health policy and health administration on both federal and state levels and was the first Executive Director of the Office of Women's Physical and Mental Health for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Currently, Ms. Mayes is working to shape federal public policy that advances medical technology for women with heart disease. Diagnosed in 1988 with a severe congenital heart disorder, Ms. Mayes has spent a life-time working to advance health and wellness for all women living with heart disease. In her spare time, she teaches writing workshops specializing in journaling for wellness and advocacy writing for health professionals. She is a national spokesperson for WomenHeart.
Disclosures: Gwen is an employee of Abiomed.
Website: gwenmayes.com
Geeta Nayyar, M.D.
Geeta Nayyar, M.D. is Chief Medical Officer at APCO Worldwide. Dr. Nayyar helps clients communicate critical health care issues to a diverse set of stakeholders and advises clients on alliance development and health care issues management. She serves on faculty at the George Washington University as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Department of Rheumatology. She is directly involved in patient care and regularly diagnoses and treats patient with rheumatic diseases. Her clinical practice requires analyzing and then utilizing the most up to date biologic therapies to treat patients with rheumatic diseases. Dr. Nayyar's teaching responsibilities at the University entail discussing molecular mechanisms of rheumatic diseases at grand rounds and supervising medical students, residents and fellows.
Additionally, she has been a lecturer for the Providence Hospital Internal Medicine Residency program and the D.C. Academy of Physician Assistants CME conference on rheumatic disease. Her recent publications include: "Introduction to inflammatory and regional musculoskeletal disorders in MRI and Ultrasound in the Musculoskeletal Diseases," and an "Overview of imaging in inflammatory arthritis and myositis," in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. She also contributes to rheumatology topics on SERMO, a physician collaboration web site. Dr. Nayyar serves as a physician member of the American College of Rheumatology, the D.C. Rheumatology Society, American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. Additionally, she has been a speaker for the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin national conference on the topics of health policy and serves on their legislative committee.
Disclosures: None
Steve Simmons M.D.
Steve is a Board-certified Internist, who received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee, and completed his residency ant St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado. In 1996, Steve was selected by his peers to receive the Dr. Annie Yee Johnson Memorial Award for compassion and professionalism. He has spent the past 10 years working in primary and urgent care at Kaiser Permanente. Steve and Alan have worked together for the past five years.
Disclosures: None
Stacy Stryer M.D.
Stacy Beller Stryer, M.D., FAAP graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College in 1985, where she majored in psychobiology. After graduation, she worked at the National Institute of Mental Health before attending Yale University School of Medicine. She received her medical degree in 1991 and completed her pediatrics training at Childrens Hospital of Northern California in 1994. Dr. Stryer joined the Indian Health Service as a pediatrician and the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Coordinator in Kayenta, Arizona. In 1997, she moved to Maryland, where she is currently in private practice. Dr. Stryer is also an author, speaker, consultant and blogger. She recently authored a book on anorexia and is a contributing author on a book about pediatricians, both of which are due on the bookshelves mid-2009. She is currently working on her third book. Dr. Stryer has consulted and written for the National Institutes of Health, Revolution Health, and currently, Better Health.
Disclosures: None
Valerie Tinley N.P.
Valerie Tinley is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She has 30 years of experience in nursing that includes obstetrics, operating room and 12 years in breast cancer research. In 1997, she graduated with honors from George Mason/George Washington University Collaborative Program with a Masters of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner. Since then, her work experience has been in urgent care, family practice, infectious disease, rheumatology, and health exams, particularly dealing with women's health issues and pre-surgical screening of preoperative patients. She brings with her a wealth of healthcare knowledge, experience, and a caring attitude.
Disclosures: None
Olajide Williams M.D.
Dr Olajide Williams is the Associate Director of Neurology of Columbia University's department of neurology at Harlem Hospital Center, Director of Operations for Harlem Hospital Stroke Center, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology at Columbia University. He has authored numerous scientific articles and book chapters, and is one of nine members of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke External Review Group for the Clinical Research Collaboration, charged with connecting communities to NIH research. Dr Williams is a recipient of several prestigious awards. These include; the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation Urban Health Award for mitigating health care disparities, the Distinguished Teacher Award and the Gold Foundation Award for Humanism in Medicine and Excellence in Teaching of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, a National Humanism in Medicine Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Dr Williams confronts stroke disparities with innovative grass root interventions and is the Principal Investigator for National Stroke Association's Hip Hop Stroke Elementary School program and Harlem Hospital Center's city-wide Hip Hop HEALS (Healthy Eating And Living in Schools) program. He is a National Spokesperson for the National Stroke Association and the American Heart Association. Dr Williams currently practices medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and Harlem Hospital Center. He is board certified in Neurology and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.
Disclosures: None
Joseph Albietz MD
Joseph Albietz, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado, Denver, and The Children’s Hospital. In addition to his service in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, his time is divided between translational research in the field of pediatric pulmonary hypertension and medical education where he acts as the pediatric intensive care associate fellowship director. Dr. Albietz graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and completed his residency training in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric critical care at the University of Colorado, Denver. He is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care.
In addition to writing for Science Based Medicine Dr. Albietz also periodically contributes to the James Randi Educational Foundation’s (JREF) Swift Blog and coordinated JREF’s vaccine drive to benefit the Southern Nevada Health District.
Dr. Albietz has no conflicts of interest to disclose nor any ties to industry. His writing reflects his opinion alone, is not meant to represent personal medical advice, and does not necessarily represent the position or opinions of his department, university or hospital.
Disclosures: None
Blog: Science-Based Medicine
Kimball Atwood IV M.D.
Kimball Atwood IV, MD is a practicing anesthesiologist who is also board-certified in internal medicine. He had been interested in pseudoscience for years, but became active in 2000 after a nursing conference at his own hospital advocated Therapeutic Touch, Guided Imagery, and several other implausible practices as effective treatments for pleural mesothelioma. Shortly thereafter he became a member of the Massachusetts Special Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medical Practitioners, and subsequently wrote its Minority Report opposing licensure for naturopaths.
Dr. Atwood has written many articles and treatises on implausible medical claims, among which are several concerning naturopathy, such as here and here and on the Naturowatch website. He has provided expert opinion to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine regarding non-standard practices. He is an associate editor of the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine and co-editor of Naturowatch. He is particularly concerned with implausible claims being promoted, tacitly or otherwise, by medical schools and government. He is also dubious about the ethics of human trials of such claims.
Early in his investigations he noticed that academic medical treatments of implausible claims are typically more optimistic than the evidence warrants. He observed that this is because such treatments consider only clinical trials while ignoring other, usually more compelling evidence: facts of nature, for example. He soon found a few others who shared this opinion, including Drs. Steven Novella and Wallace Sampson of this Blog. All recognized that the phenomenon exposes a major weakness in "Evidence-Based Medicine" (EBM): its calculus lacks the formal inclusion of much external evidence, particularly basic science. EBM therefore presumes an unjustified faith in the rigor of its only real tools: clinical trials, "frequentist statistics," and meta-analyses. Dr. Atwood is pleased that the Science Based Medicine Blog is a forum for discussion of this topic, among others.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
Paul S Auerbach M.D., M.S.
Dr. Paul S. Auerbach is Professor of Surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Auerbach is a founder and past president of the Wilderness Medical Society, editor of the definitive medical reference text Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition, and author of Medicine for the Outdoors, which is the leading book on outdoor health for laypersons. He serves on the National Medical Committee for the National Ski Patrol System and is a recipient of the DAN America Award from the Divers Alert Network, Outstanding Contribution in Education Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians, a NOGI Award in 2006 from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences, Diver of the Year for Science in 2008 from Beneath the Sea, and DAN/Rolex Diver of the Year in 2009. Dr. Auerbach is the world's leading authority on wilderness medicine. He practices emergency medicine, teaches, performs research, and advises numerous agencies and organizations, including serving as an advisory board member to the AARP Fat 2 Fit Community Challenge. Dr. Auerbach has been hailed as a Hero of Emergency Medicine by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Medicine for the Outdoors
Joseph Banken Ph.D.
Joseph A. Banken, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in Arkansas and Texas with over 15 years of experience in the professional practice of psychology. He has been listed in the National Register for Health Providers of Psychology for over 10 years.
As a psychologist who has worked in a variety of treatment programs including Telehealth, he has treated the majority of behavioral health concerns and illnesses that occur in children and adults. He has a special interest in women's health issues and substance abuse.
Dr. Banken continues to conduct an active outpatient practice and has office hours in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where he is a faculty member in the College of Medicine. Dr. Banken is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Psychology at The University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In addition to University responsibilities, he continues clinical research and publication in areas of behavioral health, and serves as a reviewer of a national journal for mental health.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: eDocAmerica Blog
Ramona Bates M.D.
Ramona L Bates, MD has been a solo plastic surgeon in Little Rock, AR since 1990. She began writing the blog, Suture for a Living, in May 2007 and has been an active participant in the medical blog community.
Dr Bates was born in Ft Leonard Wood, MO, but considers herself from Arkansas as she was raised there. She received a bachelor of arts degree in Physics from the University of Arkansas. She is now on their Industrial Advisory Committee for the microEP program.
She earned her medical degree at the UAMS in Little Rock, AR. Between her first and second years she worked as a research assistant for NASA at Moffett Fields, CA where she worked on a project studying the effects of zero gravity on the human body.
She did her Flexible Internship at Earl K Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, LA. She did three years of general surgery training at OVMC in Wheeling, WV then did a Head & Neck Fellowship at Mercy Hospital, Pittsburg, PA prior to going to Boston, MA to do her plastic surgery residency at Boston University Hospital. She then returned to Little Rock, AR to do a Hand Surgery Fellowship with the Arkansas Hand Surgery Clinic. Upon completing her training, she began her private practice as a solo physician.
Disclosures: Dr. Bates is a member of the microEP Industrial Advisory Committee, University of Arkansas
Personal Blog: Suture For A Living
Phil Baumann RN
Phil Baumann is a registered nurse who blogs about how social software can be used most effectively in health care. He is actively engaged in ongoing discussions about health care technologies and how the Web is rapidly changing the way we communicate, collaborate and live our daily lives. He is a blogger, consultant, workshop leader and speaker who helps organizations and the public at large understand the opportunities and challenges which the Web poses from a health care perspective. He also founded #RNchat, which is the first real-time conversation of registered nurses on Twitter.
Phil is actually a second degree nurse who earned his BSN from Drexel University. His first degree was in Accounting which he received from the University of Delaware and his career was in accounting, finance, treasury operations and systems implementation. His enterprise background in industries as diverse as Energy and Financial Services coupled with his past clinical experience in ICU have given him a unique view of how social networking and health care relate to each other. He's passionate about evolving technologies and explores the relationship between social software and health care on his blog . For a snapshot of his philosophy and practical views on how to dovetail social media with health care, check out his 140 Health Care Uses for Twitter. You can follow his real-time updates here.
Disclosures: Phil is the CEO of CareVocate LLC
Personal Blog: Phil Baumann Online
Jessica Berthold
Jessica Berthold is the editor of ACP Hospitalist, and an associate editor of ACP Internist. A journalist for the past eleven years, Jessica has won numerous awards for her writing from the Association of Healthcare Publication Editors, the Society for National Association Publishing and the Pennsylvania Women's Press Association. Her areas of interest include mental health, international health and neurology. Prior to working at the American College of Physicians, Jessica wrote about energy for Dow Jones Newswires and popular culture for the Allentown (PA) Morning Call, where she penned a syndicated column called "Bloggernaut". Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune and Toronto Globe and Mail, among others.
Disclosures: None
Blogs: ACPHospitalist, ACPInternist
Neil Bonginkosi Lawrence Taverner, M.D.
Neil Taverner, M.D., is a South African general surgeon. He works in a province that has a reputation for mismanagement and corruption. Although he primarily serves in a private hospital, he also occasionally helps out in the state hospital (almost always late at night or early in the morning). Dr. Taverner describes himself as "a storyteller relating the often bizarre things that go into the forming of a South African surgeon."
Disclosures: None
Website: Other Things Amanzi
Toni Brayer, M.D.
Dr. Brayer graduated cum laude from Arizona State University and received her Medical Degree from the University of Arizona. She is now the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the West Bay Region of Sutter Health in Northern California. She continues her practice of Internal Medicine in San Francisco and was named a "Best Doctor" annually from 1997-2004. A former Chief of Staff at California Pacific Medical Center and past-president of the San Francisco Medical Society, Dr. Brayer was a delegate to the California Medical Association and served as vice-chair of the board for the Institute for Medical Quality until 2003. She is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and served on the governor's council of ACP. An Associate Clinical Professor at University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Dr. Brayer also served as clinical faculty at CPMC where she designed an ambulatory elective for Internal Medicine residents.
Before assuming her current position with Sutter Health, Dr. Brayer served as Vice-Chair of the CPMC Board of Directors and a member of Sutter Health's Public Policy Committee. She currently serves on the Board of Physicians Foundation at CPMC and is a director for the Medical Insurance Exchange of California. In 2005, and again in 2008, the San Francisco Business Times named Dr. Brayer to its list of "The Bay Area's 100 most influential women in business." She has written extensively about health care issues, public policy and quality and is a recognized physician leader.
Toni Brayer is the mother of two and enjoys tennis, gardening, and writing.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Everything Health
Nancy Brown Ph.D.
Nancy L. Brown, a developmental psychologist, is a senior research associate at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) Research Institute and teaches Adolescent Sexuality and Gender, Culture and HIV in the department of human biology at Stanford University. Her research activities include developing interventions and conducting research related to adolescents, prostate cancer, asthma, and preventions of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV.
Nancy currently coordinates two health information Web sites for preteens (www.pamf.org/preteen) and teens (www.pamf.org/teen) and is completing an evaluation on a Bullying Module for 4th and 5th graders available on the preteen site. She is currently a member of the Materials Review Board for the California Healthy Kids Resource Center, serves on the editorial board of the Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents and Children, and is a member of the American School Health Association, the American Public Health Association, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), the Society for Research on Adolescence, and the Society for Adolescent Medicine.
Nancy is the mother of two daughters, ages 11 and 14. They live with a dog, cat, and hamster and love ballroom dancing, gardening, baking bread, watching birds and riding their bikes.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Teen Health 411
Stacey Butterfield
Stacey Butterfield is an associate editor of ACP Hospitalist and ACP Internist. Prior to working at the American College of Physicians, Stacey was the editor of the Copper Cable, published in Frisco, Co. She previously wrote for the The Nation magazine, the Summit (Co.) Independent, and the Williamsport (Pa.) Sun-Gazette. Stacey is currently pursuing a master's degree in communication, policy and health at the University of Pennsylvania.
Blogs: ACPHospitalist, ACPInternist
Enrico Cantu
Enrico Cantu is a multi-faceted blogger concentrating on both health, information technology, and musical topics. He received his B.S. and additional graduate coursework from the University of Houston in Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences. His research interests involved both molecular dynamics and homology modeling of membrane proteins. He leveraged his computational biochemistry background to leave schooland work as a successful private computer consultant in the DC area.
He moved back to Texas and pursued a career in medicine starting in 2005 which ended in his third year due to unforeseen illness and subsequent administrative issues with the school. The protracted recovery has recently and thankfully concluded but has stalled his return to medical school until 2010. He has used all of the experiences to blog about the duality of being both physician-in-training and now patient, having been on both sides of the examining table.
Enrico is also a classical pianist and has hosted Grand Rounds three times, each providing a unique insight into classical music and merging its universal themes with those of patient care and the human condition.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Mexico Medical Student
Dr. Charles
Dr. Charles is a family physician who writes about medical news, clinical studies, and curious bits of knowledge at his blog *The Examining Room of Dr. Charles*. He maintains a special interest in describing life in medicine through reflective vignettes and poems, and has a reverence for humanism and the often-heroic stories of people’s lives as they cope with suffering and disease.
Dr. Charles is the pen name under which the author prefers to write; his current practice and board certification in family medicine are confirmed by Better Health staff.
Disclosures: none
Personal Blog: The Examining Room of Dr. Charles
Richard Cooper MD
Richard A. Cooper, M.D. is a Professor of Medicine and Senior Fellow in the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical education at Washington University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine, hematology and oncology at the Harvard Medical Unit of the Boston City Hospital and the National Cancer Institute. Following several years on the faculty at Harvard, Cooper moved to Penn, first as Chief of the Hematology-Oncology and subsequently as Director of Penn’s Cancer Center, which he founded. In 1985 he joined the Medical College of Wisconsin as Executive Vice President and Dean and subsequently Director of its Health Policy Institute, which he also founded. In 2005, he returned to Penn as a Professor of Medicine in the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics.
Over the past 15 years, Dr. Cooper has focused his been a national leader on issues related to the supply of physicians and nonphysician clinicians and the dimensions of the health care system. Contrary to the conventional wisdom in the 1990s that the nation was developing a surplus of physicians, Cooper’s “Trend Model” of health care projected physician shortages of the magnitude now being experienced. Similarly, contrary to the conventional wisdom of today that geographic variation in health care is a manifestation of waste and inefficiency, the “Affluence-Poverty Nexus,” which Cooper described earlier this year, has demonstrated that poverty and other social determinants of health are the principle reasons for geographic variation in health care resources and utilization and should be the primary focus of health care reform.
Disclosures: None
Blog: Physicians And Health Care Reform
Mark Crislip M.D.
Mark Crislip MD has been a practicing Infectious Disease specialist in Portland, Oregon since 1990. He is Chief of Infectious Diseases for Legacy Health System.
He is responsible for the Quackcast, a skeptical review of Supplements, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, The Persilflagers Annotated Compendium of Infectious Disease Facts, Dogma and Opinion a guide to Infectious Diseases, the Persifalgers Puscast, a podcast review of Infectious Diseases, and Rubor, Dolor, Calor, Tumor, an infectious disease blog.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
Kent Davidson M.D.
Kent W. Davidson is a Family Physician currently in private practice at Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics in Little Rock Arkansas where he serves as the director of Sports Medicine. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where he completed his Family Practice Residency in 1979. Prior to entering private practice, he was an Associate Professor of Family Practice in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in Little Rock where he served as Predoctoral and Residency Director. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine.
His clinical interests include health maintenance, exercise and fitness and musculoskeletal injuries. He has published and lectured extensively on sports medicine topics. He was the team physician for the Arkansas Riverblades professional hockey team and is currently the team physician for the Arkansas Twisters, an arena football team in Little Rock.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: eDocAmerica Blog
Dr. Steven Daviss, MD, DFAPA
Steven Roy Daviss, MD, DFAPA, is the Chairman of Psychiatry at Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Maryland. He is board-certified in both Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, and is certified by the ASCP in Clinical Psychopharmacology. Dr. Daviss' interests include psychopharmacology, pharmacogenetics, medical informatics, and health care policy. Dr. Daviss is a Past-President of the Maryland Psychiatric Society, is on the Standards Committee for URAC, and is on the P&T Committee for Maryland Medicaid. He also serves as Co-Chair for the Behavioral Health Work Group for CCHIT. He blogs at Shrink Rap with two fantastic co-bloggers, Anne Hanson MD & Dinah Miller MD. They also have a popular podcast on iTunes, My Three Shrinks.
Disclosures: I own some Apple stock.
Personal Blog: shrink rap
Bob Doherty
Mr. Doherty is Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy for the American College of Physicians (ACP), the largest physician specialty society and second largest medical organization in the United States. ACP represents 126,000 internal medicine physicians and medical students. Mr. Doherty has 30 years of health policy experience and is an accomplished presenter at health conferences. He writes a monthly Washington Perspectives column for ACP’s monthly magazine, The ACP Internist, and hosts The ACP Advocate Blog with Bob Doherty, http://blogs.acponline.org/advocacy.
Mr. Doherty is a co-author of the ACP position paper, Achieving a High Performance Health Care System with Universal Access: What the United States Can Learn from Other Countries, published on 1 January 2008 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP’s flagship peer-reviewed journal.
Mr. Doherty represents ACP on the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, a coalition of consumers, physicians, employers, health plans and other stakeholders created to advocate for reforms to support patient-centered primary care. He serves on the Board of Trustees of URAC, a leading health care accreditation organization, and is past-chair of the Policy Steering Committee for the e-Health Initiative (eHI).
Blogs: ACPHospitalist, ACPInternist
Ryan DuBosar
Ryan DuBosar is Senior Editor at the American College of Physicians, where he works on ACP Internist and ACP Hospitalist and specializes in social media and digital publishing efforts for the American College of Physicians. Prior to working in internal medicine, Ryan worked with the topic of ophthalmology, endocrinology and behavioral health, and has 20 years of experience at newspapers, member organizations, dot-coms and hospitals.
Blogs: ACPHospitalist, ACPInternist
Jerome Ecker M.D.
Dr. Ecker is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and is licensed to practice in North Carolina and Texas. Dr. Ecker completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His ties with Texas include an MD from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin.
He is a current member of the American Medical Association, American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, and a Fellow of the American College of Legal Medicine. Dr. Ecker serves as a consultant to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners in the area of Quality Assurance and Discipline.
A native of San Diego, California, Dr. Ecker spent his college-time summer vacations playing with the Santa Maria Indians Baseball Club in Santa Maria, California. He has been published in the legal arena with articles entitled 'Keys to Effective Litigation' and 'Medicaid at the Crossroads,' and in the medical arena with articles on management of lower GI bleeding and GI complications after lung transplantation. Medical interests include recent advancements in cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and neurologic conditions.
Dr. Ecker is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of North Carolina Hospitals.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: eDocAmerica Blog
Evan Falchuk J.D.
Evan Falchuk is the president and COO of Best Doctors, Inc. where he leads the internal and public strategy. Falchuk joined Best Doctors in 1999 and has held various positions at Best Doctors including general counsel. From 1994 to 1999, Evan was an attorney with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson in Washington, D.C. in the firm's SEC enforcement practice. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University with a degree in History and earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Evan has been quoted and appeared in many media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, Investor's Business Daily, and on Fox's Cavuto, as well as numerous regional and business publications and blogs.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: See First Blog
Stanley Feld MD
Stanley Feld, M.D. is a founding partner of Endocrine Associates of Dallas, P.A. and was clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern medical school. Dr. Feld is the past president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and past president of the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) as well.
Dr. Feld has authored the diabetes guidelines and the thyroid guidelines for AACE and has written over 40 papers.
In addition Dr. Feld served as chairman of the first six thyroid awareness months for the AACE as well as the chairman of two patient first campaigns which increased awareness for intensive treatment of diabetes and the high HGH human growth hormone campaign.
Dr. Feld has been active in several professional organizations. He has served on numerous governing boards and committees since the AACE's inception in 1990. His was also past president of the North Texas affiliate ofthe American Diabetes Association, a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a master of the American College of Endocrinology. He has served on the Texas Osteoporosis Board and the Texas Institute for Health Policy Research.
From his political experience at AACE and his involvement in healthcare policy matters, Dr. Feld has developed an expertise in healthcare policy from the perspective of a practicing physician. In 2006 he began a biweekly blog called *Repairing the Healthcare System*. The blog develops the history of the problems in the health care system as well as solutions from a patient and physician view.
Dr. Feld is a *cum laude* graduate from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, he completed a clinical and research endocrinology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Feld is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology and metabolism.
Disclosures: None
M. Brian Fennerty M.D.
M. Brian Fennerty, MD, is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Fennerty received his undergraduate degree at the State University of New York at Albany and his MD from Creighton University in Nebraska. He performed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, followed by a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.
Dr. Fennerty has published more than 300 papers, book chapters, and abstracts. He is currently the Editor of Journal Watch Gastroenterology, Journal of Medicine and Reviews in Gastroenterological Disorders and the past Associate Editor of American Journal of Gastroenterology and Clinical Perspectives in Gastroenterology. He has also served on the editorial board of a number of professional publications, including Archives of Internal Medicine, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Evidence-Based Gastroenterology.
Dr. Fennerty is a past member and current consultant of the FDA Advisory Panel on Gastrointestinal and Urological Devices as well as the past chair of the Imaging and Advanced Technology section of the AGA and the Research Committee of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and currently is the Secretary and incoming President-Elect of the ASGE as well as a member of the Gastroenterology Committee for the ABIM.
Disclosures: Dr. Fennerty serves as a consultant for: Santarus Inc., and Eisai Inc. He is a stock shareholder in Santarus Inc.
Personal Blog: Gut Check
Barbara Ficarra
Barbara Ficarra is an award-winning journalist, media broadcaster, health expert, media trainer and speaker. She is creator, executive producer and host of Health in 30® Radio Show, a program that empowers listeners to take charge of their health.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Health in 30
Westby Fisher, M.D.
Westby G. Fisher, MD, FACC, is a board-certified internist, cardiologist, and cardiac electrophysiologist practicing at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston, IL, and is an associate professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He entered the blog-o-sphere in November 2005.
Disclosures: Speaker's Bureau for Medtronic and Boston Scientific.
Personal Blog: Dr. Wes
Rich Fogoros M.D.
Richard N. Fogoros, M.D. (DrRich) is a former professor of medicine, and a longtime practitioner, researcher and author in the fields of cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology. He currently makes his living as a consultant in research and development with biomedical companies, and as a writer.
DrRich practiced and taught clinical cardiology for 20 years, directing cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Pittsburgh, and then at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. He was listed in Best Doctors in America from its inception until he retired from practice. He has authored numerous scientific articles, book chapters, and books.
In addition to guiding the About.com Heart Disease and Cardiology site, DrRich writes The Grand Unification Theory of Healthcare, a website on the American Healthcare system, and The Covert Rationing Blog.
His award-winning book, Fixing American Healthcare - Wonkonians, Gekkonians and the Grand Unification Theory of Healthcare (Publish or Perish DBS, Pittsburgh, 2007) makes the complex American healthcare system completely understandable, and then proposes a uniquely American solution to our growing healthcare crisis.
DrRich received his bachelor's degree from Duke University (1971), and his doctorate in medicine from Ohio State University (1975). He did postgraduate medical training at the University of Pittsburgh and Stanford University, and has received board certification in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Electrophysiology.
Disclosures: Dr. Fogoros is a consultant for About.com
Personal Blog: The Covert Rationing Blog
Jonathan Foulds M.A., M.App.Sci., Ph.D.
Dr. Foulds obtained a first class honors degree in psychology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland before training as a Clinical Psychologist at the University of Glasgow. At that time his main research interests were on the psychophysiology and treatment of blood-injury phobia and fainting.
In 1989 he moved to the world-renowned tobacco research group at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and focused his research and clinical work on tobacco addiction. While there he published the first placebo-controlled trials of transdermal nicotine patches in the UK, and also studied the psychological effects of nicotine in smokers and non-smokers.
In 1994 he moved to St George's Hospital Medical School in London where he became the UK's first "Lecturer in Tobacco Addiction". While at St George's, Dr. Foulds was an investigator in the world's first randomized trial to directly compare nicotine patch, gum, inhaler and nasal spray, and also a large randomized trial of brief smoking cessation advice in pregnant women. He was also on the Management Group of the Hungarian Anti-Smoking Campaign (1995-6).
In 1997 he moved to the University of Surrey where he helped run a doctoral training course for Clinical Psychologists and was also a Principal Clinical Psychologist at Broadmoor Hospital, a large maximum security psychiatric hospital for mentally disordered offenders. However, he maintained a strong research interest in tobacco addiction, became technical leader of a World Health Organization project to improve the regulation of tobacco dependence treatment in Europe, and also became Director of Research for the charity, Quit, which ran the largest telephone helpline for smokers in the world at that time.
Dr. Foulds came to the School of Public Health at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in the United States in 2000 to be the Director of the Tobacco Dependence Program. The program is funded by New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to train health professionals in New Jersey to treat tobacco dependence, and also runs its own Tobacco Dependence Clinic. In 2004 Dr. Foulds was elected to be Vice President of the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco use and Dependence. Dr. Foulds has therefore been conducting research on tobacco for over 16 years. While most of it has focused on treatment for addicted smokers, his work has also addressed such topics as the measurement of passive smoke exposure, the uptake of smoking in young people, the effects of nicotine on mental performance and the health effects of tobacco products. He has published over 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Freedom from Smoking
Nicholas Genes M.D., Ph.D.
Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD, is a resident in the Emergency Medicine program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He received a bachelor's degree in science from Brown University, where he first developed his interests in medicine, research, and writing. After college, he enrolled in the MD/PhD program at the University of Massachusetts, pursuing a medical degree while studying chondrocyte mechanotransduction in Dr. Charles Vacanti's laboratory for tissue engineering.
In the course of writing a freelance article, he discovered the world of medical Weblogs, and he has been active in this nascent community ever since. In 2004, he founded "Grand Rounds," a weekly compilation of the best medical blogs, hosted by a different blogger each week. He writes about that project in a weekly column, "Pre-Rounds," for the Medscape Med Students site. He also writes regularly on his own blog, blogborygmi.com, and is a partner in medgadget.com, a blog about emerging medical technologies.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Blogborygmi
Tara Gidus R.D.
Tara Gidus is a nationally recognized expert on nutrition, fitness, and health promotion. As a National Media Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Tara is quoted in a variety of media including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and websites. She currently appears biweekly as the "Diet Diva" on the national morning television show, The Daily Buzz. Tara is currently the nutrition consultant to the players of the Orlando Magic NBA team.
Tara owns Tara Gidus Nutrition Consulting in Orlando, FL. A dynamic speaker, she motivates groups large and small on various topics such as achieving a healthy weight, preventing disease, maximizing energy, aging well, enhancing sports performance, and creating a positive body image. As a consultant, she has worked with numerous companies including Walt Disney World, Human Performance Institute, Canyon Ranch Spa, Rosen Hotels, Welnia, United Behavioral Healthcare, Absolute Healthcare, and others. Tara is also the nutrition advisor to Golf Fitness Magazine. Tara has previous experience improving the diets of senior executives through her work with the Rippe Health Assessment at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. She has also overseen numerous weight loss research projects.
Tara graduated from Purdue University earning a Bachelor's Degree with a double major of Dietetics and Nutrition, Fitness, and Health. She continued on at Purdue, earning a Master of Science Degree (MS) in Health Promotion, specializing in health behavior and worksite wellness programs. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD) with the Commission on Dietetic Registration and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist (LD/N) in the state of Florida. Tara is one of very few dietitians in the country who holds a Board Certification as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD).
Volunteering is something important to Tara as evidenced by her continued commitment to the Restoration Ministries for Women. For the past five years, Tara has been giving a lecture biweekly to a group of women who are on a six month rehabilitation program after their release from prison. She teaches them how to eat right and exercise in order to feel their best to beat their addictions and get their lives on the right track. Tara served as the Co-Chair of the Silent Auction for the American Cancer Society's Orlando Chapter in 2006. She is a Past President of the Dietetic Association in Orlando and served as the Awards Chair for the Florida Dietetic Association. She has received numerous awards including the esteemed Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year from the Florida Dietetic Association.
Tara appears frequently as a medical expert on various television stations and shows including ivillage Live, Orlando NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox stations, Central Florida News 13, CW Network, Ivanhoe Broadcast News, and The Golf Channel. She has been quoted in various print publications including the Associated Press, New York Times, and the Orlando Sentinel, as well as various magazines including Women's World, Self, Fitness, Women's Health, Her Sports, Men's Health, People, Vegetarian Times, Runner's World, Club Business International, Cooking Light, Family Circle, Prevention, and more. She has been quoted on various websites including WebMD.com, eDiets.com, AOL.com, and more. Tara is an avid runner and has completed seven marathons including the prestigious Boston Marathon. Tara is married to husband Stephen and resides in Orlando, FL. She is expecting her first child in June, 2007.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: The Diet Dish
Debra Gordon, MS
Debra Gordon, MS is an award-winning medical writer with more than 20 years of experience writing about clinical and health policy issues. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in English, and recently received her MS in biomedical writing from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Debra started her career in journalism, covering medicine for the Virginian Pilot (Norfolk, VA) and Orange County Register (southern California). During that time, she was awarded the prestigious Kaiser Family Foundation Media Fellowship, enabling her to spend a year traveling the country learning about a variety of health policy issues.
Debra has also worked in the managed care industry and as a senior writer/editor for Rodale Inc., a major healthcare publisher based in Emmaus, Pa.
In 2000, Debra became an independent medical communicator. Since then, she has written for numerous companies and outlets on a wide variety of health and medical issues for consumers and professionals. She has also authored, co-authored or contributed to dozens of consumer health books.
She can’t decide if she is more passionate about the clinical side of medicine or the policy side, so she tries to write about both!
Disclosures: Ms. Gordon's husband is employed by Merck.
Personal blog: Debra Gordon on Medical Writing
David H. Gorski M.D., Ph.D.
David H. Gorski, MD, PhD, FACS is a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute specializing in breast cancer surgery, where he also serves as the American College of Surgeons Committee on Cancer Liaison Physician as well as an Associate Professor of Surgery and member of the faculty of the Graduate Program in Cancer Biology at Wayne State University. An NIH-funded investigator whose primary research interests include tumor angiogenesis and the role of glutamate receptors in promoting the growth and metastasis of breast cancer, Dr. Gorski also runs an active research laboratory at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, where he was recently appointed Program Leader for the Breast Cancer Biology Program.
He first became interested in pseudoscience and "alternative" medicine several years ago, when quite by accident he wandered into the Usenet newsgroup misc.health.alternative and began critically examining the claims there. He has accumulated considerable blogging experience over the last nearly four years under a pseudonym, producing what is consistently ranked as one of the top ten medical blogs, and is happy to drop his pseudonym in order to join such an accomplished group of skeptical doctors to discuss science- and evidence-based medicine (SEBM) for a broad audience. (Finding Dr. Gorski's other, far more infamous blog persona is left as an exercise for the interested reader.) Sadly, although he shares the same last name, Dr. Gorski is not related to Dr. Timothy Gorski, an OB/GYN who is well-known as a skeptic and critic of dubious medical practices.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
Harriet Hall M.D.
Harriet Hall, MD also known as The SkepDoc, is a retired family physician who writes about pseudoscience and questionable medical practices. She received her BA and MD from the University of Washington, did her internship in the Air Force (the second female ever to do so), and was the first female graduate of the Air Force family practice residency at Eglin Air Force Base. During a long career as an Air Force physician, she held various positions from flight surgeon to DBMS (Director of Base Medical Services) and did everything from delivering babies to taking the controls of a B-52. She retired with the rank of Colonel. She recently published Women Aren't Supposed to Fly: The Memoirs of a Female Flight Surgeon.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
David Harlow
David Harlow's experience in both the public and private sectors over the past twenty years affords him a unique perspective on legal, policy and business issues facing the health care community. Health care providers, vendors and payors of all shapes and sizes rely on him to help them navigate the maze of regulatory and business issues they face on a daily basis.
David is adept at assisting clients in structuring their business organizations, relationships and processes, as well as approaches to individual transactions, administrative proceedings, negotiations with
regulatory agencies, and legislative strategies, so as to maximize the realization of organizational goals in a highly regulated environment. Over the years, David's clients have included a broad range of health care
providers and organizations: individual practitioners, physician group practices, diagnostic imaging facilities, cancer treatment centers, ambulance services, nursing facilities, other acute and nonacute inpatient
and outpatient facilities, vendors, suppliers and managed care organizations.
David emphasizes the practice of preventive law, anticipating potential flashpoints early in the course of a project, and working to avoid litigation or regulatory enforcement actions whenever possible.
In his consulting practice, David works mostly with physician organizations, hospitals and academic medical centers on internal strategies to optimize physician-hospital relationships. He has also obtained approvals from CMS for a variety of gainsharing and global billing demonstration projects, and advises clients on the use of social media.
His blog, HealthBlawg, is highly regarded in both the legal and health policy blogging worlds.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: HealthBlawg
Fritz Hofheinz M.D.
Dr. Fritz Hofheinz is vice president and medical director of Best Doctors, where he spearheads Best Doctors' provider relations efforts and continue to build a high-quality physician database. Prior to Best Doctors, Dr. Hofheinz was vice president at UpToDate, an information resource for physicians that was recently acquired by Wolters Kluwer. He led UpToDate's institutional relations team. Prior to UpToDate, Dr. Hofheinz practiced internal medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency training at Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston and is a graduate of the Brown University School of Medicine. In addition to his M.D. degree, Dr. Hofheinz holds an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business, and a B.A. from Duke University. He has been published in the Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: See First Blog
Happy Hospitalist
I am The Hospitalist medicine. I am a board certified internist who only works in the hospital. No clinic, otherwise my name wouldn't mean anything. It would just be The Internist. And that sounds like a really boring television series. So instead, you can call me The Happy Hospitalist. You can rip on me anytime you like. At some point or another, I'll probably be doing the same to you. Since my blog takes up a bunch of my time, I risk my lovely wife cutting my internet connection with the garden clippers. If one day I stop posting, don't worry, I've been banned in favor of quality time and snuggle sessions. So I guess I win either way.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: The Happy Hospitalist
Jennifer Kearney-Strouse
Jennifer Kearney-Strouse is the editor of ACP Internist and executive editor of ACP Hospitalist. She has worked in medical publishing for over a decade, most
recently overseeing ACP Hospitalist's transformation from a career guide to a monthly newsmagazine. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Temple University.
Disclosures: None
Blog:ACPHospitalist, ACPInternist
Timothy Kreider
Timothy Kreider is an MD/PhD student at a public university in the northeast US. He never paid much mind to pseudoscience until discovering The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe and other podcasts that now keep him company during long nights in lab. He practices his skeptical analysis on extracurricular lectures organized by a student interest group for integrative medicine on campus.
As a graduate student, Tim is investigating immune mechanisms in a mouse model of gastrointestinal helminth infection. As a medical student, he has no idea what specialty to pursue and would love advice. He loves to teach math and science and hopes to pursue a career in medical academia.
Disclosures: None
Blog: Science-Based Medicine.
David Kroll Ph.D.
David J Kroll, PhD, is a biomedical educator and natural products cancer pharmacologist focusing on the discovery of novel compounds from diverse natural sources, including botanical dietary supplements. He is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in their Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE). Dr. Kroll is also guest faculty and graduate advisory board member for the MS program in Science and Medical Journalism at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Kroll holds a BS in Toxicology and a PhD in Pharmacology & Therapeutics. He originally launched his NIH- and American Cancer Society-supported independent academic research program studying the mechanisms of chemotherapeutic drug resistance. As more than half of anticancer drugs are derived from plants, microbes, or marine organisms, Dr. Kroll has always held high regard for nature as a source of chemical diversity in the discovery of drugs for a variety of therapeutic areas and worked at one point with the co-discoverers of Taxol (paclitaxel). In 1995, his historical curiosity and role as a pharmacology professor for pharmacy, medical, and nursing students led him to develop educational modules on the truth and fiction behind herbal remedies and non-botanical supplements. Demand for this objective information extended to the public and Dr. Kroll became a widely sought expert source on supplement quality and misinformation for the print and broadcast media.
Dr. Kroll has grown increasingly dismayed at the bastardization of his research field by an industry that often distorts and misappropriates the peer-reviewed natural products research literature in product marketing. His professional relationships with academic centers for integrative medicine have left him largely discouraged that such lofty institutions also promote questionable approaches in the name of medicine, yet he is encouraged by a handful of investigators in a few centers that truly subscribe to science-based medicine in the rigorous evaluation of therapeutic natural products.
Dr. Kroll is currently funded by the NIH National Cancer Institute to identify and characterize anticancer and chemopreventive pure compounds from milk thistle (Silybum marianum). He also serves on the NCI's Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Physician's Data Query Editorial Board.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
Jon LaPook M.D.
Dr. LaPook is the medical correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and a guest blogger for the Huffington Post. He is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and gastroenterology and an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He graduated cum laude from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in biology and with honors from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons with an M.D. He has done extensive work in the field of medical computing. Dr. LaPook lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.
Disclosures: None
Rob Lamberts M.D.
Dr. Rob is a primary care physician in the Southeastern U.S. He likes to talk about himself in the third-person. He has not been to North Dakota. A married father of four, Dr. Rob is a gadget guy and loves playing the guitar. His passions include healthcare reform and computerizing the medical office, and blogging. "I firmly believe that life is always full of happy things and hard things. The key is to grab both of them at the same time and understand that both of them are important parts of life. I work as a physician and so face some very hard situations regularly."
Disclosures: Dr. Lamberts is a consultant at MedPage Today
Personal Blog: Musings Of A Distractible Mind
Edwin Leap MD
Edwin Leap, MD, is a board certified emergency physician, practicing in a medium-sized emergency department in the South. He graduated from Marshall University and the West Virginia University School of Medicine. He completed his emergency medicine residency at Methodist Hospital of Indiana in 1993.
He has been married to his wife, Jan, for 16 years; they have four children whom they home-school. Edwin writes twice-monthly columns for the Greenville News. He is also the award-winning author of a monthly column in Emergency Medicine News. His columns have been featured by Medical Economics, Focus on the Family Magazine, WorldNet Daily and other publications. Relatively new to blogging, he has developed a solid, growing audience. Edwin has also spent years a sub-contracting consultant for the DoD, lecturing on the medical consequences of weapons of mass destruction.
However, his current writing focus is not so much on the science of medicine, but the culture of medicine. He is interested in being seen as a ‘physician advocate,’ but is equally interested in teaching the importance of compassion for all patients. He also writes about the intersection of religious faith and medical practice. A non-academic physician, Edwin considers himself a voice for practicing physicians who find themselves frequently at odds with burdensome rules and unrealistic regulations.
Edwin also uses humor in much of what he writes as he tries to illustrate the pre-eminence of the American South, the importance of marriage and family, and the intellectual inconsistencies that plague much of modern life.
Disclosures: Dr. Leap is a speaker for TriMed Inc.
Personal Blog: edwinleap.com
Hsien-Hsien Lei Ph.D.
Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei is a genetic epidemiologist and science writer. She received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where she was the recipient of a National Institutes of Health Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology Training Grant. Dr. Lei completed her postdoctoral training at National Taiwan University Hospital. She received her BA with honors from Stanford University in human biology, specializing in methods of disease prevention.
Previously, Dr. Lei conducted research on the genetic epidemiology of kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. She has published in leading peer reviewed journals, presented at international conferences, and helped lead multi-center population-based studies. Her writing has been recognized by the American Society of Nephrology, Forbes.com, Duke GenomeLIFE Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times, among others.
Dr. Lei publishes EyeOnDNA.com, a leading genetics weblog tracking the genome revolution and the role of DNA in society. She is particularly interested in making genetics comprehensible to scientists and non-scientists alike. Dr. Lei is also co-founder of The DNA Network, a collection of weblogs about genetics, genomics, and DNA. At DNA Direct, Dr. Lei helps bring genetic technology out of the lab and into our everyday lives.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Eye On DNA
Peter Lipson M.D.
Peter A. Lipson, MD is a practicing internist and teaching physician in Southeast Michigan. After graduating from Rush Medical College in Chicago, he completed his Internal Medicine residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. During his intern year, he led a medical mission to hurricane-ravaged Honduras and managed to have it count toward elective time rather than vacation.
After finishing his residency, he moved back to the Detroit area taking a position as an academic hospitalist. When he found he did not enjoy sharing a call room with various arthropods, especially some known as "sewer flies", he went into private practice at a large community-based teaching hospital.
He currently maintains a private practice, and serves as a teaching physician at the same large community hospital.
Because he isn't busy enough, he is an avid reader. He is also quite used to patients, friends, and family members quizzing him about dubious medical practices. The marvel known as "the internet" has made these practices widely available to credulous consumers, which makes Dr. Lipson's job harder. As his knowledge of non-science-based medical practices grew, he found that simply educating his own patients, students, and residents wasn't enough, so he began to blog, first at White Coat Underground, then at denialism blog, and now at the reborn White Coat Underground at ScienceBlogs.
A primary goal of his writing is to illuminate the differences between science-based medicine and everything else. His perspective as a primary care physician and his daily interaction with real patients gives him what he hopes is special insight into the current "De-lightenment" in medicine. As new media evolve, pseudo-scientific, deceptive, and immoral health practices become more and more available to patients, making his job all that much more difficult—and all that much more interesting.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
Davis Liu MD
Davis Liu, M.D., is a practicing board-certified family physician with the Permanente Medical Group in Northern California since 2000, and the author of Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely - Making Intelligent Choices in America's Healthcare System.
His comments have appeared in Fortune, Smart Money, Remedy, Real and Simple, and the NY Times. He has penned opinion pieces that have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee.
As the only physician in his family, many times his family has benefited from his medical knowledge. As an insider, he increased the chances that they would have good outcomes. This coupled with his business school training gives him a unique perspective not only on the challenges individuals have to stay healthy but also the financial implications to get there.
Until the healthcare system is reformed, individuals must take charge and educated themselves to make the right choices to stay healthy, live longer,and spend wisely. Otherwise, they give up this responsibility to others which may result in bad outcomes resulting in poorer health, less time and money. He is passionate that everyone has access to the knowledge he has acquired to get the best care for their family and friends.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis
Kim McAllister
Kim McAllister is a registered nurse and the author of Emergiblog, vignettes about her life and times as an emergency department nurse.
Kim was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, a graduate of the Ohlone College School of Nursing, where she earned her associate's degree in 1978. With thirty years of nursing experience, she has worked in medical/surgical, coronary care, intensive care, telemetry, psychiatry and pediatrics; she has worked as a staff nurse in emergency departments for the last 17 years. Two years ago, Kim decided to further her nursing education and is currently a student in the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay BSN-LINC program and is on course to graduate in 2010 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her goal is a PhD in nursing with a focus on nursing education and research.
Three years ago, Kim decided to put her love of writing to use and "Emergiblog" was born. Since then, she has consistently blogged about nursing and nurse-related issues from her unique perspective. She is the administrator of the blog carnival, "Change of Shift", a bi-weekly compilation of the best of the nursing blogosphere. She is a frequent contributor to "Grand Rounds", the weekly medical blogosphere carnival.
Emergiblog has been named by Dr. Manny Alvarez at FoxNews.com as one of the top ten medical blogs and has been mentioned in the L.A. Times.com in a list of influential blogs. Kim's work has been published in "Advance for Nurses" a regional nursing magazine where she serves on the Regional Editorial Advisory Board. Kim has given speeches about her passion for blogging and its place in today's health environment to companies looking to find a place in the blogosphere.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Emergiblog
Bertalan Mesko
Bertalan Meskó is the managing director and founder of Webicina.com LLC, a web 2.0 guidance service for patients and medical professionals. He is currently a graduating medical student and will start PhD training in the field of personalized genetics in 2009.
He is the author of the medical blog, Scienceroll.com which won the Blogger's Choice Award in Best Health Blog category in 2007; the Best Medical Technologies/Informatics Category in Medgadget's Weblog Awards in 2008 and also the Edublog Awards.
Meskó has given presentations at several conferences and prestigious events such as the University of Yale; the centre of World Health Organization, the Medicine 2.0 Congress in Toronto or the Zorg 2.0 event in Nijmegen, The Netherlands among others. He is a member of the organizing committee of the Medicine Meets Virtual Reality conference taking place in Long Beach, CA. He has been mentioned in journals such as Nature Medicine, British Medical Journal, Wired Science or The Cell.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: ScienceRoll
Kerri Morrone Sparling
Kerri Morrone Sparling is the author and creator of Six Until Me, one of the first and most widely-read diabetes patient blogs. Voted “Best Patient Blog” in 2008, SUM has been a reliable source of diabetes lifestyle information in the blogosphere. Six Until Me already has a strong and loyal readership comprised of people with diabetes, the caregivers of diabetics, medical professionals, and those living with chronic illness, and has been spotlighted on WebMD, The Lancet, AOL, US News and World Report, and CNBC. She has contributed to many diabetes-related websites and publications, and is a passionate advocate for diabetes awareness.
With a BA in English from the University of Rhode Island and over two decades of experience living with type 1 diabetes, Kerri earned a position as Editor and Community Leader for the diabetes-media company, dLife. In addition, her work has appeared in her dLife column, Generation D, her diaTribe column "SUM Musings," and she has guest-blogged on several well-known medical and social networking sites. An expert in social media and its influence on patients, Kerri has spoken at new media conferences and has been a repeat featured guest on dLifeTV.
Recently married and looking forward to starting a family, Kerri and her husband Chris reside in Connecticut.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Six Until Me
Dave Munger
Dave Munger is a writer living in Davidson, North Carolina. He is a columnist for SEEDMAGAZINE.COM and the editor of ResearchBlogging.org. His latest project, The Daily Monthly, covers a single topic per month—often health related.
For five years, Dave and his wife Greta maintained the psychology blog Cognitive Daily, which was chosen three times to appear in the Open Laboratory, an annual anthology of the top science blog posts on the web. It has appeared on numerous top ten lists including ranking seventh on Nature’s 50 popular science blogs list.
Dave is the author of several college writing textbooks, including Researching Online and The Pocket Reader. He has also been a textbook designer and editor.
Disclosures: None
Blog: The Daily Monthly
Steve Novella M.D.
Founder and currently Executive Editor of Science-Based Medicine Steven Novella, MD is an academic clinical neurologist at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is also the president and co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society, the host and producer of the popular weekly science podcast, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, and the author of the NeuroLogicaBlog, a daily blog that covers news and issues in neuroscience, but also general science, scientific skepticism, philosophy of science, critical thinking, and the intersection of science with the media and society. Dr. Novella also contributes every Sunday to The Rogues Gallery, the official blog of the SGU.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
Gene Ostrovsky
Gene Ostrovsky is a co-founder and senior editor of Medgadget.com, an online medical technology journal. For over four years at Medgadget, Gene and his brother Dr. Michael Ostrovsky, have consistently covered the latest advancements in the science of medicine, focusing on devices, nanotechnology, and medical informatics. Gene has been central to all aspects of Medgadget from editorial research to organizing the annual Medical Blog Awards. Over the years Medgadget has become one of the most popular medical blogs, with a dedicated audience hungry to read about advancements in the most vibrant field of research.
Gene Ostrovsky received his bachelor's in Computer Science from The University of Chicago, and later did master's work in computer visualization at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Gene's interests include physics, music, public policy, and photography.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Medgadget
Kevin Pho M.D.
Kevin Pho, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician based in Nashua, NH. In his blog, Kevin, M.D., you will find opinion and commentary on current medical issues by a practicing primary care physician. "People not involved in healthcare have no idea what goes on ‘behind the curtain.' The death of primary care, defensive medicine, malpractice, reimbursement, Big Pharma, and healthcare reform are a small sample of issues that doctors face daily." Kevin, M.D. has been featured or mentioned in The Wall Street Journal, British Medical Journal, The Detroit Free Press, and American Medical News. Dr. Pho also was interviewed recently in a segment on defensive medicine on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
Disclosures: Dr. Pho is a consultant at MedPage Today
Personal Blog: Kevin, M.D.
Peggy Polaneczky MD
Margaret (Peggy) Polaneczky, MD (FACOG) is a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist and Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Weill Medical College – New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She practices office gynecology, with particular interest in family planning, menopause, adolescent gynecology, menstrual and vulvo-vaginal disorders and the gynecologic care of women with breast cancer. Her research has focused on contraceptive acceptance and compliance, sexually transmitted disease screening and premenstrual disorders. She has written numerous book chapters and review articles on contraception, and chairs the Medical Advisory Committee of Planned Parenthood of New York City.
Dr Polaneczky writes the “The Blog that Ate Manhattan”, a blog that combines her love of food, medicine and New York City and has been named as one of the top 100 medical blogs and a “must-read” blog for women. Her proudest blog moment to date is a toss-up between being featured in the ACOG newsletter and having the New York Times link to her recipe for potato latkes.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: The Blog That Ate Manhattan
Terri Polick R.N.
Terri Polick, R.N. is a psychiatric nurse and freelance writer living in Maryland. She is also the Executive Vice President of the National Nursing Network Organization. The NNNO is a grassroots organization that is dedicated to the establishment of the Office of the National Nurse. Terri is a frequent contributor to Nursing Spectrum Magazine, and her articles have also appeared in Advance For Nurses, Medscape, The Maryland Nurse, and Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Readers also know Terri as Mother Jones, R.N., the author of Nurse Ratched's Place. Terri's stories give readers an insider view of the mental health system. Terri is also the author of a weekly nursing advice column at Nursing Jobs.org.
Terri graduated from Lake View Medical Center School of Nursing in Danville, Illinois in 1978 and has worked in many specialties throughout her extensive nursing career. Terri has always helped the people of her community through public service. She has volunteered her time to help the homeless at St. Jude Catholic Worker House in Champaign, Illinois, and she currently serves her community by giving testimony before the Maryland State Assembly about nursing and health care issues.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Nurse Ratched's Place
Allen Roberts
Allen Roberts (MD, MS, FACEP, FAAEM) was born and raised in Odessa, Texas. Graduating from University of Texas at the Permian Basin with a BS and MS in Life Sciences (86, 89), he then attended Texas Tech School of Medicine in Lubbock (93) via a US Navy Health Professions Scholarship. After completing a Basic Surgery Internship at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Allen spent four years as a Medical Officer with the USMC Infantry. On leaving the Navy he trained in Emergency Medicine at the University Of California -San Francisco - Fresno EM Program in Fresno, CA, completing as one of two Chief Residents in 2001. Allen now practices at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.
Blogging is his major creative outlet: the author of GruntDoc.com beginning in May of 2002 which has been in continuous operation since, making it one of the first and longest-lived medical blogs. (Why GruntDoc? Marine Infantry are somewhat affectionately referred to as 'grunts', thus his blogging pseudonym, GruntDoc).
Memberships: Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, Texas Medical Association, Tarrant County Medical Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Academy of Emergency Physicians, NRA (Life).
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: GruntDoc
Gina Rybolt
Gina Rybolt is a Registered Nurse in California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 1997. Although she has practiced some medical/surgical and inpatient dialysis nursing, the majority of her career has been in critical care.
Gina is the author of Codeblog: Tales of a Nurse, a weblog started in 2002 specifically geared toward nursing and health care experiences. Along with her experiences at work, she also posts stories submitted by other nurses, doctors, patients, and paramedics. Codeblog has been mentioned in Newsweek, Nurseweek, The Wall Street Journal, Proto Magazine, and was included in the Forbes Best of the Web medical blogs list.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Code Blog
Vijay Sadasivam, MBBS, DMRD, DipNB
Dr. Vijay Sadasivam, MBBS, DMRD, DipNB is a diagnostic radiologist practising in a privately owned community hospital at Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. His areas of interest and expertise include cardiac and whole body computed tomography; obstetric and vascular ultrasonography. He has been blogging on radiology, medicine and other stuff that catch his fancy since 2006. He is a zealous fan of Apple and twitter.
Disclosures: None
Website: www.catscanman.net/blog/
Wallace Sampson M.D.
Wallace Sampson, MD (Wally to his friends) is a graduate of UC Berkeley, with an MD from the University of California, San Francisco. A recovering (retired, not retiring) hematologist-oncologist, he became interested in medical pseudoscience in 1972 with the Laetrile phenomenon. His former biochemistry professors introduced him into scientific analysis of false claims, and all went uphill from there. At the request of a Stanford faculty committee in 1979 he formed the first medical school course in "holistic medicine," now a course in analysis of false claims accenting "alternative medicine." He left private practice in 1991 to head the Division of Oncology at Santa Clara Valley Med. Center, San Jose, retired in 1997, formed The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine with Paul Kurtz and CSICOP (now CFI). He also served as Chairman of the Cancer Advisory Council of the State of California. He and wife Rita, a retired RN-turned computer specialist, have 5 sons and 9 grandchildren, reside in Los Altos and Aptos, Calif.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science Based Medicine
Joseph Scherger M.D., M.P.H.
Joseph E. Scherger, M.D., M.P.H., is Vice President for Primary Care at Eisenhower Medicine Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Dr. Scherger is Clinical Professor of Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine (UCSD). He is also Medical Director for Quality and Informatics at Lumetra. Dr. Scherger’s main focus is on the redesign of office practice using the tools of information technology and quality improvement.
Originally from Delphos, Ohio, Dr. Scherger graduated from the University of Dayton in 1971, summa cum laude. He graduated from the UCLA School of Medicine in 1975, and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed a Family Medicine Residency at the University of Washington and received a Masters of Public Health from the University of Washington in 1978. From 1978-80, he served in the National Health Service Corps in Dixon, California, as a migrant health physician, before starting his private practice in Dixon. From 1981-92, Dr. Scherger divided his time between private practice and teaching medical students and residents at UC Davis. From 1988-91, he was a Fellow in the Kellogg National Fellowship Program, focusing on health care reform and quality of life. From 1992-1996, he was Vice President for Family Practice and Primary Care Education at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego. From 1996-2001, he was the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and the Associate Dean for Primary Care at the University of California Irvine, College of Medicine. From 2001-2003, Dr. Scherger served as founding dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine.
Dr. Scherger has received numerous awards, including being recognized as a “Top Doc” in San Diego for 5 consecutive years, 2004-2008. He was voted Outstanding Clinical Instructor at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine in 1984, 1989 and 1990. In 1989, he was Family Physician of the Year by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the California Academy of Family Physicians. In 1986, he was President of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. In 1992, Dr. Scherger was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1994, he received the Thomas W. Johnson Award for Family Practice Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians. In 2000, he was nominated by the UC Irvine medical students for the AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award. He served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America from 1998-2001. Dr. Scherger served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Board of Family Medicine.
Dr. Scherger serves on the editorial board of Medical Economics. He is the Men’s Health expert and a consultant for Revolution Health, and he covers California for eDocAmerica. He was Editor-in-Chief of Hippocrates, published by the Massachusetts Medical Society, from 1999-2001. He was the first Medical Editor of Family Practice Management. He has authored more than 300 medical publications and has given over 800 invited presentations.
Dr. Scherger enjoys an active family life with his wife, Carol, and two sons, Adrian and Gabriel. He has completed 24 marathons.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: eDocAmerica Blog
Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe MD, FAAP
Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D., F.A.A.P., pediatrician, health journalist, parenting and social media expert, is CEO of Pediatrics Now, an online health and communications company dedicated to providing reliable information to today's busy families. The cornerstones of Pediatrics Now are the popular parenting website Pediatrics Now (www.pediatricsnow.com) and nationally syndicated blog Dr. Gwenn Is In (http://www.drgwennisin.com) which is picked up regularly by groups such as Reuters, Chicago Sun Times, Livestrong.org and USA Today. Dr. Gwenn is one of the most sought after pediatricians today by national and local media and major online websites and blogs as a child health, parenting and social media expert. She appears regularly in print, internet, radio and TV, and speaks often at professional conferences about social media topics important to today's practicing health care providers and savvy consumers.
Dr. Gwenn is a Fellow and national Spokeswoman of the American Academy of Pediatrics. As an active member of the AAP's Council of Communications and Media, Dr. Gwenn developed and now oversees the group's website and blog. She lives in the Metro-West Boston area with her husband and two very active tween and teen daughters.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Dr. Gwenn Is In | PediatricsNow
Joshua Schwimmer M.D.
Dr. Joshua Schwimmer is a nephrologist practicing in New York City. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Nephrology. Teaching is a major focus of his work, and at Columbia, he was named the Medicine Fellow of the Year for excellence in teaching physicians-in-training. Dr. Schwimmer has published broadly on both kidney disease and on medical weblogs. He is particularly interested in the potential of the medical blogosphere and is the author of Kidney Notes, a blog exploring the intersection of medicine, new technologies, and the Internet. He is active in patient care, teaching, clinical research, and blogging on issues related to medicine and technology.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Tech Medicine
Michael Sevilla M.D.
Mike Sevilla, M.D., is a board certified family physician based in Northeastern Ohio. He is creator of the blog Doctor Anonymous, which was nominated for Best New Medical Blog in 2006, and also has a live weekly internet radio show of the same name. On his blog, "Dr. A," as he is known, describes himself as a "Family Physician working in the American health care system trying to find the lighter side of life." He is in full-time private practice and holds an appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor in Family Medicine at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Doctor Anonymous
Charlie Smith
Charles W. Smith, M.D., is the Founder, Chairman, and Medical Director of eDocAmerica, and is a board certified family physician with over 25 years of experience in practice.
He is the executive associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and is professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine where he has been serving since 1989. In his role at UAMS, he also serves as the medical director for UAMS Medical Center and the physician director of medical informatics at the University. In this role, he is responsible for initiating and implementing software programs to assist physicians in the provision of care at UAMS. He is also responsible for the oversight of the quality of medical care provided at UAMS.
He has served as a national leader in family medicine, as editor of the American Family Physician, a national journal for family physicians, and has also served as the president of the American Board of Family Practice, which is the national certifying body for family physicians.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: eDocAmerica Blog
John Snyder, M.D.
John Snyder, M.D., is Chief of the Section of General Pediatrics and Medical Director of Pediatric Ambulatory Care at Saint Vincent's Hospital in New York City. He is also Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at New York Medical College. Since 1994 Dr. Snyder has been active in pediatric resident and medical student education with a particular interest in evidence based pediatrics. His main area of interest is medical myth and the ways in which parents utilize information in making medical decisions for their children. One area of focus has been vaccine myth, and he lectures frequently on this subject in both academic and community settings.
Dr. Snyder graduated form Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his residency training in pediatrics at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He is board certified in Pediatrics, and is a Fellow of The American Academy of Pediatrics. He is the founding partner of Pediatric Associates of Saint Vincents, a mutli-specialty pediatric faculty practice in New York City.
Dr. Snyder has not ties to industry, and no conflicts of interest regarding any of his writings.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Science-Based Medicine
Robert Stern, BFA, MA, CCMEP, President & CEO
A healthcare education innovator for more than 30 years, Mr. Stern founded Projects In Knowledge in 1980. He pioneered the use of distance-learning technologies and self-directed study, creating a rich array of medical programming. Today, he continues to research, embrace, and incorporate the latest technological advances into virtually every aspect of the company.
Early on, Mr. Stern recognized the importance of delivering timely and relevant CME/CE activities in a variety of formats, enabling each learner to tailor the educational experience to meet his or her own unique needs and preferred learning styles. He maintains this tradition at Projects In Knowledge today by continuously assessing the effectiveness of the multiple educational delivery methods the company employs, monitoring participants’ individual learning styles, and developing activities that are compatible with learner needs and preferences.
Before it was entirely fashionable, Mr. Stern established the Trust In Knowledge peer-review process for each and every Projects In Knowledge CME/CE activity. Realizing that clinicians and the public need assurance that medical education is evidence-based, has scientific integrity, and will improve patient care, he implemented a third-party, independent review process through a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Office of CME. This review process has since expanded to include a total of three academic institutions, which ensure that fair balance is provided and the information presented is scientifically valid, relevant, timely, and free of commercial bias.
To further ensure that Projects In Knowledge is meeting the educational needs of physicians and other healthcare professionals, Mr. Stern has implemented an aggressive outcomes measurement process, designed to identify clinicians’ knowledge acquisition and retention as well as to measure practice changes.
As a direct result of Mr. Stern’s drive, vision, and pursuit of excellence, Projects In Knowledge in 2006 was awarded a 6-year ACCME reaccreditation with commendation—the highest rating achievable by a provider of CME—including Exemplary status in four categories. He also guided the company’s successful application to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) for accreditation as a provider of continuing pharmacy education, which was granted in 2007.
Mr. Stern is also the founder of MedPage Today, a pioneering web-based provider of real-time 24/7 breaking medical news, medical/scientific meeting coverage, and other resources for medical professionals, who can earn CME/CE credits by reading the news and conducting point-of-care searches.
Previously, he was President of CMEinfo.com, a producer of board review and medical update courses for physicians. Mr. Stern was also the start-up investor and a founder of FingerTip Formulary, a website that allows physicians and other healthcare professionals to determine formulary drug status for health plans.
In addition, Mr. Stern is the editor of *Genome,* the first anthology devoted to exploring how the human genome was mapped.
Mr. Stern graduated from the Film School at New York University (Tisch School of the Arts at NYU) and earned his master’s degree in education with an emphasis on medical communications from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Disclosures: MedPage Today is supported in part by commercial sponsors.
Blog: In Other Words
Steven Strode M.D.
Dr. Strode is also a board certified family physician with 20+ years of experience in practice. Dr. Strode has served as acting chair of the Department of Family Medicine at UAMS and has also served as the president of the Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians. He is currently Director of the UAMS Telemedicine Program and Medical Director of the UAMS Rural Hospital Program. Dr. Strode shares eDocAmerica coverage responsibilities with Dr. Smith.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: eDocAmerica Blog
Kenneth Trofatter M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Trofatter trained at Duke University (B.S. Zoology, '73) and Duke University Medical Center (MD, PhD, '79) between 1969 and 1985, completing a residency in OB/GYN and a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He remained on faculty there for a couple of years and then assumed the positions of director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and medical director of the East Tennessee Regional Perinatal Program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (1987-96). Within 5 years there, he advanced to full professor (with tenure), but still foolishly left for brief interludes in chillier climes (chairman of OB/GYN at Mt. Sinai Hospital and professor of OB/GYN at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and then director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and consultant to 3M Pharmaceuticals at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis/St. Paul), before he returned to his senses and the Southeast in 2002.
His PhD degree is in pathology with a research focus in herpes simplex virus immunology. Primary clinical interests include high risk obstetrics (e.g., diabetes, hypertensive disorders, autoimmune diseases, and thrombophilias in pregnancy), preconceptual counseling, obstetrical ultrasound, Doppler flow velocimetry, recurrent pregnancy loss, virus infections in pregnancy, and screening for aneuploidy in pregnancy. Currently, he is director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and professor of Clinical Obstetrics in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of South Carolina, a part of the University Medical Group at the Greenville Hospital System in Greenville, South Carolina. Outside interests include stamp collecting, soccer, exercise, and outings on his Harley. He is married and has 6 children ranging between 8 and 24 years of age.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Fruit of the Womb
Amy Tuteur M.D.
Dr. Amy Tuteur is an obstetrician-gynecologist. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Tuteur is a former clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her book, How Your Baby Is Born, an illustrated guide to pregnancy, labor and delivery was published by Ziff-Davis Press in 1994. She runs the website AskDrAmy.com and has her own iPhone app, the Ask Dr. Amy Am I Pregnant Quiz. Dr. Tuteur also blogs at The Skeptical OB.
Blog: Science-Based Medicine
Daniel Van Durme M.D.
Daniel J. Van Durme, M.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health at the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee. He previously spent many years in the Tampa Bay area in both full-time private practice and as a faculty at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine.
He is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine. Dr. Van Durme earned his medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine in 1986, completed his family practice residency training in St. Petersburg, Florida, and completed a visiting fellowship in faculty development and geriatrics at East Carolina University. Dr. Van Durme served as team physician for USF football and other intercollegiate sports, and as team physician for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League, the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny in the Major League Soccer. In addition to sports medicine, he has a strong interest in dermatology and has extensive experience in teaching other physicians about skin conditions, and has published numerous articles and book chapters on skin disorders.
He has been repeatedly chosen by his peers for listing in The Best Doctors in America since 1995 and in Consumers Guide to Top Doctors since 2002. He has also received numerous awards from the University of South Florida College of Medicine including the nomination for the AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award, the Sir William Osler Award for Outstanding Role Model, the Distinguished Professor Award and the Outstanding Advisor Award.
Dr. Van Durme has also served in many leadership capacities including: Trustee of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation, the American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants, and President of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians.
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: eDocAmerica Blog
Bryan Vartabedian, M.D.
Dr. Bryan Vartabedian is a pediatric gastroenterologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, TX. He is the author of Colic Solved, the definitive book on screaming, miserable babies published by Ballantine/Random House in 2007. Dr. Vartabedian has written for American Baby, Parenting, Disney's Wondertime and is frequently quoted in the national media on issues related to children's health.
Dr. Vartabedian has treated thousands of children gastroesophageal reflux. He is passionate about the recognition and early diagnosis of reflux in children and speaks nationally on reflux treatment. When he's not writing for The HealthCentral Network he can be found at his blog, Parenting Solved, where he offers "compelling commentary on parenting and children's health."
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: 33 Charts
Liam Yore, M.D.
Liam trained in Chicago at Northwestern University for both his BA and MD degrees, then completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. At completion, Liam settled in western Washington State in a large, multi-hospital community-based Emergency Medicine practice. He developed an interest in the administration of the practice and over time became the managing partner and administrator. Exposure to the business side of medicine led to interests in billing and coding, insurance contracting, medical economics, and ultimately, to health care policy. Liam is active in the American College of Emergency Physicians national Reimbursement Committee.
Liam started blogging quite by accident in 2005 and has not yet been able to stop himself. Personal observations, patient care stories, politics, health care policy and the unending wonders that the Emergency Department can produce are freely admixed over at the irreverently titled "Movin' Meat" blog, under the pseudonym "Shadowfax."
Disclosures: None
Personal Blog: Movin' Meat
