Two Keynote Presentations

Monday, September 19

SPEAKER

Julie M. Adamec, Healthy Alliance

Julie is a healthcare professional with over twenty years of experience in building teams, establishing trusted partners, and leveraging successful business relationships within the healthcare community by working collaboratively with health systems, hospital organizations, and health plans. Julie served as a member of the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative Focus Group; a four-year multi-payer initiative designed to strengthen primary care as well as introduce alternative physician compensation (payment reform), and clinical transformation. With a focus on population health, outcomes, and physician reimbursement, Julie also recognizes the importance of connecting with communities to best understand their specific needs.

Kristen Scholl, Healthy Alliance

Kristen joined Healthy Alliance because she saw an amazing opportunity to make a real difference for people who were Medicaid recipients or uninsured. In Kristen’s current role, she strives to develop strategic partnerships with organizations across the state so that every New Yorker has access to social care to live healthier lives. She considers access to social care to be a public utility that should be accessible to all people regardless of insurance, zip code, or clinical provider affiliation – NO WRONG DOOR! Kristen has over 25 years of experience in managed care, most of which is centered around Medicaid Managed Care operations, regulatory compliance, and administration.

SPEAKER

Dr. Michael Hasselberg, University of Rochester Medical Center

Dr. Michael Hasselberg, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical Nursing, and Data Science at the University of Rochester. Dr. Hasselberg is the first Chief Digital Health Officer at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He was recognized by Rock Health as one of the “Top 50 in Digital Health Leaders”, to acknowledge his work to improve health equity through technology innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic. His expertise expands health and technology, as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar Fellow and advisor to digital health modalities to the New York State Department of Health, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the National Quality Forum.

SPEAKER(S)

Abby Waters, PeopleScience Solutions

Abby Waters is an employee retention consultant at PeopleScience Solutions, a platform that trains and certifies healthcare organizations in sciences related to employee retention, talent development, managing teams, and leadership development. Abby enjoys speaking and training healthcare professionals on topics related to company culture, employee value, and emotional intelligence. She believes these concepts are foundational for boosting workforce resilience, increasing organizational revenue, and improving client/patient outcomes.

SPEAKER(S)

Jason Guzzo, Hudson Valley Wireless

Jason Guzzo is the CEO/General Manager of Hudson Valley Wireless (HVW). HVW is a regulated telecommunications company. HVW was awarded several grants to construct Upstate, New York’s largest private LTE network covering over 3,500 square miles passing 120,000 homes, 8,500 businesses, and 450 anchor institutions. Jason also serves on the Board of Directors for WISPA, supporting over 1,000 member companies collectively serving over 6MM subscribers.

Dave Wolff, ADK Action

Dave is a Saranac Lake native and lives at the family homestead on Lake Kiwassa. He retired from IBM in 2006 after 31 years in sales and consulting. Dave graduated with a B.S. in Physics from Trinity College and earned an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College, and a M.S. in Computer Science from VPI. He served two terms as Chairman of AdkAction and is the Chairperson of the Broadband Committee.

Tuesday, September 20

SPEAKER(S)

Jennifer Mann, Bassett Healthcare Network

Jennifer Mann leads Bassett Healthcare Network’s HR business partnering, talent acquisition, talent management, as well as DEI functions. Her expertise spans from not-for-profit organizations to global, enterprise companies where she has designed and implemented HR solutions, talent acquisition processes, compensation and total rewards programs, compliance initiatives, and workforce planning and organizational design. Jennifer has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Indiana University.

Jennifer Mattocks, Cielo

Jen Mattocks is a highly effective and accomplished RPO, MSP, and Talent & Workforce Solutions professional, with a rich history of guiding clients on their talent transformation journey. Jen currently serves on the Cielo Healthcare Leadership team, focused on sector strategy and client development. Preceding this, she served as Managing Director of the Americas for PeopleScout, overseeing over 40 RPO and MSP programs. Jen holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Behavior from The Claremont Graduate School and a B.A. in Psychology & Business from the University of St. Thomas.

Ariella Gottlieb, Cielo

With a degree in Biomedical Ethics and a M.B.A. from McGill University hospital system in Canada, Ariella Gottlieb has been enthusiastic about scaling the bedside impact of exceptional care delivery for almost thirty years. Bi-lingual in English and Spanish, Gottlieb has continued to serve as a minority healthcare strategist for over two decades. She is authentic in her belief that a culturally competent medical experience is achievable through a customized and actionable health equity blueprint.

SPEAKER(S)

Kim Perone, Center for Clarity, Compassion & Contentment

Kim Perone, MA, CLC, CWMF is a Success, Bereavement & Resilience Coach and Mindfulness Facilitator at the Center for Clarity, Compassion & Contentment (CENTER4C). Kim works with organizations and individuals to offer essential skills for today. Kim is a Certified Life Coach, with a Master’s degree in Organizational Communication, Certified Workplace Mindfulness Facilitator (CWMF), a Certified Grief Educator, and author of The Case for Clarity, Compassion & Contentment: Finding Your Center (available on Amazon) and podcaster for Find Your Center with Life Coach Kim Perone.

SPEAKER(S)

Dr Victoria is Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, NY. He is responsible for quality improvement across the organization, graduate medical education, recruiting, credentialing, infection prevention, discharge planning, risk management, and medical staff services. During his tenure, his team has achieved improved quality metrics across the Value Based Purchasing spectrum.

Ronda Fitzgerald, Samaritan Medical Center

Ronda Fitzgerald has been a Registered Nurse since 1996; practicing in the Quality Improvement Department at Samaritan since 2009. In April 2019, she was appointed Quality Manager and Interim Director of Clinical Quality and Safety and in January 2022, she was appointed Director. Ms. Fitzgerald obtained her B.S.N. in Nursing Leadership in 2012 and holds additional certifications of Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, Lean Six Sigma White Belt, and Competent Communicator Achievement through Toastmasters International. She oversees the development of performance improvement implementation plans for the organization’s quality improvement projects and provides input to department managers for updating quality improvement plans that keep pace with changing regulatory requirements.

Stephanie Parks, Samaritan Medical Center

Stephanie Parks has been with Samaritan Health Systems for 10 years. She started in 2012 as a Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), then transitioned to Samaritan Senior Village as a PTA while going to nursing school. Stephanie returned to Samaritan as a float RN and joined the Samaritan Home Health Agency team in June of 2018. Currently, she is their Interim Director.

Wednesday, September 21

SPEAKER(S)

Dr. Nicole Rouhana, Binghamton University – Decker School of Nursing and Health Services

Over the last 30 years, Dr. Nicole Rouhana has passionately provided care for women and their families, both domestically and internationally. A graduate of the Nurse-Midwifery program at University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, she is duly certified as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Rouhana’s career has focused on caring for women and their families in rural and vulnerable populations and improving healthcare outcomes among the underserved. As a member of the ACNM for 25 years, she has provided leadership and mentoring at a local, state, and national, having served on the Division of Education as the Section Chair of the Continuing Education, and the Division of Research and Directors of Midwifery Educational programs. Dr. Rouhana is also a fellow of the National Rural Health Association and serves as membership chair for the Rural Nurse Organization.

SPEAKER(S)

Joanna Loomis, North Country Initiative

Joanna Loomis is the Deputy Director at North Country Initiative. She works with clinical and community-based partners to design, implement, and monitor healthcare transformation and value-based contract initiatives in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.

Pat Fontana, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization

Pat Fontana is the Director of Population Health at Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization. He works with healthcare stakeholders, in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties, to identify barriers to overall population health and implement mitigation strategies toward an enhanced system of care.

SPEAKER(S)

Shane Ash, St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers

Shane Ash is the Executive Director of Adirondack Retreats and the Director of Spiritual Health for St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers in Saranac Lake, New York. Shane has over twenty years of experience in compassion-based care and an abiding curiosity about the phenomenology of compassion, trauma, addiction, narrative, and the theological imagination. Shane holds a doctorate degree in spiritual formation and wrote his dissertation on the topic of integrating spiritual care practitioners in addiction treatment environments.

Thursday, September 22

SPEAKER(S)

RuthAnn Craven, HANYS

RuthAnn Craven entered the healthcare field with a desire to lead and work collaboratively with community partners on innovative initiatives that advance quality and affordability, to transform health care delivery in our community. She has tremendous experience in the areas of quality improvement, redesigning workflow, EHR optimization, and positioning providers for success in the transition value-based payment models. RuthAnn’s experience includes managing provider transformation programs throughout New York state, and most recently leading Hixny, a health information exchange, to successful recognition in NCQA’s data aggregator validation program for clinical quality reporting.

SPEAKER(S)

Kelly Owens, Hudson Mohawk Area Health Education Network (AHEC)

Kelly Owens currently serves as the Executive Director at Hudson Mohawk AHEC. Ms. Owens has worked in healthcare for over 30 years and has been focused on healthcare workforce issues in the most recent 13 years. She holds a B.A. in Gerontology from St. John Fisher College and a M.S. in Health Services Administration from Sage Graduate School.

Julia Prusik, Hixny

Julia Prusik is the Manager of Product Development at Hixny in Albany, New York. Julia oversees the expansion and evolution of Hixny’s suite of services, helping to realize the organization’s mission. With a background in medical research and public health, Julia leverages data from New York State and western Vermont to bring actionable patient information into the hands of healthcare professionals to improve the health and wellness of the community that Hixny serves.

Ashleigh McGowan, Health WorkForce New York (HWNY)

Ashleigh McGowan is the VP of Strategic Development for Heath WorkForce New York (HWNY). She received her Master’s degree in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation from Syracuse University in 2011. Ashleigh leads a team of digital experts to identify and implement technology and media-based solutions designed to help organizations grow, recruit, train, and retain the healthcare workforce.

Colin Duell, Hartford Healthcare

Colin Duell grew up in Glens Falls, NY and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from SUNY New Paltz, followed by a PharmD at Albany College of Pharmacy. Colin currently serves as a PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.

SPEAKER(S)

Josh Stephani, Comfort Food Community

Josh Stephani the Food & Farm Hub Manager at Comfort Food Community based in Washington County, New York. He works at the intersection of local food, food as health, and healthcare across the Southern Adirondack region in New York state. Additionally, he is a Ph.D. student studying diversity and inclusion around local food systems.

SPEAKER(S)

Jill Van Hoesen, Westelcom

Jill Van Hoesen is the Director of Business Development for the Westelcom Family of Companies. Ms. Van Hoesen is responsible for cultivation of new business from both existing and potential clients while augmenting current and developing new service and product offerings. Ms. Van Hoesen also serves as Information Security Officer enhancing the corporate cyber security posture by implementing and managing a comprehensive cybersecurity program ensuring various regulatory compliance. Ms. Van Hoesen’s career spans over 30 years in executive information technology roles in government, finance, and media. Ms. Van Hoesen holds certifications in HIPAA Security and HIPAA Awareness for Business Associates.

Friday, September 23

SPEAKER(S)

Dr. Akanksha Anand, SUNY Plattsburgh

Dr. Akanksha Anand, Ph.D., MSW M.Phil., is a Program Director & Faculty at SUNY Plattsburgh. She has trained as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Columbia University School of Nursing focusing on stress and wellbeing intervention for Nurse Scientists and frontline clinicians. She completed her Ph.D. in Social Policy, Health, and Public Administration at Fordham University in 2020. Her study compares organizational and supervisory support practices, and cost-effective strategies for health outcomes among employees in hospitals. Her doctoral dissertation work was awarded by the New York Academy of Medicine in New York. Her research interests are work-life strategies and interventions to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

Michael Simpson, SUNY Plattsburgh

Michael Simpson is a Ph.D. Candidate with expertise in occupational health, rural health network, and telemedicine. He currently serves as a Director, Office of Sponsored Research and Program and Deputy Operations Manager, RF at SUNY Plattsburgh. Simpson comes to Plattsburgh from SUNY Canton where he served as Grants Coordinator. While at Canton, he authored a successful one-million dollar grant as part of a biogas cogeneration project. He also managed numerous federal, state, and private foundation grants for the institution. Prior to Canton, Michael was a Grant Administrator for Education and Training Connection in Midland, Michigan, where he wrote adult education grants totaling more than $1.6 million and helped raise $2.25 million towards building expansion.

SPEAKER(S)

Christian Milaster, Ingenium Health Advisors

Christian Milaster optimizes telehealth services for health systems, health centers and clinics, and advises digital health startups and more established digital health solution and service providers.

Christian is a Master Builder of Digital Health and Telehealth Programs and the Founder and President of Ingenium Digital Health Advisors, a boutique consultancy focused on enabling the effective delivery of extraordinary care. Born, raised, and educated as an Engineer in Germany, Christian started his career at IBM Global Services before joining the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where he worked for 12 years in various roles before launching Ingenium in 2012.

SPEAKER(S)

Melissa Fischler, Alzheimer’s Association

Melissa Fischler is the North Country Program Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York. Melissa previously worked for Adirondack Community Action Programs as the Family and Community Engagement Coordinator. Melissa has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wells College, and a Master’s degree in Family Studies from Amberton University. Melissa was a caregiver to her grandmother who had Alzheimer’s Disease. Melissa has a passion for providing resources and education to underserved communities.

Valarie Drown, Center for Neurobehavioral Health

Valarie Drown is the Project Director for Caregiver Support Services at the Center for Neurobehavioral Health. Valarie graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh and is a NYS Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She has previously served as a Service Coordinator and Neuropsychological Testing Technician over her 19 years of working at the Center. Valarie is a caregiver to a son with special needs and a mother with Lewy Body Disease. These experiences allow her to truly understand other caregivers and listen with empathy and compassion, while exploring ways of reducing caregiver stress and fatigue.