2024 Faculty

Lisa Anastos MA, Esq. began her career in the insurance industry in 1993. Read More

Mr. Barrett began his legal career as legal counsel for a tax software development Read More

Cynthia Bourbeau has worked as a Massachusetts registered nurse specialist, certified rehabilitation nurse, certified nurse case manager and certified nurse life care planner nearly four decades. She leads Medical and Life Care Consulting (MLCC) professionals in providing case management services throughout the Northeastern region, and nurse consultants who provide consulting and professional services throughout the United States and internationally.

Cynthia is a member of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses and a member of the Case Management Society of America. In 2001, she became certified as a life care planner and formed Medical and Life Care Consulting Services. She has been an active member of the American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners (AANLCP®) since 2001 and is presently a Board Member of the CNLCP® Certification Board. Her membership with the International Association of Rehab Partners is ongoing.

Shirah Burgey is a board certified doctor of physical therapist, working full time at Boston Medical Center’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Department for the past 4 years. Prior to working at Boston Medical Center, she worked on the inpatient units at Cambridge Hospital after graduating from Northeastern University. She has a passion for health and fitness aiming to bring mobility and function to the patients she serves.

Caring for frontline workers for over 20 years, Gail has worked in manufacturing and biotech across the US with companies such as Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Titleist, Hollingsworth & Vose and Finch Pruyn & Co. She has been successful in managing a robust Return to Work program that values what the employee can contribute without jeopardizing their recovery balanced with the nuance of navigating between the needs of the managers, and the complexities of insurance company guidelines. Working together we can provide the a a positive return to work experience for all parties.

Meghan Church started her career as an inpatient acute physical therapist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Meghan developed a passion for safe patient handling and co-managed the program for five years. She has presented at Massachusetts chapter and national American Physical Therapy Association conferences about the therapeutic use of safe patient handling equipment in rehabilitation. Meghan also co-authored two papers about safe practices for placing patients in prone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meghan currently works at Boston Children’s Hospital managing staff safety with a current emphasis on safe patient handling and mobility and workplace violence. Meghan enjoys reading and trail running with her dog.

Prior to joining ORN in 2001, I was a nurse case manager and interim director of case management for HealthSouth Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital. I have over 30 years of experience working in the field of rehabilitation. I am a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, Certified Case Manager, and a Certified Life Care Planner. I am a Community Resource Consultant to the Mass Brain Injury Association. I have over 25 years of case management experience with individuals who have sustained traumatic and catastrophic injuries including: Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Amputations, Burns, and Orthopedic Injuries. I have extensive experience and understanding of complex disability needs, treatment options, community resources and am a skilled communicator and a highly effective liaison to facilitate best outcomes for maximum medical recovery and safe return to work. Additionally, I am a trained Ergonomist who presents seminars to employers regarding Safety and Biomechanics in the workplace and conducts individual ergonomic assessments, and an Opioid Care Coordinator for the Opioid Alternative Treatment Pathway through the Department of Industrial Accidents in Massachusetts.

Steve Dickens is the Director of Research for the Invest EAP Centers for Wellbeing in Vermont. He oversees a variety of health-related projects operated by this innovative Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Steve has held an appointment as a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for many years. He is a Licensed Psychologist-Master with over 30 years of experience in counseling, research and implementing key health prevention initiatives.

Debra Dyleski-Najjar, Esq., is president and founder of the Najjar Employment Law Group, P.C. with offices located in Boston and North Andover. She founded NELGPC in April 2008 as a labor, employment and benefits boutique law firm with big law experience providing strategic legal advice, backed by litigation expertise, for employers. NELGPC works to keep employers ahead of the curve, not only complying with the law but strategically designing best practices for long range management of the workplace and risk mitigation. Ms. Najjar is recognized in Best Lawyers for Labor Law – Management, and has received the highest AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. She has practiced employment law for over thirty-five (35) years. Before establishing NELGPC, she was an equity partner in the Boston office of a 250-attorney regional law firm, with offices in Boston, Providence and Concord. In addition to defending employers in state, federal and agency litigation, she is a frequent author, lecturer, counselor, and trainer on workplace issues including compliance with state and federal laws. Due to Ms. Najjar’s significant professional accomplishments, in 2007, she was nominated by her peers and inducted as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and served as Chair of the First Circuit Credentialing Committee for many years. She has been recognized as a New England Super Lawyer, a recognition bestowed on the top 5% of attorneys, every year since 2005. She is a member of the Lawrence Partnership Advisory Board, served on the Corporate Board of the Merrimack Valley YMCA and served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (2015-2017). She is an active member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, moderating the annual Labor and Employment State Conference. She also serves as the Government Affairs Director for the Massachusetts SHRM State Council, and as the Legislative Director of the Greater Merrimack Valley Human Resource Association. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, magna cum laude Durant Scholar, and Boston University School of Law, summa cum laude, third in her class and an Editor of the Law Review. She is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as the United States Supreme Court, and is a credentialed member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA).

Roberto Feliz is a board certified pain management physician and anesthesiologist. Dr. Feliz is widely recognized for his clinical interests in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Neuropathic Pain, Rhizotomy, Epidurals and Nerve Blocks, Opioid Tapering and Sports Injuries.

Attorney Erin Gallivan is a partner with Gallivan & Larson, Attorneys PLC in Rutland Vermont. She graduated from Lehigh University in 1993 and Northeastern University School of Law in 1998. She has been representing injured workers in Vermont for over twenty years.

Dr. Gellis is a Staff Physician in the Pain Management Service (Surgical Services) at the White River Junction VA and an Assistant Professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She serves as the Site Director of the Dartmouth Pain Fellowship Program and Chair of the Fellowship Clinical Competency Committee. She is a lecturer for the Geisel Medical School, teaching the pharmacology of pain. Her clinical focus is on individuals with challenging pain conditions, emphasizing a multidisciplinary and multimodal approach. This includes the utilization of state of the art interventional or non-interventional pain procedures, non-opioid pharmacologic approaches, complementary medicine, and enhanced self-care. Current projects at the VA include establishing a low dose outpatient ketamine infusion program and scrambler therapy program.

Prior to coming to WRJ VA Dr. Gellis worked in the Center for Pain and Spine at DHMC. She has also worked in a private practice setting in northern Vermont. She completed her medical degree at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, residency in Anesthesiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Clinical Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. In addition to being board certified in Pain Management and Anesthesiology, Dr. Gellis is an acupuncturist and certified mindfulness instructor.

Heidi S. Groff is an attorney concentrating in the areas of workers’ compensation and personal injury law. She has been in practice for over 25 years with offices in Montpelier and Burlington, Vermont. She was formerly a state prosecutor. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University (’94) and Vermont Law School (’97). She is a frequent lecturer on workers’ compensation law. She is a past President of the Washington County Bar and current President of Kids’ Chance of Vermont. She is recognized as a Best Lawyer (Lawyer of the Year), she is a Super Lawyer (for more than 20 years), and a Top 100 Trial Lawyer. She is also a member of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), Nation’s Top One Percent, Top 100 National Trial Lawyers, Vermont Association for Justice, Vermont Bar Association, and Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group (WILG). She enjoys trying cases and seeking justice for the injured.

Dr. Taylor A. Horst is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon with a CAQ in Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery. He earned his BA in Chemistry at Tufts University before completing his medical degree at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He trained at the Medical University of South Carolina where he served as Chief Resident his final year and then returned to Boston for his fellowship in Hand & Upper Extremity at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His surgical interests include issues affecting the hand, wrist and elbow as well as bone and soft tissue trauma in the upper extremity.

Joclyn Hunter is a board certified doctor of physical therapist working fulltime for the last 8 years at Mass General Brigham Salem Hospital as an Acute Care physical therapist. Prior to working at Salem Hospital, Joclyn worked as an inpatient therapist for what is formerly known as Shaughnessy Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital/Spaulding Hospital for Continuing Medical Care North Shore after graduating from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell in 2008.

Dr. Kaplan is the Medical Director of Outpatient and Workers’ Compensation at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, CT. He has served as a member of the State of CT Workers’ Compensation Medical Advisory Board for over 20 years. Dr. Kaplan received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He did his internship at Cambridge Hospital an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and then his residency and chief residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in NY. He is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Kaplan is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale and the University of Connecticut Medical School. Dr. Kaplan specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions that have resulted in a patient’s loss of function. His singular goal: “to help people enjoy life again.” Dr. Kaplan has served on the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation collaborative to develop national guidelines for long-COVID patients. Gaylord’s interdisciplinary COVID rehabilitation and recovery program is among 40 nationally recognized centers. He has been a practicing physician in Connecticut since 1992.

Ibtehal Kimawi, MD completed residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Montefiore Medical Center followed by fellowship training in Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine. She recently Joined Boston Medical Center as an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a goal of establishing a multidisciplinary Arthritis program under the department of Orthopedics surgery. Dr.Kimawi has a special interests in interventional pain and sports managment.

Deborah G. Kohl is an attorney concentrating in the areas of workers’ compensation and disability law. She has been in practice for over 30 years with an office in Fall River, MA. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and Northeastern University School of Law. She is a frequent lecturer and author on workers’ compensation law. She is the editor of MA. Workers’ Compensation Sourcebook and Citator (2013,2014). She is the co-editor of Lexis Nexis Practice Guide: Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation. She is a fellow and past President of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and has been elected as a member of NASI (National Academy of Social Insurance.) She has served as Chair of the AAJ Lawyer’s Workers’ Compensation Section and as President of Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group (WILG). She currently serves as a member of the WILG board and as a Vice President of the TIPS WC Section. She is on the Board of MATA and is the chair of the MBA WC Section.

Originally from Westmanland, Maine, Kirstin earned her Bachelor of Science in 2004 and Masters Degree in 2005 in physical therapy, both from Springfield College, as well as her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2009 from Sage Graduate School. Kirstin has worked both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. She joined Select Medical in 2012 and has been the center manager of a high-volume workers compensation center, leading to a specialization in occupational rehab with extensive experience providing post offer employment tests, work conditioning, ergonomic assessments, and functional capacity evaluations. As a Regional Manager of WorkStrategies she coordinates workers’ compensation services, injury prevention services, and provides both clinician and employer education both locally and nationally.

Dr. Xinning Li, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine and Team Physician for the Boston University athletics, has a strong clinical interest in both Sports Medicine and Shoulder & Elbow surgery. Dr. Li completed his first fellowship in Sports Medicine at the prestigious Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, a world-renowned sports medicine fellowship program and the #1 ranked orthopaedic hospital in the United States. During his fellowship, Dr. Li worked with many experts in the field of sports medicine and served as the assistant team physician for the New York Mets professional baseball team. Additionally, he has also provided medical care to several high school and collegiate teams throughout his residency and fellowship training. After his sports medicine fellowship, Dr. Li completed a second fellowship in Shoulder & Elbow surgery at the Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts General and Brigham & Women’s Hospital). During this time, Dr. Li spent additional time traveling to France to work closely with two world-renowned shoulder surgeons, Dr. Laurent Lafosse (Annecy) and Dr. Gilles Walch (Lyon) to further advance his training in complex arthroscopic shoulder surgeries and open shoulder reconstruction.

Brit McKenna is a certified vocational counselor and evaluator, co-owner of Tandem Workforce Collaborative, and adjunct professor at the University of Vermont. She has over ten years of experience in private vocational rehabilitation, with a background in public vocational rehabilitation in Vermont and Minnesota. Brit is passionate about communication and multidisciplinary collaboration, and is involved with adaptive sports programs and on the board for Kids’ Chance Vermont.

Colleen Medlin, PT, DPT, CEAS, CIPS received her Bachelor of Health Science, Master’s in Physical Therapy, and Doctorate in Physical Therapy degrees from Misericordia University. She had multiple experiences as a successful Facility Director prior to assuming a Multi-Site Director role in Maryland while with Physiotherapy Associates. During Colleen’s clinical and operations career trajectory, she became certified to perform Functional Capacity Evaluations, a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist, a Certified Injury Prevention Specialist, and honed her academic focus on workers’ compensation and work rehabilitation. As Colleen performed these services and built relationships with referrals sources and payors, she became recognized as a leader in this field and transitioned to a role of Regional Workers’ Compensation Clinical Specialist with Physiotherapy Associates. Based on multiple requests for her expertise, Colleen also founded CAM Peer Review, LLC to perform utilization review of Physical Therapy treatment, medical necessity, and billing. Colleen assumed the role of Regional Director of Work Strategies after Physiotherapy Associates was acquired by Select Medical and increased her focus on payor relations, including managing the relationships with the various networks in the industry. She was then hired by Phoenix Rehabilitation as Director of Clinical Operations for Workplace Health and Workers’ Compensation. This expanded her knowledge into occupational medicine and expanding her focus on working with employers and reducing OSHA recordables. Colleen now works at Physical Rehabilitation Network as the Vice President of Workers’ Compensation. 

David Michels is the Assistant General Counsel at the Department of Industrial Accidents & Workers’ Compensation Trust Fund and the Counsel to the Massachusetts Health Care Services Board. He is currently in his fourteenth year of practice as a Massachusetts attorney with a focus on workers’ compensation law. He has spent that entire time with the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) and Workers’ Compensation Trust Fund (WCTF), working to provide access to benefits and care for the injured workers of Massachusetts. In addition to working in virtually every area of workers’ compensation law, David’s areas of expertise include tort law, contract law, administrative law, and collections law. In his role as Assistant General Counsel for the DIA, David has appeared in the DIA’s administrative courts as well as District and Superior Courts throughout Massachusetts. David’s currently primarily responsible for civil recoveries from uninsured employers, but other duties include being the lead for the DIA’s Strategic Sourcing Team, administration and stewardship of the Special Polaroid Fund, and providing expertise related to asset research and recovery. David has also spent the last six years as Counsel to the Massachusetts Health Care Services Board. David provides legal research and guidance to the Board depending on their needs, coordinates and attends the Boards committee and subcommittee meetings, and coordinates with outside stakeholders at the Board’s direction. David assists the Board in accomplishing their statutory duties which include the original drafting, maintenance, and revision to the Utilization Review Guidelines for Massachusetts. David has spoken in various professional settings on workers’ compensation law with an emphasis on creating access to care through those presentations and discussions. David first came to Boston to attend Boston College undergraduate work. He completed his Juris Doctorate at Suffolk University Law School and his Masters of Business Administration at Suffolk University Sawyer business school. His work has created a true passion for using his expertise to create positive change in the community and specifically to improve the lives of injured workers. He currently lives on the North Shore with his wife Vanessa and 6-year-old-son Milo.

EDWARD M. MORIARTY, JR. is a senior partner at Moriarty, Shay & Associates, P.C., Wakefield, MA. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University with a major in political science in 1976. He received his J.D. from Temple University Law School in 1979 where he was executive editor of The Jurist. Mr. Moriarty has been representing the interests of insurers, self-insurers, and self-insurance groups at the Department of Industrial Accidents for 36 years. Mr. Moriarty has participated in numerous continuing legal education programs for bar associations and the insurance industry. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, The Council on Litigation Management, and the Mass Bar Foundation IOLTA Program. Mr. Moriarty is A/V rated Martindale Hubbell 2016. He is listed in the 2016 Martindale Hubbell Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Boston’s Top Rated Lawyers, 2015, Edition (October 2015), and is a Fellow of The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Class of 2015.

Dr. Murphy is a chiropractor by background and a Primary Spine Practitioner by practice. He currently serves as Director of Primary Spine Care at Ortho Rhode Island, a large orthopedic organization. He also serves as Director of Clinical Pathways at Spine Care Partners and Primary Spine Provider Network.

Dr. Murphy is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at University of Pittsburgh. He is a co-lead instructor for the Primary Spine Practitioner Certificate Program for the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Murphy has over 35 years’ experience practicing and teaching primary spine care. He has lectured all over the US as well as in 12 other countries on this and related topics. Dr. Murphy has more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, books and book chapters. His recent books, Clinical Reasoning in Spine Pain, Volume I and II serve as the required texts for Primary Spine Practitioner training.

Dr. Murphy is married with three daughters, maintaining a busy family life. He enjoys bodysurfing, biking, physical fitness and reading, particularly history and biography. He speaks 1.5 languages (fluent in English and getting there in Spanish).

Tucker has over 20 years of experience in Occupational Health and Safety and currently leads Work Health Coach Development and Integration with VT RETAIN, an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration to the Vermont Department of Labor. VT RETAIN uses social determinants of health and a multi-disciplinary approach to support individuals struggling to stay or return to work due to physical and/or mental health conditions so that they can successfully remain employed.

Prior to VT RETAIN, Tucker worked in outpatient physical therapy at Massachusetts General Hospital often treating work-related injuries. This prompted her to transition to injury prevention at MassBrigham, where she established their first ergonomics program serving 60,000 employees located in and around Greater Boston. Since her role with Mass Brigham, Tucker worked with AIM Mutual, a Massachusetts based workers’ compensation carrier where she provided consulting services to large healthcare and human services clients across New England and for Boston Children’s Hospital where she established ergonomics services focused on using a participatory approach.

In her free time, Tucker enjoys all things outdoors in VT, volunteering with a local therapeutic riding program, painting custom artwork for friends and spending time with her husband, family and two dogs.

Judson is a principal at the law firm of Pierce, Pierce & Napolitano in Salem, MA concentrating in representing injured workers at the Department of Industrial Accidents. He is a graduate of Vassar College and Suffolk University Law School. Mr. Pierce is a member of the MBA, MATA, AAJ and WILG and frequently speaks at legal education events. He is a cohost of a monthly podcast called “Workers Comp Matters” on the Legal Talk Network. Jud lives in Arlington with his wife and children and loves theater, music and Boston sports.

Dr. Pittman is the Interim Division Chief of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at BIDMC, the Co-Director of the BIDMC Spine Center and Program Director of the Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship at BIDMC.

Dr. Pittman completed his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., in 2003 and his medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, Tenn., in 2008. Dr. Pittman completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Boston University School of Medicine in Boston. He also completed his orthopaedic spine surgery fellowship at the University of Washington Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in 2016. He moved back to Boston, MA in 2020 to join the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians.

Catherine is the Sole Proprietor of Reno Associates, providing Medical Case Management/Medical Auditing Services. Catherine is an experienced Workers Compensation Case Manager with over 25 years experience working for both National and small insurance companies optimizing injured workers back to optimal functional capacity with a focus on appropriate return to work goals. Areas of expertise including Traumatic Brain Injuries; Burns; Amputations; Catastrophic Surgical and Orthopedic Trauma along with Opiate Weaning interventions.

Kayla Roche is a board certified physical therapist, working as a physical therapist and clinic director at ATI Physical Therapy in Billerica, MA. She graduated with her doctorate in physical therapy in May 2019 from Northeastern University. She specializes in sports medicine and outpatient orthopedic physical therapy. She is certified in dry needling, and has completed training for blood-flow restriction training, kinesio-taping, and IASTM techniques. Kayla enjoys working with patients of all ages, with sports and orthopedic injuries to help them achieve their goals. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog, being active and exercising, and trying new foods.

Dr. Saito is board certified in preventive medicine with specialty training in occupational and environmental medicine. Following graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, he went on to complete a six-year medical and law dual degree program. He continues to apply his medicolegal background and leadership aptitude on the next President of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and Past-President of the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (NECOEM). He is also Delegate to the American Medical Association and part of the Founding Board Member for Kids’ Chance of Maine, helping children of injured workers pursue educational or training beyond high school. Dr. Saito currently serves the Medical Leader for North America and Global Wellness at Procter and Gamble. He continues his academic endeavors as faculty at Harvard and UPenn, as Clinical Assistant Professor at Dartmouth Giesel College of Medicine, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of New England.

Dr. Stein is an Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Medicine. After earning his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, he complered his residency at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center and a hand surgery fellowship at Tuft’s Combined Hand Fellowship in Switzerland. Dr. Stein has extensive experience in all aspects of hand surgery, including reconstructive surgery and trauma.

Dr. Jinsil Sung is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hand and upper extremity for both adult and pediatric patients. Her clinical interests include both acute injuries, such as fractures and lacerations, as well as more chronic ailments, such as arthritis, Dupuytren’s disease, and nerve dysfunction. Dr. Sung grew up in Maryland but completed her undergraduate degree at MIT where she received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She then received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine where she was a Dean’s Scholarship Recipient and a Hans R. Wilhelmsen Prize Winner for Outstanding Achievement in Surgery.

Dr. Sung completed her Orthopaedic Surgery residency at Boston University Medical Center and finished her fellowship in Hand, Microvascular, and Upper Extremity Surgery at Brown University. She is Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and holds a Subspecialty Certification in Hand Surgery. Dr. Sung is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Orthopaedic Society, and is a member of the American Society for the Surgery of the Hand, New England Hand Society, and New England Orthopaedic Society.

Prior to joining Boston Orthopaedics and Spine, Dr. Sung was Chief of Hand Surgery at Norwood Hospital. She has been named Best of Boston in Hand Surgery since 2017, Exceptional Women in Medicine since 2019, and a Castle Connolly Top Doctor.

Dr. Mary A. Taschner received her DNP at the University of MA Lowell and is an experienced board certified nurse practitioner having worked in occupational health, ambulatory care, primary care, and long term care. Dr. Taschner managed Occupational Health and Wellness providing comprehensive health and wellness services for a leading pharmaceutical biotechnology company. Previously, she was the MA Department of Public Health, Center for Emergency Preparedness Liaison to the MA Department of Fire Services coordinating Incident Command, Hazardous Materials and Counter Terrorism training including program development, instructor training, and program delivery state wide to MA hospitals, public health, EMS, fire service and other health care providers.
Dr. Taschner was on faculty at Emmanuel College and the University of MA Boston in their undergraduate nursing programs; at the University of MA Lowell in their undergraduate and Masters programs and most recently at Rocky Mountain University, Provo, UT in their DNP program. Dr. Taschner was a senior associate at Health Care Management Associates, providing health care consultation and has provided extensive medical-legal consultation as a nurse expert.

Dr. Theodore is a graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program. He served as the Chief Resident in Orthopaedic Trauma at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and later completed a fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He founded the Massachusetts General Hospital Foot and Ankle Service. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.​

Dr. Theodore’s interests include knee, ankle, and foot surgery, with a focus on sports-related injuries. He is a nationally recognized expert in the management of injuries in professional athletes and dancers. He serves as a Team Physician for the Boston Red Sox, and was part of the medical staff of the 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018 World Series Championship Teams. He is the foot and ankle consultant to the New England Patriots, and was part of the medical staff of the 2005, 2015, 2017 and 2019 Super Bowl Championship Teams. He is also the foot and ankle consultant to the Boston Bruins, New England Revolution, Harvard University and the Boston Ballet.

Dr. Theodore is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. He is part of the Mass General Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and Spaulding Physiatry Sports Medicine Fellowship Programs. He is an author of peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and is the recipient of the 2009 Nicola Foundation Young Reseacher Award from ISAKOS.

Dr. Peter S. Vezeridis, MD is a board certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon. He specializes in shoulder surgery and sports medicine. He has a particular expertise in complex shoulder surgery including anatomic and reverse shoulder replacements. A native of Rhode Island, Dr. Vezeridis attended Brown University where he obtained an Sc.B. degree with Honors and graduated Magna Cum Laude. He then attended Brown Medical School. During medical school, Dr. Vezeridis was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to the Netherlands to perform orthopaedic basic science research. He was also a medical volunteer at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Dr. Vezeridis completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program in Boston. He served as a Chief Resident in Orthopaedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. After residency, Dr. Vezeridis completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. During fellowship, he was an assistant team physician for the New England Patriots, the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins, and the New England Revolution. Following his Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery fellowship, Dr. Vezeridis completed a European traveling fellowship in advanced shoulder surgery. During this time, he learned from several of the world’s pre-eminent shoulder surgeons including Dr. Laurent Lafosse in Annecy, France, Dr. Gilles Walch in Lyon, France, and Dr. Christian Gerber in Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Vezeridis was also awarded an AO Trauma Fellowship at the Charité Hospital in Berlin, Germany. Prior to joining Excel, Dr. Vezeridis was an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCLA where he served as a team physician for several UCLA athletic teams. He currently serves as a faculty member for the San Diego Shoulder Course and the Athens Shoulder Course.

Rosanne Westcott is a registered nurse with over 35 years of experience in a variety of fields from trauma, cardiac, geriatrics, workmen’s compensation, insurance to name a few. I am currently working for VRS disability Managment covering all New England region mainly MA, CT and RI. I have lived in and practiced in numerous states which has afforded me the opportunity and insight to provide holistic care for my clients. I earned a BSN from American International College, MA in in Human Resource Development from American International College and a CAGs in Education from Westfield State University. I also have certifications in cardiac, case management and education. I am known for creating standards for the DESE in MA along with curriculum in the area of Vocational Education for Nursing. I have presented at both Nursing and Educations Conferences around the country and participated with international projection involving schools in Russia and Turkey. I did help write programming for computer software for hospitals. Recently I have become a certified yoga and barre instructor. I enjoy relaxing with a good book at the beach.