2020 Speakers

 Cintya Alves Gray is a Certified Case Manager at Partners Healthcare System. Cintya is a Registered Nurse by trade with experience in primary and urgent care. Cintya started her career in the world of workers compensation as a telephonic medical case manager with Travelers Insurance where she worked with injured employees throughout New England. Cintya transitioned to field case management with Coventry healthcare where she traveled throughout MA and RI to meet with injured employees and treating providers. Cintya is currently enjoying her role within a self-insured self-administered employer and daily interactions with injured employees from multiple Partners entities.

Cynthia Bourbeau, President and Founder of Medical and Life Care Consulting Services, Inc. (MLCC), has worked as a Massachusetts Registered Nurse, Certified Rehabilitation Nurse, Certified Nurse Case Manager and Certified Nurse Life Care Planner® for over three decades.

Founded in 2001, MLCC provides Life Care Planning, Medicare Set-Asides, Legal Nurse Consulting and more throughout the United States and internationally. MLCC also provides case management services throughout the Northeast Region of the United States, and a wide range of care consultation for catastrophic injuries.
Cynthia is a member of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, the American Association of Nurse Life Can Planners (AANLCP®), The International Association of Rehab Partners, and the Case Management Society of America. She is also a Board Member of Certified Nurse Life Care Planner (CNLCP®) Certification Board.a.

Dr.Jessica Camplese is a Massachusetts native and graduate of UMass Amherst with a BS in biology, and she attended Life University where she obtained her Doctorate in Chiropractic medicine and a Masters in Sports Health Science. Prior to becoming a chiropractor, she had several years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach. She takes a sports therapy geared approach to treating all patients. She actively trains, competes, and teaches Brazilian jiu jitsu.

Betsy Colón, BSN, CCM is a Certified Case Manager who graduated from Fitchburg State College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. At commencement she was recognized as a Massachusetts Commonwealth Honors Scholar and was presented with the Student Leadership Award, the school’s top honor. Betsy has over 12 years of experience managing worker’s compensation cases, and 5 years of Onsite Case Management work.

Carol is the Director of Case Management with Occupational Resource Network. She is a Certified as a Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, Case Manager and Life Care Planner. She has been a Community Resource Consultant to the Mass Brain Injury Association and a Site Coordinator and Presenter for the Brains at Risk Program. Carol has 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.

Steve is the Director of the Invest EAP Centers for Wellbeing. He is a Licensed Psychologist-Master, with post-graduate training in behavioral medicine. Steve is a Visiting Scholar Emeritus at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he held an appointment for the past two decades.

Michael Erdil, MD, FACOEM, is a board certified occupational medicine physician with Occupational and Environmental Health Network in Marlborough MA; and an Assistant Clinical Professor at UConn Health Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Erdil has been a contributor to evidence based treatment guidelines for low back and musculoskeletal disorders including the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Official Disability Guidelines, UpToDate and Dynamed Plus. His conference presentations (including ACOEM / AOHC, NECOEM, Harvard School of Public Health OM Grand Rounds and Ergonomics and Human Factors Conferences, UConn Health, CT Dept. of Public Health Opioid Crisis and Connecticut Workforce Symposium) have stressed the importance of evidence-based care in the management of musculoskeletal disorders. Dr. Erdil has interests in patient education and shared decision-making (including co-presentations with the ABIM Foundation and Choosing Wisely) and the need to engage patients about individual and workplace factors that may be key in early management and return to work. Dr. Erdil currently serves as Medical Advisor and Educator for RETAIN-CT at UConn Health DOEM. RETAIN-CT is a phase I system level return to work intervention program funded by the US Dept of Labor and Office of Disability Employment Policy. Dr. Erdil was the recipient of the 2016 Harriett Hardy Award from the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Dr. Hartshorn is a Harvard fellowship-trained Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Shoulder Surgery currently practicing at Ortho.Boston, a private practice located in Needham, MA. He has authored book chapters, published articles in the peer-reviewed literature, and serves as a course instructor at national conferences. His approach to care is centered around getting to know each patient and to provide tailored, thoughtful recommendations based on specific expectations and demands. Dr. Hartshorn’s practice involves both primary and minimally-invasive procedures as well as complex, revision procedures. He is conservative in nature and prefers non-surgical options when possible.

Jeffrey E. Hazlewood, MD, has been a member of the Medical Impairment Rating Registry since 2006. He currently practices physical medicine and rehabilitation in Lebanon and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His practice is centered largely on workers’ compensation, and he has a special interest in cost-effective management of chronic pain/open life-time medical cases. To prevent injuries from becoming chronic, Dr. Hazlewood strongly believes in ordering appropriate physical therapy and judiciously administering injections. He himself is a non-interventional physiatrist, but when the appropriate occasion warrants, he makes referrals for the injections. Dr. Hazlewood grew up in Jackson, Tennessee and received his B.S. degree at Rhodes College, and his medical degree from the University of Tennessee, Memphis. After completing his residency at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, he moved to Lebanon, Tennessee, where he is now a staff member at the University Medical Center. He was Medical Director of UMC-McFarland Rehabilitation unit for thirteen years and directed the Timberridge Post-acute brain injury rehab unit for a few years. He is currently a fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a subspecialty in Pain Medicine. His society memberships include the American Medical Association, The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Rotary Club, and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Honors include Phi Beta Kappa in college, and chief resident at UAB. Professionally, Dr. Hazlewood has strong interests in impairment ratings evaluations, electrodiagnostic testing, and teaching in the fields of physiatry and pain management. He went into physiatry because of his love for in-patient rehabilitation. Personally, he enjoys playing golf and watching professional tennis matches across the country. He made two holes-in-one in ten days, the second in the Chamber of Commerce Tournament where he won a new Cadillac. He is married and has two children, ages twenty and twenty-three.

Tim Irving is the Assistant Regional Administrator (ARA) working in the OSHA Boston Regional Office with the Cooperative and State Programs team. Previously Tim worked as a Compliance Assistance Specialist and a Compliance Safety and Health Officer on the construction strategic team in the Boston South Area Office. Tim holds both journeyman and master electrician licenses, he has his degree in management from the University of Massachusetts, has earned professional designations in risk management, construction safety, and is a Certified Safety Professional.

Deborah Kennedy is the CEO of Culinary Rehab®, which establishes nutrition and culinary competencies, modular learning opportunities, prescriptive delivery methods and outreach programs for various populations. She received her PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from Tufts University, Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy. Dr. Kennedy has studied food from an early age – learning to cook at age 4, worked as a chef in Canada, obtained her doctorate in nutrition, authored three books on children and nutrition, and is a leader in culinary medicine. Dr. Kennedy is certified in value-based medicine and serves on the board of Chefs for Humanity. She is the author of Food-Parenting, Beat Sugar Addiction for Kids, The Picky Eating Solution, and is working on a Culinary Medicine Textbook with a dozen chefs and over 35 nutrition experts. In her role as CEO of Culinary Rehab®, she is currently creating culinary medicine competencies for various diseases, and culinary medicine programs and classes for individuals’ hospitals, and communities. She has also built culinary medicine courses for higher education institutions – Tufts University and The New England Culinary Institute-, and centers in health and wellness -DHMC Weight and Wellness Center and NY Presbyterian Integrative Therapies Center for Children with Cancer.

Boaz Levin is an Attorney at Keches Law Group, P.C., representing injured persons in all aspects of Workers Compensation Claims, Social Security and related matters. Mr. Levin is directly involved in all phases of workers’ compensation claims, from the initial evaluation of potential claims through the Hearings before the Administrative Judges. Mr. Levin graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and received his law degree from Chicago Kent College of Law. Mr. Levin was named to Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars in 2007 and 2008.

1992 graduate The University of Rhode Island; BS Physical Education (Pre-Professional Tract). 1996 graduate Palmer College of Chiropractic; Doctorate of Chiropractic. Completed coursework for Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, Carrick Institute of Functional Neurology. Chiropractic Techniques: Diversified, Thompson, Toggle Recoil, Chiropractic Biophysics, Motion Palpation Institute Spine/Extremity Techniques, Activator Methods. Soft Tissue Techniques: Clinical Kinesiology (CK), Active Release Technique (ART), Muscle Activation Technique (MAT), Instrument Assistant Soft Tissue Mobilization, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilizations (DNS), Chiropractic Muscle Activation Techniques (CHIRO MAT), Reciprocal Muscle Techniques, and other to include generalized deep tissue massage, PNF stretching (Active Isolated Stretching, Post Isometric Relaxation, etc.) and Trigger Point Therapy, amongst others.

Dr. Marchese also employs therapeutic exercise protocols and modern pain theory education based of patients specific needs as determined by their neuromuscular, biomechanical, biopsychosocial, and diagnostic findings. No cookie cutter approaches as all patients have their specific needs regarding their individual diagnostic, and evaluative findings. Dr. Marchese’s patient base includes athletes from the professional ranks (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL), as well as USA and international Olympic athletes, youth level athletes, and college/recreational levels. His patient base also includes multiple chronic pain and neurological disorders, with which he takes a unique approach of education, and treatment as to the causes of the disorders and how to best manage them from a non-surgical, non pharmacological approach. From a strength and conditioning standpoint, Dr. Marchese has also worked, and interned at such facilities as Athletes Performance in Phoenix, AZ, Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Woburn, MA, and, most recently, TruStrength Fitness in Stoneham, MA. Furthermore, Dr. Marchese completed his coursework and was certified as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and a Russian Kettlebell Certification (RKC) holder. He continues to train clients/patients on an individual basis upon referral, and lectures on strength and conditioning practices and rehabilitation practices throughout the US.

William Massey is the Assistant Administrator of Vocational Recovery Services at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training’s Arrigan Rehabilitation Center. He has been employed at the Arrigan Center since 2008. He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Roger Williams University and a Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling from Salve Regina University, where he is also is an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Holistic and Rehabilitation Counseling. He is an active Healthcare Review Team member for the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court’s Medical Advisory Board. He is an active member of the Rhode Island Career Development Association, has served on the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions’ Disability and Return to Work Committee and has contributed to United States Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy on Stay-at-Work and Return-to-Work. He is also a founding member of Kids’ Chance Rhode Island.

Christine McDonough, PT, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh whose career focuses on prevention and treatment of disability. Her research is informed by her background as a physical therapist in a wide range of settings. She has advanced training in outcome measurement theory and methods and disability theory and conducts research in development and evaluation of measures using Item Response Theory and Computer-adaptive Testing (CAT) methods. Dr. McDonough conducts health services, clinical, and implementation research in fracture and fall prevention, and return-to-work best practice. Dr. McDonough is an Editor of Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Academies of Orthopaedic and Geriatric Physical Therapy. She is the Chair of Scientific Advisory Panel for the American Physical Therapy Association’s Physical Therapy Outcomes Registry (PTOR).

Cathy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Maria Michas is a board certified occupational medicine physician with over 20 years of clinical, administrative, teaching and research experience in a variety of healthcare settings. She is a fellow of ACOEM, a certified MRO and FMCSA medical examiner, and holds a Certificate in Traveler’s Health from the International Society of Travel Medicine. Dr. Michas completed medical school, an internship in Family Medicine and residency in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. She has worked as a medical director for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, US HealthWorks, Group Health, SeaBright Insurance Company, and Molina Healthcare of Washington. She currently serves as Associate Vice President and Medical Director of Employee Health Services, Occupational Injury Care and Wellness for UMass Memorial Health Care where she is responsible for the health and safety of over 14,500 employees. Dr. Michas is also an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and Preventive Medicine Residency Program where she enjoys teaching occupational and environmental medicine to medical students and residents.

Dr. Miller’s clinical interests lie in treating sports medicine injuries of the upper and lower extremity. She has published extensively in medical literature and has several ongoing clinical trials involving shoulder and hamstring injuries. She has a special interest in injury prevention and has developed both ACL and running injury prevention applications.

Andrew is the on-site physical therapist for GE Aviation in Lynn, MA for the past 14+ years. In 2000, he earned his bachelor’s in PT and a year later a master’s degree in PT from Northeastern University. Since additional debt seemed to be a good idea, he decided to add Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Temple University. While learning to find his way around the shop floor, he has been fortunate to be part of a great team of professionals trying to keep the industrial athlete in one piece.

Dr. Okurowski is the CEO and Principal of Occupational and Environmental Health Network, P.C., located in Marlborough, MA. OEHN provides employee health solutions for business, manufacturing, government, corporate, educational, research entities and other businesses and industries throughout country. He is Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Okurowski provides Medical Director leadership and oversight across multiple hospital and business segments, including: Steward Healthcare, New England Baptist Hospital, University of Massachusetts – UCare Clinic, and Massachusetts Department of Human Resources, and OEHCRI (labor union in RI), among others. Dr. Okurowski graduated from Dartmouth Medical School and went on to earn a Master of Public Health, Health Policy & Management/Occupational Medicine from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Okurowski also achieved a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School. Dr. Okurowski is a member of numerous professional medical organizations, including the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Physician Executives.

Dr. Pietrangelo is the Director of Medical Operations for Concentra for the New England market. An internist, hospitalist, and retired U.S. military physician, he joined Concentra 2 years ago. Dr. Pietrangelo has had multiple assignments, both inpatient and outpatient, across the spectrum of primary care, caring for patients over the course of nearly 3 decades as a physician. He completed a fellowship in patient safety, has a Masters degree in Public Health Nutrition, and was qualified as both an Army and Navy flight surgeon while serving in the U.S. military.

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 Board of Directors at American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), MaineGeneral Health, and the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (NECOEM) where he is President-elect. 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 as Vice President of MaineGeneral Medical Staff, Chair of Specialty Medicine and Medical Director of the occupational medicine practice, health promotion and wellness, fitness centers, employee assistance program and the Teaching Kitchen at MaineGeneral Medical Center, and as Regulatory Liaison at MaineGeneral Health. He continues his academic endeavors as an adjunct professor at 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. Saito is an avid mentor of undergraduate and medical students, residents, advance practice trainees and has created several internships at Workplace Health for students interested in pursuing preventive medicine, public health and occupational and environmental medicine. Dr. Saito enjoys connecting with both local and national audiences and continues to deliver presentations nationwide quarterly while continuing his research interest with publications yearly. He joined MaineGeneral to pursue his passion for improving the health of the community where he has helped lead the organization to national recognition as a leader in employee wellbeing by receiving Honorable Mention recognition for the 2018 C. Everett Koop National Health Awards presented by the Health Enhancement Research Organization.

Dr. Saper is a Professor of Family Medicine at Boston University. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1988 and the UCSF Family Medicine Residency in 1992. After being in private practice for eight years in the San Francisco Bay Area, he completed the Harvard NCCIH T32-funded Integrative Medicine Research Fellowship from 2001-2004. In 2004 he founded the Program for Integrative Medicine and Health Disparities at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine. His research focus is the implementation of evidence-based integrative medicine approaches for underserved populations. He has received federal funding from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health to study yoga for chronic back pain and a PCORI contract for a national pragmatic trial of physical therapy for the prevention of chronic back pain. Dr. Saper is the past chair of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health. He has published over 45 peer-reviewed papers and has lectured nationally and internationally. Dr. Saper continues to see patients for primary care and integrative medicine. He mentors medical students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty.

Mike began his career with Work-Fit in 1993 and has spent his entire Athletic Training Career serving in a variety of roles. Currently as Vice President of Operations he oversees the Work-Fit business as well as customer accounts across Central and Eastern USA. He is a licensed Athletic Trainer with additional certifications as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Medical Management Safety Specialist. Mike is a past President of the Michigan Athletic Trainer’s Society and has served on a NATA taskforce for the Industrial Setting of Athletic Training. Mike has extensive experience in new program start-ups, project & program management, and customer service. He has been instrumental in the development and implementation of common procedures throughout Work-Fit and integrating the Work-Fit Mission of “Making Health Personal”, into client companies. Mike earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sports Medicine and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management. He has also sharpened his Leadership Skills through Dale Carnegie Leadership Training. Mike resides in Troy Michigan with his wife and three children.

Dr Eduard Vaynberg joined BMC as an attending physician in pain management and anesthesiology in 2005 and became a director of pain management at Boston Medical Center in 2010 developing a busy clinical practice focusing on interventional pain management and spinal cord stimulation. Dr Vaynberg also serves as a director of resident’s rotation in pain management mentoring anesthesiology residents and medical students interested in pursuing a career in pain management. Dr Vaynberg tenure at Boston Medical Center started in 1996 as a medical student at Boston University School of Medicine after he graduated with honors and distinction from University of Illinois at Chicago majoring in biochemistry. After graduating from BU medical school Dr Vaynberg completed his anesthesia training and BOSTON Medical Center and pain management fellowship at Harvard/ Beth Israel Hospital. Before joining BU department of anesthesia full time Dr Vaynberg combined academic practice at BMC with busy private practices at New England Baptist Hospital and BOSTON Outpaitent surgical suites. Dr Vaynberg has been nominated by his peers to Boston’s Top physician list 2016-2020. Dr Vaynberg research interests center on spinal cord stimulation, injured workers care, and complex regional pain syndrome. He published several book chapters , multiple case reports, and gave multiple lectures on these topics.

Ms. Wickboldt has a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of West Florida and an MBA from Rollins College. After several years of working in the medical devices industry, she transitioned over to managing the central Florida region as a Business Development Manager for Injured Workers Pharmacy. In 2018, she moved to the Northeast and was promoted to Regional Manger where she currently manages a team of eight advocates. Through her four years at IWP, Ms. Wickboldt has partnered with a network of physicians and lawyers, who’s focus is injured workers, to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Hanbing (Steve) Zhou is a fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon who cares for patients with surgical and non-surgical spine related disorders. To treat these disorders, Dr. Zhou specializes in advanced minimally invasive and open surgical techniques. He believes in a comprehensive approach to patient care, including utilization of physical therapy and conservative management to explore all alternatives of treatment before surgery is considered. His clinical interests and expertise include degenerative cervical/ thoracic/ lumbar disease, adult deformity/scoliosis, spine oncology, and trauma. In addition, Dr. Zhou has a special interest in complex spine reconstruction including revision fusion surgery for non-union, and proximal junctional kyphosis/failure. Dr. Zhou completed his fellowship in spine from the prestigious Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. He finished his undergraduate education at University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, CA with a degree in biomechanical engineering. He earned his medical degree from Boston University in Boston, MA and went on to complete a six-year academic Orthopedic Surgery residency program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA. In addition to the five-year clinical residency, Dr. Zhou also completed an additional year of orthopedic surgery research in the area of spine disorders. His efforts led to numerous publications and national presentations during his training. Dr. Zhou was also selected for the AOA Resident Leadership Forum during his residency training. Dr. Zhou is dedicated to providing exceptional patient care with the highest level of compassion and expertise. He looks forward to helping you with your back-related problems. Dr. Zhou currently resides in West Hartford and enjoys running and hiking.