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.

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.

Erin has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology as well as a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Assumption College. Erin is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She has been with the Department of Industrial Accidents for 6 years. She first started as a Rehabilitation Review Officer, and now serves as the Director of the OEVR. Prior to working at the DIA, Erin was a Disability Benefits Specialist at Unum and a case manager for Justice Resource Institute.

Dr. Otis is a Research Associate Professor and the Director of Behavioral Medicine at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) at Boston University (BU). He has been a clinical pain psychologist with the VA Boston Healthcare system for over 20 years where he has worked with patients with chronic pain and a variety of comorbidities. He received his graduate training in Health Psychology at the University of Florida Shands Hospital, specializing in the assessment and treatment of chronic pain. Dr. Otis is a clinician and researcher who has helped countless numbers of individuals gain greater control over their chronic pain. He travels nationally giving talks and workshops to both clinicians and patients on how the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be used to help people lead healthier and more productive lives. He is the author of Managing Chronic Pain (Oxford University Press: Treatments that Work Series) – an evidence-based CBT treatment program that includes both a therapist manual and patient workbook. In 2016 Dr. Otis was awarded the highest teaching award at BU School of Medicine, the Stanley L. Robbins Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was also awarded the Challenger Award which recognizes a faculty member who continually inspires and challenges students to do better both academically and in the community. He was nominated for the highest teaching award at BU, the Metcalf Cup and Prize. He currently teaches graduate level courses in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. For the past 20 years, Dr. Otis has conducted research and produced scholarly writing about pain throughout the lifespan. He currently has over 55 publications, over 60 conference presentations, and has had a history of continuous grant funding as either Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator throughout his career. Dr. Otis has focused his clinical research career on the development of innovative approaches to pain management, as well as ways to tailor pain to specialized patient populations including patients with spinal cord injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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.

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. 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.

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.