Speaker Information

Michael W. Collins, PhD (bio)
Abstract
James B. Hayden, MD (bio)
Abstract
Michael Hindmarsh, MA (bio)
Abstract
Stuart Hoffman, PhD (bio)
Abstract
Lt. Col. Michael S. Jaffee, MD, MC, USAF, FS (bio)
Abstract
James P. Kelly, MA, MD, FAAN (bio)
Abstract
Congressman John P. Murtha (bio)
Colonel Ron K. Poropatich, MD (bio)
Abstract
Michael Ravotti, DHSc, PA-C (bio)
Abstract
Jay B. Roberts, MA (bio)
Jay H. Shore, MD, MPH (bio)
Abstract
Brigadier General Loree K. Sutton, MD (bio)
Abstract
Kent Tonkin, MA (bio)
Abstract
George Zitnay, PhD (bio)
Abstract


Michael W. Collins, PhD

Assistant Director, UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program & Clinical Consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers
UPMC Center for Sports Medicine
3200 South Water Street
Pittsburgh PA 15203

412-432-3681
collinsmw@upmc.edu

Michael (Micky) Collins, Ph.D., a nationally renowned sports concussion clinician and researcher, joined the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program as assistant director when the program was established in September, 2000. Dr. Collins is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery with a secondary appointment in Neurological Surgery though the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

In 1999, Dr. Collins was the author of two major multi-site studies involving the effects of concussion and return-to-play evaluation methods.  These studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).  Dr. Collins continues to administer and oversee clinical programs for concussion management for sports teams at several major colleges, universities, and high schools throughout the country.  He is a clinical consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Europa, Major League Baseball, USA Lacrosse, USA Rugby, and to several high school, collegiate, and professional sports organizations both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Collins is a co-founder of ImPACT, a computerized neurocognitive testing system that evaluates the severity of concussion in athletes and provides a more accurate determination of when an athlete can safely return to sports following a concussion.

Dr. Collins received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology at the University of Southern Maine in 1991, his master’s degree in psychology at Michigan State University in 1995, and his doctorate degree in clinical psychology at Michigan State in 1998.  He subsequently completed a clinical neuropsychology internship at the University of Florida and a neuropsychology fellowship at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit

He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in sports medicine and other medical journals and is a frequently invited presenter on the topic of sports concussions at national and international meetings.  He has co-authored a sports concussion textbook and is a reviewer for JAMA, Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, American Journal of Sports Medicine, as well as on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Athletic Training Association.  Dr. Collins was recently the lead co-author on the Center for Disease Control's - Concussion Toolkit for Physicians that will be disseminated to all physicians in specific specialty areas.  In 2005, Dr. Collins was also the recipient of the “Innovations in Treatment Award” granted by the North American Brain Injury Society.

Speaking on September 4.

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James B. Hayden, MD

Medical Director
Broad Top Area Medical Center
4133 Medical Center Drive
P.O. Box 127
Broad Top PA 16621

814-635-2916
jbhayden1@verizon.net

Dr. Hayden was born in Philadelphia, and is the Medical Director for the Broad Top Area Medical Center Huntingdon Family Practice located in Huntington County, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Board of Family Practice. Dr. Hayden has been very active in his community, maintaining two offices in the Huntingdon County area for health care of the population. He also serves as a preceptor for physician assistant students from Saint Francis University and Lock Haven University. Dr. Hayden has published practice protocols for CISNP statewide integrated network of Community Health Centers on asthma, chronic health failure, diabetes mellitus, pain management, otitis media, hypertension, pharyngitis, and mechanical ventilation. He has been very active in the Huntingdon County Telehealth Work Group, which has been developed to research options for provision of care and services to the medically under-served areas of Huntingdon County through advanced technology and telemedicine.

Speaking on September 4.

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Michael Hindmarsh, MA

President
Hindsight Healthcare Strategies
29 Havenbrook Blvd.
Toronto, ON, Canada

647-288-5251
hindmarsh.m@ghc.org

Mike Hindmarsh is the President of Hindsight Healthcare Strategies, a healthcare improvement consulting firm based in Toronto, Canada; and former Associate Director of Clinical Improvement at the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation at Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, a not-for-profit staff model HMO. During his 17 years with Group Health, Mike managed federally funded research studies and directed various internal clinical improvement efforts including the creation of one of the countries first electronic registries for chronic disease. Along with Ed Wagner MD, MPH, Mike and his colleagues created the Chronic Care Model; a system redesign strategy to improve the care for chronically ill patients. His current work involves design and development of a dissemination strategy for implementing the Chronic Care Model in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Speaking on September 4.

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Stuart Hoffman, PhD

Research Director
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - Johnstown DVBIC/DCoE
109 Sunray Drive
Johnstown PA 15905

814-255-8601
shoffman@dvbic-lh.org

Stuart Hoffman, Ph.D. is the Research Director at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - Johnstown, located in Johnstown PA. Dr. Hoffman received his PhD degree in Behavioral and Molecular Neuroscience at Rutgers University in 1995 and completed his postdoctoral training in Pharmacology at Virginia Commonwealth University’s medical campus in 1997. From 1998 to 2000 Dr. Hoffman was an assistant research professor in neurology and an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine from 2000 to 2006 at Emory University. Dr. Hoffman was also faculty in both the graduate and undergraduate neuroscience programs at Emory University. As faculty in these programs, Dr. Hoffman was the course director for Principals of Neurotraumatology for four consecutive years. He has also served as a panel member for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC) Medical Technology Workshop and has been a study section member for both NIH and the VA Intramural Merit Awards.

Dr. Hoffman has approximately 24 years of experience in the field of brain injury and recovery of function that includes over 40 peer-reviewed publications. His translational research experience extends from the pre-clinical to the clinical, including being a member of the research team that brought an acute brain injury treatment from the laboratory to a successful phase II clinical trial.

Speaking on September 4.

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Lt. Col. Michael S. Jaffee, MD, MC, USAF, FS

National Director, Defense & Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, Bldg 1
Washington DC 20307

202-782-3071
michael.jaffee@amedd.army.mil

Col. (Select) Jaffee comes to DVBIC HQ after serving as the Neurology Program Director at Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland AFB, TX and as the DVBIC San Antonio Site Director.  He currently serves as the USAF Surgeon General Neurology Consultant. He is board-certified in both Neurology and Psychiatry. He also serves as the DoD Liaison to two White House appointed panels of the Defense Health Board.

Col (S) Jaffee has served as an Aerospace Neurology Consultant at the Aerospace Consultation Service/USAF School of Aerospace Medicine and has served as the USAF Psychiatry Consultant on security clearance issues. He has academic appointments as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology and an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, TX, as well as holding the position of Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, MD.

Col (S) Jaffee holds an M.D.degree from he University of Virginia School of Medicine and a B.A from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. He completed residency training at Wilford Hall Medical Center where he was selected as chief resident for both the departments of Neurology and Psychiatry.

During his deployment in Balad AB, Iraq, Col. (S) Jaffee was the Chief of Medical Staff (SGH) at the Air Force Theater Hospital with the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group.

He has been the recipient of several honors and awards including the only DoD physician selected as a William Webb fellow by the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine for excellence in advancing the understanding of the mind-body interface. Col (S) Jaffee has been involved in extensive research in the area of Traumatic Brain Injury and is the author of many articles and papers and serves on many selected federal panels and review boards.  He has been an invited speaker of many national and international conferences, as well as to the Institute of Medicine. Col (S) Jaffee has received citations from the U.S. Surgeon General and the Iraqi Surgeon General and has received commendations from  four cabinet level departments, as well as the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. He was also selected as the active-duty U.S. delegate to NATO for international coordination of TBI initiatives. 

Speaking on September 4.

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James P. Kelly, MA, MD, FAAN

Director, National Intrepid Center of Excellence
Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health & TBI
8901 Wisconsin Blvd.
Bethesda MD 20889

Dr. James P. Kelly, a neurologist who is one of America's top experts on treating concussions, has been appointed director of a new Department of Defense center that will conduct research as well as diagnosis and treatment planning to help members of the military with psychological health problems and traumatic brain injury.

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), which is scheduled to open in spring 2010, is a component center of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE).

NICoE will be a 72,000 square-foot, two-story facility located on the Navy campus in Bethesda Md., adjacent to what will be the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It will have close access to the Uniformed Services University and the National Institutes of Health.

The new center is being built and equipped through the philanthropy of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Fisher Foundation and other individuals and groups. When construction is completed, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund will turn NICoE over to the Department of Defense. DCoE will then operate the center.

"We are bringing Dr. Kelly to NICoE now to assemble a world-class team and plan landmark programs and research so the new center can begin benefiting our warriors as soon as its doors open," said Brig. Gen. Loree K. Sutton, DCoE director and the highest ranking psychiatrist in the Army. "Thanks to the generosity of donors who are raising money to build NICoE and the talented staff we will assemble, we're looking forward to making major strides to help build better lives for the brave men and women we serve."

Kelly is on a leave of absence from his position as professor of neurosurgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. His past positions include assistant dean for graduate medical education at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the neurology residency program director at the Northwestern University medical school.

The new NICoE director has also served as director of the Brain Injury Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He was the neurologist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League and is consulted frequently by professional, elite amateur and youth athletes who have sustained concussions.

Kelly co-authored the sports concussion guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology and the Standardized Assessment of Concussion that is widely used in athletic and military settings.

In addition, Kelly is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; immediate past-president of the Colorado Society of Clinical Neurologists; and a consulting neurologist to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - another DCoE component center. He was the first chairman of the Defense Health Board's Traumatic Brain Injury External Advisory Subcommittee for Military Clinical Care, Research and Education.

After graduating with a bachelor's and  master's degree in psychology from Western Michigan University, Kelly graduated from medical school at Northwestern University and completed his neurology residency and behavioral neurology fellowship at the University of Colorado.

Speaking on September 4.

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Congressman John P. Murtha

U.S. Representative
12th Congressional District
2423 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515

Honorable Congressman John P. Murtha has dedicated his life to serving his country, both in the military and in the halls of Congress. He had a long and distinguished 37 year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990.

He has been serving the people of the 12th Congressional District since 1974. Congressman Murtha is currently the ninth most senior member of the 435 member U.S. House of Representatives. Of the nearly 10,000 men and women who have served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1789, only 90 have served longer than he has. Congressman Murtha has worked hard to bring thousands of family-sustaining jobs to Western Pennsylvania. With the wide-spread loss of coal and steel jobs that were the lifeblood of the area, he pushed the region in a new direction, intent on diversifying the economy by attracting healthcare, defense, medical research, tourism, and high-tech jobs that would insulate the region from future shocks. This success has transformed communities and has brought thousands of jobs to the district he represents. He has forged partnerships between Western Pennsylvania hospitals and world-renowned institutions such as the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Bethesda Naval Hospital, one of which has led to research that could revolutionize the early detection and treatment of breast cancer and significantly advance efforts to eradicate the disease.

Speaking on September 4.

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Colonel Ron K. Poropatich, MD

Deputy Director
US Army Medical Research & Materiel Command (USAMRMC), Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC)
Bldg. 1054 Patchel Street, Attn: MCMR-ZB-T
Fort Detrick MD 21702

COL Ron Poropatich, MD is assigned to the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) at Fort Detrick, MD as the Deputy Director to the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) and the USAMRMC Military Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). COL Poropatich is also the Medical Informatics Consultant for the US Army Surgeon General where he works towards wide-scale implementation of IM/IT solutions across the Army Medical Department. He is a former President and Board Member of the American Telemedicine Association and a practicing Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine physician at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, DC. He is also an Associate Editor for the "Telemedicine and e-Health Journal".

Speaking on September 4.

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Michael Ravotti, DHSc, PA-C

Certified Clinical Lipid Specialist
Cardiovascular Clinical Science Manager - Abbott Laboratories
1094 St. Joseph Street
Loretto PA 15940

814-886-8442
michael.ravotti@abbott.com

Dr. Ravotti has been a practicing Physician Assistant for over 20 years, with most of his experience being in primary care and orthopedics. He has also been involved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory research in an industrial rehabilitative setting. Prior to becoming a PA, Dr. Ravotti earned his BS degree at Slippery Rock University in Health Education/Athletic Training and taught in the public school systems of Western Pennsylvania. Dr. Ravotti earned his Physician Assistant degree at Saint Francis University and graduated in 1984. He also received his Masters degree in Human Resource Management and holds a Doctorate of Health Sciences degree from Nova Southeastern.

Dr. Ravotti is currently employed by Abbott Laboratories as a Cardiovascular Clinical Science Manager where he focuses most of his efforts on the management of dyslipidemia. He is also an adjunct Assistant Professor at Saint Francis University in the Department of Physician Assistant Sciences where he has taught off and on for 22 years.

Dr. Ravotti enjoys an active lifestyle where he continues to coach Track and Field on a variety of levels and is also involved in promoting community wellness.

Speaking on September 4.

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Jay B. Roberts, MA

Director
Saint Francis University's CERMUSA
P.O. Box 600
Loretto PA 15940

Jay B. Roberts, MA, is the Director of Saint Francis University’s Center of Excellence for Rural and Medically Under-Served Areas (CERMUSA). He administers the total operation of the Center and oversees all major program research, including Weapons of Mass Destruction and mobile health communication protocols. He has over 27 years of extensive experience in operating and managing complex governmental entities, specifically in law enforcement and local government.  Mr. Roberts possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations from Saint Francis University, and has Master’s Certification in Applied Project Management from Villanova University.  His vast experience as Cambria County Sheriff has allowed him to develop working relationships with governmental agencies and private sector businesses across the state of Pennsylvania.  His experience in writing and administering federal grants enhances his position of development of business plans for telehealth and distance learning research projects.

Speaking on September 4.

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Jay H. Shore, MD, MPH

Subject Matter Expert & Psychological Health Portfolio Manager, TATRC; Assistant Professor
University of Colorado-Denver, Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health
13055 E. 17th Ave., PO Box 6508
Mail Stop F800 Building M24, Room 347
Aurora CO 80045

303-724-1465
jay.shore@ucdenver.edu

Jay H. Shore, M.D., MPH is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado at Denver's American Indian and Alaska Native Programs (AIANP), a staff physician with the Department of Veterans Affairs, and serves as a subject matter expert for the Department of Defense's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. Dr. Shore is currently participating in telehealth projects at the AIANP focused on the ongoing development, implementation, and assessment of telehealth programs in Native communities aimed at improving both quality and access to care. He has led efforts to establish American Indian telepsychiatry services for post-traumatic stress disorder in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Additionally, Dr. Shore is the attending physician for a clinic that trains psychiatric residents in the use of telemedicine. He has been involved in telehealth consultation services in several western states and Alaska, and has worked as a consultant in the area of telehealth for tribal, state and federal agencies. He has authored published manuscripts focused on clinical and research topics in telepsychiatry. Dr. Shore is a member of the American Telemedicine Association and is active in the TeleMental Health Special Interest Group for which he is the incoming vice-chair.

Speaking on September 4.

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Brigadier General Loree K. Sutton, MD

Director
Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, Military Health System
1401 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 400
Arlington VA 22207

Brigadier General Loree K. Sutton is a Warrior and Psychiatrist.  She currently serves as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) and Director,  Defense Centers for Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Prior to this assignment, BG Sutton served in a variety of leadership, policy and operational roles, including as the Commander, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas; Command Surgeon, US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM); Commander, Dewitt Army Community Hospital/Health Care Network; Deputy Commander for Clinical Services, General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital; Division Surgeon, 4th lnfantry Division (Mechanized); Special Assistant to the Surgeon General, LTG (Ret) Ronald R. Blanck; White House Fellow and Special Assistant to Office of National Drug Control Program Director, General Barry R. McCaffrey, US Army (Retired); Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Disaster Medicine Consultant at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS); Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry at William Beaumont Medical Center; Division Psychiatrist, 1st Armored Division, including deployment from Germany to Operations Desert Shield / Storm; and Mental Health Officer with 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment Task Force, Multinational Force and Observers, Sinai, Egypt.

BG Sutton has received numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Order of Military Medical Merit. She has earned the Expert Field Medical Badge, the German Armed Forces Efficiency Training Badge (Silver), and is authorized to wear the US Army 9th Infantry Regiment Manchu Warrior Belt Buckle.  Other honors include the Colonel Robert Skelton Award as the outstanding officer in residency training at Letterman Army Medical Center, and the Sandoz Award as the outstanding graduate medical student at Loma Linda University in the field of Psychiatry.

BG Sutton has received the "American Patriot" award from the Non-Commissioned Officer Association (NCOA) and also serves proudly as a Yellow Rose of Texas; Honorary Texan; Admiral of the Texas Navy; Kentucky Colonel; and an Honorary Member of the Non-Commissioned Officer Corps.  Selected to serve as a member of Leadership Washington (LW), Class of 2003, she was subsequently elected to serve on the LW Board of Directors, 2003-2004.

BG Sutton completed her Internship and Residency training in Psychiatry at Letterman Army Medical Center, located at the Presidio of San Francisco, California. She holds a Medical Degree from Loma Linda University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Pacific Union College. Board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, BG Sutton is licensed to practice medicine in California. She is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College and a distinguished graduate of the National War College.

Speaking on September 4.

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Kent Tonkin, MA

Assistant Director for Information Technology
Saint Francis University's CERMUSA
P.O. Box 600
Loretto PA 15940

814-472-3389
ktonkin@cermusa.francis.edu

Kent P. Tonkin is the Assistant Director for Information Technology for CERMUSA at Saint Francis University. He has worked in close conjunction with CERMUSA since 1995.  As Assistant Director for IT, his primary responsibilities include directing and coordinating technical support for all Telehealth and Distance Learning research studies as well as producing solutions to problems created throughout the development of new projects. Throughout his extensive experience working with CERMUSA, he has served a number of roles involving a variety of tasks relating to technological development and supervision.  Under his direction, CERMUSA has developed and deployed a number of innovations featuring novel combinations of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies, most notably the patented RF to IP Bridge System, the Mobile Access Point (MAP), and the Mobile Communications Platform (MCP).

Mr. Tonkin obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications/Public Relations and a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management and Industrial Relations from Saint Francis University.

Speaking on September 4.

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George Zitnay, PhD

Co-Founder of Johnstown DVBIC
c/o Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
109 Sunray Drive
Johnstown PA 15905

George Zitnay, PhD, ABDA, CBIS-CE is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Clinical Professor in Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Virginia, and is a co-founder of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center of the Department of Defense. Dr. Zitnay is the Chairperson of the WHO Neurotrauma Committee, serves on the Expert panel on neurotrauma for the Director General of the WHO, and is a board member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, NBIRTT, AMN and the European Academy of Neurotraumatology. He is the past president and Chairman of NBIRT, the Brain Injury Association of America, and the International Brain Injury Association. In addition he has served as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Medical Rehabilitation and Research Center at NIH, on the CDC Advisory Committee for Injury and on the Child Health and Human Development Institute at NIH. He is widely published in peer reviewed journals and has contributed to many text books in TBI. Dr. Zitnay has served as the Principal Investigator for the DVBIC and other research projects.

Speaking on September 4.

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