SpringFest 2021 Speakers
Michael Altese
PharmD, PHARMACY DIRECTOR, CASCADE HEMOPHILIA CONSORTIUM, ANN ARBOR, MI
Mike has been Cascade’s Pharmacy Director since 2007. He manages the daily operation of the pharmacy, working with patients and treatment center staff to manage patients’ pharmacy needs and care. He also manages the inventory for Cascade and our six contract Hemophilia Treatment Center partners. Mike enjoys this area of work because of the strong relationships within the bleeding disorder community.
Mike received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Michigan. He is a huge fan of University of Michigan Athletics, and is an avid runner, having completed three marathons and multiple half-marathons. He also loves hiking, particularly in Glacier National Park in Montana.
Honey Blankenship
MSN, MBA, RN, CCM, CPN, SENIOR CLINICAL SPECIALIST, TAKEDA, HEBRON, KY
Honey has been a Senior Clinical Specialist with Takeda since September 2018. Prior to joining the Takeda team, Honey spent 4 years managing a case management team at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Honey also spent 4 years as a Nurse Care Manager at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Hemophilia Treatment Center. During that time Honey enjoyed educating patients and families and advocating for the bleeding disorder community. Honey received a master’s in nursing leadership and management and a Master of Business Administration degree from Walden University. Honey is also a Certified Case Manager and a Certified Pediatric Nurse.
Karen Boyd
LMSW, ACSW, DCSW, SOCIAL WORKER, OLIN HEALTH CENTER, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, LANSING, MI
Karen Boyd is a licensed clinical social worker and has been privileged to work with the bleeding disorders community for over 17 years. She was instrumental in creating retreats for men, women, couples, and families to learn more about their disorder. Karen has conducted research focusing on children with chronic illness and its impact on the family. She has been involved in conducting research for the National Impact Quality of Life on Pain Study in conjunction with sponsoring treatment centers. As a therapist, she is privileged to work with families and adults who are impacted by a chronic health condition. Karen’s priority in working with the bleeding disorder community is facilitating collaboration between consumers and providers and enhancing intimate relationships. When away from her busy professional life, Karen enjoys a delicious cup of coffee, ballroom dancing, gardening, entertaining, and travel.
Vanessa Byams
DRPH, MPH, TEAM LEAD, BLEEDING DISORDERS TEAM, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND SURVEILLANCE BRANCH, DIVISION OF BLOOD DISORDERS, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, ATLANTA, GA
Vanessa Byams joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September 2001 and has worked with the bleeding disorders community for her entire tenure. She began her CDC career as a fellow working on a women with bleeding disorders multisite treatment and management study. Currently as a Team Lead within the Division of Blood Disorders, she provides scientific direction and guides programmatic decisions related to bleeding disorders surveillance and health promotion projects. Dr. Byams collaborates with colleagues on scientific projects within the Bleeding Disorders team including the Community Counts surveillance project, as well as the health promotion cooperative agreements currently awarded to the National Hemophilia Foundation and the Hemophilia Federation of America. She lives in the Atlanta area with her husband, two kids (ages 13 and 10), and two cats.
Alice Cakebread
LLMSW, SOCIAL WORKER, CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF MICHIGAN, DETROIT, MI
Alice Cakebread has been working as the Hemostasis and Thrombosis social worker at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit for a year now. Alice is dedicated and passionate about connecting patients and families to resources to help them navigate the world with a bleeding disorder. She has an orange cat named Figgy, enjoys spending time outside and up north with friends (in non-COVID times), and loves exploring Ann Arbor.
Samantha A. Carlson
LMSW, OLDER ADULT SERVICES DIRECTOR, AREA AGENCY ON AGING REGION IIIA, HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT PLANNING SECTION CHIEF – COVID-19 VACCINATION RESPONSE, COVID-19 PANDEMIC INCIDENT COMMAND LONG TERM CARE FACILITY TASK FORCE LEAD, KALAMAZOO, MI
Samantha Carlson, LMSW, OSW-C, ACHP-SW, received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in clinical social work at Western Michigan University, practicing in West Michigan since 1998. Samantha is currently the Director of the Area Agency on Aging 3A through the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department. Programming includes Choices for Independence case management, Information & Assistance, Long Term Care Ombudsman Programming, Health Living Programming (Creating Confident Caregivers, Personal Action Toward Health, and Matter of Balance). Her clinical and administrative practices focus on brief integrative therapy, family and patient goals; and patient centered care, empowering patients to participate in their healthcare and wellness. Certified in clinical oncology social work and palliative care, she has spoken locally, regionally, and nationally regarding palliative care, psychosocial impact of cancer and blood disorders, volunteer management and ethics, cancer survivorship and pain management.
Dana Clemmans
HEMOPHILIA COMMUNITY LIAISON, NOVO NORDISK, CHICAGO, IL
Dana is driven by her passion to help patients. Her greatest contribution comes from letting people living with bleeding disorders know she is there for them as a resource when they need it. In her spare time, Dana enjoys cooking and attending sporting events.
Roddy Doucet
COMMUNITY OUTREACH MANAGER, WORLD FEDERATION OF HEMOPHILIA (WFH), MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA
Roddy is the Community Outreach Manager with the World Federation of Hemophilia. It has been his honor to serve the global bleeding disorder community and work alongside patients, families, and healthcare professionals in pursuit of our share vision of Treatment for All.
Michael Jay Garner
BA, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT BEYOND RECREATION, NC
Michael Jay Garner started his performing career like many who pursue this type of work: by accident. He received a BA in Psychology from Emory University, where he also learned how to juggle, play various musical instruments, and find comfort and joy playing on stage as a four-year cast member of the nation’s oldest college improv troupe. After college, Michael worked in the corporate world, but took many side gigs as a performer. And while preparing an audition piece for The Big Apple Circus, he realized that by assembling this random assortment of skills, he had inadvertently been training to be a clown for ten years — without even realizing it. Since then, Michael’s life has been a swirling vortex of clowning and circus arts — from working as a hospital clown with The Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit, to being the Resident Clown at The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp (a children’s medical camp founded by Paul Newman). He has also toured with Britney Spears on her World Circus Tour and has been touring internationally with Cirque du Soleil since 2016, playing the Handyman clown in KOOZA. Michael is also very proud to work with Cirque du Monde, an outreach program of Cirque du Soleil that teaches circus arts to at-risk and underserved youth. And finally, he would like to apologize for the camera being too close to his face in the posted profile photo.
Johanna Gray
MPA, PRINCIPAL, ARTEMIS POLICY GROUP, FEDERAL POLICY ADVISOR, NATIONAL HEMOPHILIA FOUNDATION AND HEMOPHILIA ALLIANCE, WASHINGTON DC
Johanna Gray is a Principal at Artemis Policy Group, a health policy and association management firm in Washington, DC. She works with clients, including patient advocacy groups and associations of specialized treatment centers, to develop and implement successful advocacy strategies involving Congress and federal public health agencies. She has served as a federal policy advisor to NHF since 2007 and the Hemophilia Alliance since 2011. Johanna began her career as an intern for then-Senator Barack Obama and held several policy analysis and government affairs positions prior to starting Artemis with her partners, Ellen Riker and Elizabeth Karan, in 2020. She received an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a BA in public policy studies with honors from the University of Chicago. Outside of work, she reads a lot to keep up with two book clubs and enjoys trying new restaurants and exploring DC with her husband, Dave, and rescue pup, Indy.
Laura Gusba
CNP, HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM, HEMOPHILIA AND THROMBOSIS TREATMENT CENTER, DETROIT, MI
Laura is a native of Michigan and has many nurses in her family. She married, and moved to Windsor, Canada and completed her BSN at the University of Windsor and then went on to earn her Master’s degree. She has been working at Henry Ford Hospital since 1994 and spent most of her career working in Labor and delivery and Women’s Health. In 2015, she took on the challenge of learning something new, and joined the team at the Henry Ford Hemophilia Treatment Center and the Hematology Division at Henry Ford. She really enjoys when she gets to combine her two career interests, women’s care and bleeding disorders!
Rebecca Hauke
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEMOPHILIA AND COAGULATION DISORDERS PROGRAM, ANN ARBOR, MI
Rebecca has been at the HTC for more than 24 years serving as the HTC’s Research/Clinical Trial Coordinator and Database Administrator. She currently serves on the Community of Practice Advisory Committee as a representative of the Great Lakes Region and has served on the ATHN-Clinical Manager Technology Committee since 2006.
Anne Henningfeld
MA, CTRS, MANAGING PARTNER AT BEYOND RECREATION, NC
Anne Henningfeld has over ten years of experience directing summer resident, day, and travel camps for a variety of populations, including hemophilia, traumatic brain injury, and at-risk youth. Since 2014, she has spent her summers executing her favorite part of summer camp: staff training. Anne completed her Master’s Degree in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Toledo in 2011 and is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. A two-time recipient of the Health Education Award of Distinction from the National Hemophilia Foundation, and the 2009 Michigan Hemophilia Professional of the year, Anne is in demand as a speaker and presenter. She was the 1998 Central Florida Yo-Yo Champion and toured the United States doing motivational school assembly programs. Anne currently spends the off-season researching and improving her staff training modules while accompanying her husband Michael as he performs in the global tour of Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza.
Sherry Herman-Hilker
PT, MS, PHYSICAL THERAPIST, HEMOPHILIA TREATMENT CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR, MI
Sherry is a physical therapist at the University of Michigan Hemophilia and Coagulation Disorders Program where she has worked with both the adult and pediatric bleeding disorders teams since 1996. She provides consultation and education regarding activity, mobility and bleed recognition and management to patients with bleeding disorders of all ages and their families. Sherry is also actively involved in the greater hemophilia community locally, regionally, and nationally.
Nancy Inverso
RN, HEMOPHILIA PROGRAM MANAGER, BRONSON HEMOPHILIA TREATMENT CENTER, KALAMAZOO, MI
Nancy’s background has over 30 years of experience in pediatric hematology and oncology prior to joining the bleeding disorder community in 2015. She is the current representative from the Great Lakes Region V on the National Hemophilia Foundation Nursing Working Group.
Ellen Kachalsky
LMSW, SOCIAL WORKER, HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM, DETROIT, MI
Ellen has her Masters of Social Work degree from Adelphi University in New York, but moved to Michigan after obtaining her degree. After working in several hospital systems, Ellen came to Henry Ford Hospital in 1997 to work in Bone Marrow Transplant and Hematology-Oncology, and covered several clinics, including the Multi-Disciplinary Clinics for Breast Cancer, and the Head and Neck Clinic. She has worked in hemophilia since 1999, but prior to that, she worked in Hematology & Oncology, Family Practice, and the ICU and Step-Down units at Harper Hospital, Sinai Hospital, Providence Hospital and St. Mary Hospital. She also worked for 3 years at HUD-subsidized Senior congregate living, where she helped residents maintain their independence by linking them with community resources and providing support, counseling and programs. Ellen has 2 adult children, a son who keeps her on her toes with puns and trivia contests, and a daughter who is in film and production. She enjoys teaching clients about coping with conditions, and also teaching about the ins and outs of insurance so that they can get the maximum benefit from their insurance plans, and also would like to help them realize their full potential in education and employment so that they may lead happier and productive lives, while dealing with pain and other issues related to bleeding disorders.
Kayla Klein
MANAGER, PATIENT ADVOCACY, SIGILON THERAPEUTICS, INC., CAMBRIDGE, MA
Kayla has her BA from Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame and her master’s degree in teaching from Simmons College and has worked in both education and patient advocacy before joining Sigilon. Kayla has been featured on NPR regarding children on Medicaid, and has spoken alongside Massachusetts State Senator Ed Markey about CHIP funding. She serves on the Board of Directors for Save One Life, an international nonprofit serving the bleeding disorders community. She lives in Boston, MA with her husband Joel, sons Robbie and Eddie, and dog Atticus.
Roshni Kulkarni
MD, PROFESSOR EMERITA OF PEDIATRICS AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, AND FORMER DIRECTOR, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR BLEEDING AND CLOTTING DISORDERS, LANSING, MI
Dr. Kulkarni is currently Professor Emerita of Pediatrics and Human Development, and former Director, at the Michigan State University (MSU) Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders, and Pediatric and Adolescent Hematology/Oncology (PHO). She was the Director and distinguished Hematology Consultant, Division of Blood Disorders, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta GA. She is a founding member of the Foundation for Women and Girls with Blood disorders. She is a member of various professional societies and committees, including the World Federation of Hemophilia Women with Inherited Bleeding disorder Committee, CDC joint outcomes committee and Inhibitor committee. She has been a past member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF), American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network leadership committee, American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Research Society. She is a founding member of the MSU Women and Girls Blood Disorder clinic, a collaborative comprehensive care clinic of the MSU Departments of Pediatrics and human Development, Ob-Gyn and Reproductive Biology and Internal Medicine. She has received numerous awards that include NHF’s “Physician of the Year” the MSU “Distinguished Faculty” award, and distinguished service award from the Federal Drug Administration and CDC and named to the Best Doctors in America since 2007.
Philip Kuriakose
MD, SENIOR STAFF PHYSICIAN, HEMATOLOGY, HENRY FORD CANCER INSTITUTE, DETROIT, MI
Dr. Philip Kuriakose attended medical school at Christian Medical College in Ludhiana, India. He completed his post-graduate training at Christian Medical College, Brown Memorial Hospital, and Henry Ford Hospital. Dr. Kuriakose went to the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Florida for his fellowship in hematology/oncology. He is a senior staff physician at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute and an assistant professor at Wayne State University Medical School. Dr. Kuriakose specializes in hematology, hemophilia, leukemias, thrombosis, and general cancer care. He is the principal investigator in multiple clinical trials and has published numerous articles on a variety of topics.
Jennifer Laliberté,
NATIONAL DIRECTOR, WORLD FEDERATION OF HEMOPHILIA (WFH) USA, MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA
Jennifer has been working with the global bleeding disorders community for over 10 years in education, research, and public policy. She currently serves as National Director of WFH USA, working to raise awareness and support for the WFH’s mission of Treatment for All within the US.
Susan Fenters Lerch
HFM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; FEDERAL GREAT LAKES REGION V-E HTC NETWORK DIRECTOR, YPSILANTI, MI
Susan Fenters Lerch is an accomplished leader who has served in the non-profit sector for more than three decades. Sue joined HFM as the Executive Director in June 2014; however she came to this role having previously served as the HFM Associate Director from 1983-1996. In 1997 Sue joined Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan as President and CEO until 2010 when she launched Autism Alliance of Michigan. Additionally, Sue has served as the lead consultant in implementing World AIDS Day Detroit, initiated the Hospice of Michigan Foundation and created Bring Joy consulting services. Currently, as the Executive Director at HFM, Susan is responsible for statewide patient educational programming and advocacy services and also serves as the Great Lakes and Region V-East Hemophilia Treatment Centers’ Regional Director.
Jen Maahs
MSN, PNP, RN-BC, DIRECTOR OF BLEEDING DISORDER CARE AND COORDINATION, INDIANA HEMOPHILIA AND THROMBOSIS CENTER, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Jennifer Maahs is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and the Director of Bleeding Disorders Care and Coordination at the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center (IHTC) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has over 25 years’ experience working with patients with bleeding disorders. She was a recipient of NHF’s Nurse of the Year award and is a very well-respected and requested presenter. Ms. Maahs is looking forward to meeting you during this virtual presentation.
Jim Mohnach
MARKETING LEAD, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, DETROIT, MI
Jim Mohnach serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan. Jim is also an Executive Committee Member of the Cascade Board of Directors. In his professional life he Jim is a marketing lead at Ford Motor Company where he has worked since 2018. Prior to that he held various leadership positions at GTB/Team Detroit, the advertising agency for Ford Motor Company. Jim has been involved in the hemophilia community for almost 10 years. He’s so appreciative of the community and the people he’s been fortunate enough to meet within the bleeding disorders community. He loves seeing so many old friends at events like SpringFest and the Walk at the Detroit Zoo. In his free time, Jim loves spending time with his family, which includes his wife Lauren, son Aiden, and daughters Emma and Isla.
Eric Mullins
MD, HEMOPHILIA TREATMENT CENTER, CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, OH
Dr. Mullins is an associate professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati – College of Medicine. He has focused his career on the care of children with coagulation disorders, both bleeding disorders and thrombosis. Dr. Mullins, along with the Department of Pediatric Gynecology, founded the Young Women with Bleeding Disorders Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s in 2008 and has had active collaborations with gynecology since that time. More recently, he has enjoyed collaborating with the Transgender Health Clinic in Adolescent Medicine for care of transgender adolescents and young adults. He enjoys making barbeque (North Carolina and Memphis styles are the best y’all!) and hiking in the National Parks.
Annie Phillips
LMSW, PMH-C, LICENSED THERAPIST, HEALING HOME COUNSELING GROUP, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI
Annie Phillips is a licensed clinical social worker and the co-owner of Healing Home Counseling Group. She spent the beginning of her career working at Children’s Hospital of Michigan Hemophilia Treatment Center, and recently left that position to open her own therapy practice. As a therapist certified in perinatal mental health, she can better understand and assist families who are struggling with fertility issues, difficult pregnancies, perinatal mood disorders, and postpartum struggles. Annie has devoted her career to individual people as well as her community. Most recently, developing a swim program in Detroit for children, adolescents, and teens diagnosed with a bleeding disorder and their siblings. These experiences have helped her develop strong therapeutic relationships and techniques with adolescents, teenagers, young adults, and parents.
Stephanie Raymond
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CASCADE HEMOPHILIA CONSORTIUM, ANN ARBOR, MI
Stephanie has been with Cascade since 1996, including 17 years serving as Associate Director. As Executive Director, she guides the daily operations of 17 full–and part–time staff. She has extensive knowledge of the 340B Federal Drug Discount Program. Stephanie also manages Cascade’s multi-million-dollar funding award program to 18 hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) and seven hemophilia foun- dations located in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Concordia University. Stephanie and her husband live with their Boston Terrier, Winston, just outside of Ann Arbor. Stephanie feels very fortunate and thankful for the many long-time friendships made throughout her years at Cascade. “We have an exceptional region filled with many wonderful and dedicated people.”
Dave Robinson
PHD, LMFT, DIRECTOR OF THE MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY PROGRAM AT UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY, LOGAN, UT
Dr. Dave Robinson is a licensed and practicing marriage and family therapist and Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Utah State University. He and his wife Jamie have 5 children (three sons and two daughters). The oldest and youngest sons both have moderate Factor IX hemophilia. Dave travels the country sharing his experience and expertise with families on behalf of HFA’s outreach programs.
Dave Rushlow
LMSW, NORTHERN REGIONAL BLEEDING DISORDER CENTER, MUNSON MEDICAL CENTER
David has over 30 years of experience as a licensed social worker and graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Social Work degree. He has worked in a medical setting for many years and has unique experience working with chronic health conditions, grief, loss, and end of life issues.
Eric Stolte
PRESIDENT, WORLD FEDERATION OF HEMOPHILIA (WFH) USA, LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA
Originally born in the USA, Eric & his family immigrated to Canada in 1987. During their time in Canada, Eric and Marion have been active volunteers with the Canadian Hemophilia Society (CHS). Marion’s Dad had hemophilia A and their son was born with FVIII deficiency. Eric was a National Board member of the CHS from 1994 until 2011 and served as President/Chair from 2004 – 2007. In 2008 he was co-opted to serve as a volunteer on the Board of the World Federation of Hemophilia and 2012 was elected to serve as VP Finance and Administration and served until 2018. After serving on the WFH USA Board for a number of years, was elected as President (Chair) and is currently in that role.
Patricia Espinosa-Thomson
COMMUNITY LIAISON, USBU HEMATOLOGY, TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY LIMITED, LEXINGTON, MA
Patricia earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. During that time, her desire to understand the multicultural nuances among different ethnic groups led to the hands-on research experience both living and working alongside the remote indigenous tribes of the Amazon. This research became the foundation for her career in human connectivity and cultural understanding. Patricia holds a master’s degree in human resource management from Nova Southeastern University in Florida in 1977, a state that she has called home ever since. For nearly three decades, Patricia has served the healthcare system focusing her attention to the mental health service community by providing support, education, and leadership across a variety of roles. This passion for education has led to her current role as Community Liaison at Takeda since 2007.
Travis Tussing
JD, REGIONAL COORDINATOR, FEDERAL GRANTS DIRECTOR, HEMOPHILIA FOUNDATION OF MICHIGAN, YPSILANTI, MI
Travis has been involved with HFM programming since attending Camp Bold Eagle as a child. Following completion of law school Travis worked in private practice locally, which lent itself to considering a position with HFM more than six years ago. He serves as the Regional Coordinator for the Great Lakes Regional Hemophilia Network.
In this role, he works with the federally funded Hemophilia Treatment Centers in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio to provide guidance and assistance to ensure that federal grant goals and objectives are met, including, providing quality multidisciplinary comprehensive care for patients. Travis and Kristy have an adorable daughter who keeps them busy along with their dog, Marley, and Piggy the cat.
