STOPTHECLOT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- FASCO, MASAB CHAIR
- Medical and Scientific Advisory Board Chair
- Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic 's Lerner College of Medicine
Dr. Khorana is a professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner College of Medicine. His clinical and translational research program focuses on predictive factors and drug development in cancer-associated thrombosis and gastrointestinal cancers.
He also serves as the Sondra and Stephen Hardis Chair in Oncology Research at Case Western Reserve University; Vice-Chair for Clinical Services of the Taussig Cancer Institute (part of Case Comprehensive Cancer Center); and Director of the Gastrointestinal Malignancies Program at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr. Khorana's clinical and translational research program focuses on predictive factors and drug development in cancer-associated thrombosis and gastrointestinal cancers and has been funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Hardis Family, the Porter Family Fund, VeloSano, the Cleveland Clinic Center for Excellence, the Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative, Stand Up To Cancer (Colorectal Cancer "Dream Team") and the V Foundation.
Dr. Khorana received his medical degree from Maharaja Sayajirao University's Medical College in Baroda (now Vadodara, Gujarat), India. His postdoctoral training included a residency in internal medicine at the University at Buffalo in New York, and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Rochester, New York. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and in 2018 was elected Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Dr. Khorana is Past Chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Clinical Practice Guidelines Panel (CPGC), Chair of ASCO CPGC's Pancreas Cancer Working Group, Co-Chair of ASCO CPGC's Multisite Advisory Group and Co-Chair of the ASCO Guidelines Panel on Resectable Pancreas Cancer. He has also served or serves on the ASCO Scientific Program Committee and multiple Guidelines/Guidance Panels including those of ASCO, American Society of Hematology (ASH), American Society for Radiation Oncology and International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) and as a member of the US Pharmacopoeia Oncology Expert Committee. He was previously Chair of the ISTH Scientific Subcommittee on Hemostasis and Malignancy in 2019, and Dr. Khorana was awarded the Cleveland Clinic's Maria and Sam Miller Professional Excellence Award for Scientific Achievement in Clinical Research.
Dr. Khorana has been published in a variety of journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), Journal of Clinical Oncology, Blood, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Clinical Cancer Research, PLoS One, and JAMA Internal Medicine. He has co-authored chapters in multiple textbooks including multiple editions of Cecil Essentials of Medicine and DeVita's Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. He is co-editor of the book Cancer-Associated Thrombosis: New Findings in Translational Science, Prevention and Treatment (Informa, 2007). Dr. Khorana's fiction and creative nonfiction works have been published in the Bellevue Literary Review, Annals of Internal Medicine and Health Affairs and selected for Best American Medical Writing (Kaplan, 2009).
Job Titles:
- Principal Investigator, Co - Investigator
Dr. Amin is with the University of California-Irvine (UCI) in the capacity of the Tom and Mary Cesario Chairman, Department of Medicine. He is Professor of Medicine, Business, Public Health, Nursing, and Biomedical Engineering at UC Irvine. He is also founder and executive director of the Hospitalist Program. Dr. Amin has served as Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and Quality for 12 years, Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine for 6 years, Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program for 14 years, and Medicine Clerkship Director for 14 years. Dr. Amin obtained his MD degree at Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois, and later he completed his internship and his residencies in internal medicine, including a chief residency, at UCI. Also at UCI, he earned a healthcare MBA. Dr. Amin is the first Hospitalist to be named Chief of a Division of GIM, and then subsequently the first Hospitalist to be named Chairman of a Department of Medicine nationally.
Throughout his career, Dr. Amin has been innovative in clinical, quality and educational program development. He has advised the Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar on Quality Improvement efforts across 8 hospitals under the national health ministry council. He has developed processes to improve patient care delivery looking at ways to reduce readmission and avoidable admissions, as well as improvements in length of stay, mortality and customer service. Dr. Amin is an expert in implementation science and measuring outcomes to improve sustainable long lasting results. He has also applied information technology to improve the delivery of care through development of projects such as NHCPlus, eConsults, Apps for Safe Anticoagulation Use, and others.
During the course of his career, Dr. Amin has served as principal investigator, co-investigator, and faculty sponsor on clinical trials and research projects focusing on clinical topics such as VTE, pneumonia, and heart failure. His research interest is in health outcomes related to patient safety & quality improvement and medical education. He is a member of professional organizations as the Society of Hospital Medicine, the American College of Physicians, the Society of General Internal Medicine, Academic Chiefs and Leaders of General Internal Medicine, Academic Alliance of Internal Medicine, and Association of Professors of Medicine. Dr. Amin has authored or co-authored over 170 peer-reviewed articles. He is the co-editor/co-author of the Core Competencies for Hospital Medicine by SHM. He served as Chair of SHM's Education Committee for 4 years, the 2006 SHM Annual Meeting Course Director, and was on the SHM's Board of Directors. Dr. Amin was Associate Editor of Hospital Medicine Secrets. Dr. Amin is also co-editor of the book Contemporary Hospitalist Guide to Anticoagulation.
Among Dr. Amin's numerous awards and honors include the American College of Physicians Special Recognition Award, a Masters of the ACP, a Senior Fellow of SHM, named as one of "America's Top Physicians" by the Consumers' Research Council of America, Orange County Physician of Excellence Award, ACP's Top 10 Hospitalist Award, and Fellow of ACC. Dr. Amin is also the recipient of the Alfred Soffer Award from the ACCP, the Venous Research Award for Quality Improvement and Implementation of Best Practices from the Venous Disease Coalition (VDC)/Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF), Exceptional Leadership Award by ALCGIM, CDC's HA-VTE Prevention Champion, and HMC's Stars of Excellence Award. He founded and directs the UCI Anticoagulation Clinic which is recognized nationally as an AC Forum Center of Excellence.
Job Titles:
- Medical Officer With the Division of Reproductive Health
Dr. Nguyen is a medical officer with the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adjunct assistant professor with the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine, and adjunct assistant professor with the Department of Global Health at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health.
She received her MD and MPH in epidemiology from Emory University and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University and a fellowship in family planning at the University of North Carolina. Her work focuses on contraceptive safety and effectiveness, and the development and implementation of evidence-based contraception guidance. Dr. Nguyen co-leads CDC contraception guidance, including the U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use and the U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use.
Job Titles:
- Associate Medical Director for the Cardiovascular Surgery Bloodless Management Program for the Mount Sinai Health System
Dr. Cromwell earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, her MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and completed her Internal Medicine residency at NYU Medical Center. She completed her hematology/oncology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital where she also received her Masters of Science in Clinical Research. She served as Director of the Thrombosis Services Program for the Mount Sinai Health System and is a Committee Leader for the Mount Sinai Hospital Anticoagulation Safety and VTE Prophylaxis Committee.
Dr. Cromwell is also the Associate Medical Director for the Cardiovascular Surgery Bloodless Management Program for the Mount Sinai Health System. Her clinical focus is on consultative non-malignant hematology, women's health, and the long-term care of patients with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Dr. Cromwell is active in teaching and mentorship. She is Senior Medical Student Faculty Advisor at the Icahn School of Medicine. She is an ASH Ambassador, helping to support the recruitment and retention of trainees to hematology. She also currently serves on the ASH Medical Education Subcommittee.
Dan Walsh is a seasoned professional in the fields of data analytics and strategy, with more than a decade of experience within the consumer goods/branded products industry. Currently, he works in category management and insights at Keurig Dr Pepper. Prior to his current position, Dan has held pivotal roles in analytics and leadership at organizations like Kellogg's, Unilever, and Pernod Ricard.
Dan was born and raised in New Jersey, where he completed his bachelor's degree in marketing at Rutgers University. He furthered his education with an MBA specializing in data analytics at Louisiana State University. Dan and his family currently reside in Orlando, FL and in their free time they enjoy visiting the local theme parks.
In July 2021, Dan's life took a sudden turn when he experienced a sharp, debilitating pain in his back. Initially, an urgent care facility dismissed it. However, a week later, as the pain intensified, Dan sought help at the emergency room. There, it was determined that he was facing a near-fatal sub-massive pulmonary embolism, along with other emboli in his right lung. After a week in the ICU, Dan embarked on his path to recovery. He has since made significant progress and has channeled his experiences into raising awareness through sharing his story.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy
Dr. Witt is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. He received the B.S. degree in pharmacy from the University of Utah and the PharmD degree from the University of Washington. He completed a Clinical Pharmacy Residency at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Centers, Seattle, WA, and an Advanced Residency in Primary Care and Family Medicine, University of Washington.
Dr. Witt has authored or co-authored more than 100 journal articles and 12 book chapters, and has given numerous lectures for continuing education programs. His research interests center on providing practical information regarding the optimal use of anticoagulation therapy to front-line practitioners and patients. He was panel chair for the 2018 Optimal Management of Anticoagulation Guideline chapter and member of the Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism Guideline chapter in the venous thromboembolism guidelines released by the American Society of Hematology.
Dr. Witt also serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Pharmacotherapy and is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
Diane L. Wirth MS ANP-BC CACP is a nurse practitioner with Provider Health Services which provides primary care to long term care and rehabilitation facilities. Ms. Wirth is recognized by her peers as an expert in anticoagulation management of patients. Previously Ms. Wirth was employed at Grady Memorial Hospital (2010-2013) where she managed the department of cardiology and anticoagulation clinic as well as provided clinical support to the department.
Ms. Wirth was the managing NP in establishing the heart failure program which was awarded the GAGE award in May of 2013. Ms. Wirth spent the first 17 years of her career at Emory Healthcare, the last 8 years in which she managed the 8 anticoagulation clinics with 3000+patients and established a large virtual clinic with over 300 patients trained to self test their INR's at home.
Ms. Wirth received her Master's in Science/NP degree from Emory University and is credentialed as an adult nurse practitioner through American Nurse Credentialing Center. Ms. Wirth was appointed to the Anticoagulation Board of Directors in 2013 and is a certified anticoagulation provider (CACP). She serves as the treasurer on the Board of Directors of the National Certification Board for Anticoagulation Providers. Ms. Wirth has worked as a team member in a joint venture between CDC and the National Blood Clot Alliance to develop educational curriculum for thrombosis and atrial fibrillation. Ms. Wirth is a patient education provider/trainer for Alere Home Monitoring and has trained hundreds of patients to self test INR's in their home.
Ms. Wirth has published articles on genetic mutations while at Emory Healthcare and reductions of CHF readmissions. Research interests include anticoagulation, patient education and reduction of hospital admissions. She worked with a team of experts to develop on line curriculum, Stop the Clot: What Every Health Care Provider Should Know. Ms. Wirth co-authored a chapter in the third edition text book Managing Oral Anticoagulation Therapy: Clinical and Operational Guidelines.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director of the Division of Interventional Radiology
Dr. Carin Gonsalves is a Professor of Radiology and Co-Director of the Division of Interventional Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Over the course of her 21-year career, she has received several awards and honors including the Judy Dubbs Memorial Research Award, the A. Edward O'Hara MD Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Dean's Award for Excellence in Education, the Dean's Award for Outstanding Clinician, the Faculty Team Achievement Award for Collaborative Work as a Member of the Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Team, Certificate of Merit and the CureOM Hope Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation, Castle Connolly America's Top Doctor in Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Castle Connolly Philadelphia Top Doctor in Vascular and Interventional Radiology and Castle Connolly Exceptional Women in Medicine.
She has also been the principal and co-investigator for several NIH-funded clinical trials and has received research awards from the Radiologic Society of North America, American Roentgen Ray Society and the Society of Interventional Radiology. In 2011, she was elected a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology for her outstanding credentials, achievements and contributions to the field of interventional radiology. In addition, Dr. Gonsalves is the Co-Founder (2016) and Co-Director of the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team at Thomas Jefferson University providing outstanding state-of-the-art care for patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.
Dr. David Garcia is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology at the University of Washington. Dr. Garcia is the President of the Anticoagulation Forum, a national interest group focused on the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disease.
His primary research interests include the relationship of cancer and thrombosis, the treatment of warfarin-associated coagulopathy, and the risks and benefits of peri-procedural anticoagulation. Dr. Garcia has been an invited speaker at several international meetings and has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as Blood, Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, Chest, Thrombosis and Thrombolysis, the British Journal of Hematology and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr. Jack Ansell is former Chair of Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital and is a Professor of Medicine at Hofstra-NorthShore/LIJ School of Medicine. He is a clinical investigator with a principal focus on the clinical problems of thrombosis, antithrombotic therapy, and the application of new modes of delivering and monitoring anticoagulants.
Prior to his position in New York, Dr. Ansell was a Professor of Medicine and Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Ansell has helped to identify and provide an understanding of the problems related to the management of warfarin therapy and was one of the first investigators to identify and show that patients can manage their own therapy through home monitoring. He has been a leader in the promotion of high quality anticoagulation management through the development of anticoagulation clinics and was founder and president for over 15 years of the Anticoagulation Forum, which has grown into a 6,000 member organization representing over 2,000 anticoagulation clinics and interfacing with over ¾ of a million patients.
Dr. Ansell has authored more than 180 peer reviewed manuscripts and a number of texts and textbook chapters. He has been the lead author for over 10 years of the major consensus guidelines for antithrombotic therapy through the American College of Chest Physicians Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic Therapy, and is lead editor of a one-of-a-kind textbook entitled Managing Oral Anticoagulation: Clinical and Operational Guidelines. Dr. Ansell has also held a leadership position in the National Blood Clot Alliance, a patient advocacy group, as past Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Ansell received his medical degree from the University Of Virginia School Of Medicine and completed his medical residency at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, followed by a fellowship in Hematology at Boston University and the Boston's Veterans Administration Hospital.
Dr. Michael Kroll's basic research background is in mechanisms of platelet-dependent thrombosis, and his academic clinical niche is benign hematology, hemostasis and thrombosis. His group's research activities focus on mechanisms of cancer- and stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy, the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients, and mechanisms of cancer-induced venous thrombosis.
Dr. Kroll is intimately involved in fellowship training, co-directs UTMDACC's Anticoagulant Stewardship Program, has published over 100 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, lectures world-wide over a dozen times per year, serves on 2 federal grant review committees, has received several awards for education and leadership, and has served The American Society of Hematology in various capacities.
Dr. Kroll received his medical degree from Cornell. He underwent residency training in internal medicine at Brown University and completed his fellowship in hematology/oncology at Harvard Medical School-Brigham & Women's Hospital.
Job Titles:
- Section Chief of the Pulmonary
Dr. Nancy E. Amoroso is the Section Chief of the Pulmonary, Critical care and Sleep medicine group at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in NYC. Dr. Amoroso is a practicing pulmonologist and Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Amoroso received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Dr. Amoroso's major research interests include pulmonary embolism, thrombosis, and COVID in the critically ill, and her clinical activities include serving as both an intensivist in the medical intensive care unit and as a pulmonary attending on the Medicine-Pulmonary inpatient service.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Director of Evidenced Based Medicine
Dr. Paul Lewis is the Director of Evidenced Based Medicine & Physician Quality at Baycare Health Systems in Clearwater, Florida. He is also the System Vice Chair of Continuing Medical Education. He attended medical school at the University of South Florida & completed his Family Medicine residency there. He is an Associate Clinical Professor in the USFCOM Department of Family Medicine and was the past program Director of USF Family Medicine Residency. He remains a current teaching faculty member at the residency and has a passion for graduate education. He is also the Vice-Chairman for CME at Baycare Health System.
Dr. Lewis is a Fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians and is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Clinical Informatics. As Chairperson of the Baycare Health System VTE prevention taskforce, he is involved in numerous hospital-based improvement projects which combine EMR informatics, Quality Improvement and Evidenced Based Medicine. He has lectured at numerous HIMSS and Cerner conferences on the topic of clinical informatics & its role in bettering the quality of care and outcomes.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Professor of Radiology & Surgery at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
Dr. Suresh Vedantham, Professor of Radiology & Surgery at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is an experienced Interventional Radiologist who specializes in the delivery and clinical investigation of image-guided therapies for venous thromboembolism (VTE). He has a robust clinical practice in which he sees patients with complex vascular/thrombotic disorders who are referred to him locally, nationally, and internationally for treatment that often includes innovative, image-guided procedures. Dr. Vedantham has devoted his career to the development of high-quality evidence to guide venous patient care. He serves as national Principal Investigator of the landmark, multicenter, NIH-sponsored ATTRACT and C-TRACT Trials that are defining the appropriate role of catheter-based endovascular therapy in the management of DVT and its complications.
Elliott Richard Haut, MD, PhD, FACS is Vice Chair of Quality, Safety, & Service in the Department of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also has a faculty appointment in the Department of Health Policy & Management at The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is certified in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Haut's clinical practice at The Johns Hopkins Hospital covers all aspects of trauma and acute care surgery, as well as surgical critical care.
Evan Brovender is an Associate at a private equity firm in New York. He holds a BS degree in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University, where he played four years of varsity football.
Dr. Rosenberg is a fellowship trained vascular surgeon with a special interest in the management of venous disease. As a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Diplomate of the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine, and a member of the American College of Phlebology, Dr. Rosenberg has been actively involved in venous education for many years. He has lectured nationally and internationally and been a primary investigator for FDA approved Phase 3 clinical trials on newer endovenous techniques for the management of venous insufficiency and varicose veins.
Capitol Vein & Laser has recently opened the DVT Center where Dr. Rosenberg will be actively involved with the diagnosis and management of patients with both superficial and deep vein thrombosis.
Prior to moving to Frederick, MD, in 2000, Dr. Rosenberg was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Temple University Medical School and was Section Chief of Vascular Surgery at Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia, as well as director of the Diabetic Foot Center at Episcopal Hospital. Before focusing exclusively on the management of venous disease, Dr. Rosenberg was very actively involved with both open and percutaneous arterial interventions in the treatment of arterial thrombotic and embolic disease.
Job Titles:
- Dean of the Hudson College
Gary Raskob is Dean of the Hudson College of Public Health, and Regents Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His research and scholarly interests are in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism; clinical trials; prevention research; evidence-based medicine and public health; and the translation of research evidence into practice and health policy.
Dr. Raskob is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, the organization which represents more than 100 universities in the US and globally with accredited schools and programs in public health. Dr. Raskob is active in public health service in his community, and serves as Chair of the Oklahoma City-County Board of Health, which has oversight responsibility for the health department serving the 1.3 million residents of Oklahoma City-County.
Gerald V. Naccarelli MD was born in Philadelphia, Pa, received his B.S. in Biology from St. Joseph's University and his MD degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey. He was an Internal Medicine Resident at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital/Bowman Gray School of Medicine (Wake Forest University). He was a Fellow in Cardiology and Chief Resident in Medicine at the Penn State University College of Medicine followed by a UPSHS postdoctoral Fellow in Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Prior to his current position at Hershey, he was Director of Clinical Electrophysiology and Vice-Chairman of Cardiology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. In 1995 he moved to Hershey and currently is the Bernard Trabin Chair in Cardiology, Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Cardiology, and Associate Clinical Director of the Heart and Vascular Institute at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine/Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of Research at the Department of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Kline is the Vice Chair of Research at the Department of Emergency Medicine an emergency physician at the Indiana University School of Medicine who conducts clinical and translational research to improve the therapeutic index of the diagnostic evaluation of patients with possible venous thromboembolism and treatment of patients with proven venous thromboembolism.
Dr. Kline's research focuses on screening, risk stratifying and treating pulmonary embolism (PE). He has built and patented a device to help diagnose or exclude PE based upon instant analysis of exhaled partial pressures of CO2 and O2. Dr. Kline received his medical doctorate from the Medical College of Virginia in 1990. He completed residency training in emergency medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in 1993 and then a research fellowship in 1994.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at McMaster University
Dr. Weitz is a Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at McMaster University and Director of the Henderson Research Centre. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Dr. Weitz now focuses his clinical work in the area of thrombosis. He holds an Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research at McMaster University, which is funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. He also holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Thrombosis.
Dr. Weitz received the Medal in Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1991, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario in 1999, the Research Achievement Award from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society in 2006, and the Jack Hirsh Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement from McMaster University in 2008. He is a member of the American Federation of Medical Research, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians and gave the Davidson Lecture at the University of Edinburgh in 2000, the Nossel Memorial Lecture at Columbia University in New York in 2003, and the Mosesson Lecture at the Blood Research Institute in Milwaukee in 2008.
Dr. Weitz directs a well-funded research laboratory that focuses on the biochemistry of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis as it applies to venous and arterial thrombosis. A former Vice-President of Research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Chair of the Scientific Review Committee for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, member of the Executive Council on Thrombosis of the American Heart Foundation, and Chair of the Council on Vascular Biology for the American Society of Hematology, Dr. Weitz has published over 265 peer-reviewed papers and 35 textbook chapters.
Jeffrey Zwicker, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Hematology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Zwicker received a Bachelor of Science at University of California at Berkeley, Medical Degree at Penn State University and Masters of Medical Science at Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency and fellowship training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Dr. Zwicker has chaired a number of national and international scientific committees including Chair of the ISTH Subcommittee on Hemostasis and Cancer, Co-Chair of the Cancer Thrombosis Subcommittee of Venous Thromboembolism Network, and Past Chair of the Scientific Committee on Thrombosis and Vascular Biology at American Society of Hematology.
He has served on editorial boards for Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis and Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Dr. Zwicker leads an NIH-funded research program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with a focus on novel risk factors and therapeutic approaches to thrombotic disease with an emphasis on cancer-associated thrombosis.
Jessica McElroy works in the General Counsel office at Credit Suisse where she focuses on Global Markets regulations.
In her third year of law school, Jessica experienced chest pains and shortness of breath, followed shortly by hemoptysis. She was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary emboli and spent a year on anticoagulant therapy. Years later, Jessica discovered that she is positive for the Factor 2 genetic mutation and was frustrated by the lack of support and information around her diagnosis. She is enthusiastic about the work NBCA does in educating patients, families and survivors, especially about the specific risks posed to women's health by blood clots.
Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, Jessica has a BA from Emory University and a JD from New York Law School and is a member of the New York State Bar. She lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn with her husband, Peter.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Digital Media Programming for ESPN
John Lasker is vice president of digital media programming for ESPN, and is responsible for leading efforts to maximize ESPN's rights, audience reach and revenue opportunities on existing digital content offerings and platforms including ESPN+, the ESPN app, ESPN On Demand and DMVPD touch points. He works closely with the Ad Sales, Affiliate Sales & Marketing, Consumer Marketing, Digital & Print Media and Technology teams in identifying new content, audience and product opportunities to support ESPN's global distribution and strategy efforts. He joined ESPN in 1999 as a supervisor of sales planning. He advanced to account sales executive in 2002 and manager of program planning just one year later, before assuming programming and acquisitions responsibility for digital media in 2006. Prior to ESPN, he worked at Zenith Media in New York as a media buyer.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., John graduated from Marist College in 1997 with a degree in psychology. He currently resides in Southington Connecticut with his wife, Denise, of 21 years and their four daughters Emma, Abigail, Delaney, and Kaelyn.
John suffered a blood clot and pulmonary embolism in July of 2020. As of May 2021, he is fully recovered and committed to driving awareness and prevention for those at risk.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board
- Professor of Sport
Julie Partridge is a Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology in the School of Human Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and holds cross-appointments in the SIU School of Medicine and the School of Psychological & Behavioral Sciences. She is also the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative for SIU and served as the Chair of the NCAA's national Postgraduate Scholarship Committee from 2018-2021. In January of 2019, she survived a massive saddle PE, which led to her interest in patient advocacy, raising blood clot awareness, and understanding more about the post-clot recovery process.
Dr. Partridge's research explores motivation, social influences, and self-conscious emotions (e.g., shame, embarrassment, pride) in sport and physical activity; specifically, her research interest has more recently focused on motivational, social and emotional processes as they impact physical activity and sport behaviors in VTE survivors. Dr. Partridge is also on the Executive Board of the National Alliance for Youth Sport in West Palm Beach, FL, and has provided online content for their training modules with both the U.S. Army and Navy. She has also served as a performance consultant for a variety of athletes at the professional, collegiate, and scholastic levels.
Dr. Partridge graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Psychology. She received her M.A. in Exercise & Sport Science (Sport Psychology) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then earned her Ph.D. in Sport & Exercise Science with a doctoral minor in Developmental Psychology at the University of Northern Colorado. She resides in Murphysboro, IL with her husband and their two beagles.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board
- Medical Device Executive
Justin Crockett has worked as a medical device executive over the last 20 years in positions of increasing responsibility with St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific, and Inari Medical. His work has focused on patient preferences and patient pathways in healthcare systems. Additionally, Dr. Crockett teaches at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Dr. Crockett's doctoral research was in patient preferences which led to his desire to work with patient pathways in both chronic and acute diseases. This work has led to the development of the first VTE Coordinator Academy and numerous triaging tools for healthcare providers.
Dr. Crockett graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B.B.A. double major in Managerial Finance and Risk Management. He received his M.B.A from the University of Southern Mississippi and then earned his D.H.A from the Medical University of South Carolina. He resides in Oxford, MS with his wife and two daughters.
Kakneka D. Mason is a professional in medical affairs in the pharmaceutical industry. In this role, she is a liaison for her company and the medical community to provide scientific information and clinical presentations on approved compounds as well as molecules in development. Dr. Mason also has extensive experience as a clinical pharmacist, where she was a part of a multi-disciplinary healthcare team. She is a registered pharmacist with a board-certification in pharmacotherapy. Dr. Mason completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry at North Carolina Central University and her Doctor of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Mason is a two-time pulmonary embolism (PE) survivor. She suffered an extensive PE in both lungs as a result of oral contraceptives followed by a second PE after surgery. Dr. Mason has joined the Board of the National Blood Clot Alliance to share her impactful story and bring awareness to potentially deadly blood clots, especially as it relates to underserved minorities and athletes. She resides in Columbia, Maryland.
Job Titles:
- President of the Board
- Co - Founder and Managing Director of Invus Financial Advisors
- Volunteer President and Board Chair
Leslie Lake is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Invus Financial Advisors, LLC, an investment boutique based in New York City. Leslie co-founded the firm in 2006, with a specialty in long short equity strategies. Leslie has been managing assets within the hedge fund industry since 1995.
In 2018, Leslie suffered a bilateral pulmonary embolism (PE). Her quest to learn more about venous thromboembolism (VTE) lead her to the National Blood Clot Alliance Despite living in New York City, Leslie was shocked by the lack of information available to her after her PE.
As Board President, Leslie is committed to raising public awareness so no person affected by blood clots is without the necessary information they need to prevent or successfully treat VTE, and that they also have the information they need to navigate the spectrum of lifestyle issues that can follow a blood clot diagnosis.
Leslie holds a BS in Economics from Simmons College, where she is also a Trustee, member of the Finance and Investment Committees, and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. She is also Board member of the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Society of North America (THSNA) and External Advisory Board member of CanVECTOR.
An avid equestrian, Leslie resides in Manhattan.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Medicine
Margaret C. Fang, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. She serves as the Medical Director of the UCSF Anticoagulation Clinic, the Research Director for the UCSF Division of Hospital Medicine, and Director of the UCSF Academic Hospital Medicine Fellowship, and is a Senior Deputy Editor for the Journal of Hospital Medicine. As a clinician-investigator, her research program focuses on optimizing the use of anticoagulant therapies for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolism.
She has published widely in this area, including on the use of anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism, risk prediction models for stroke and hemorrhage, and on the epidemiology and outcomes of stroke and thrombosis.
The Medical & Scientific Advisory Board (MASAB) of the National Blood Clot Alliance will be issuing periodic Medical Memos, explaining the importance of new research in the field of venous thromboembolism, or blood clots in the legs and blood clots in the lungs.
These Medical Memos will be authored by NBCA MASAB members, and appear on NBCA's website monthly.
Access links to these individual MASAB Memos will be chronicled below.
If you have questions about any of the research work you read about in these MASAB Memos, please contact info@stoptheclot.org.
Job Titles:
- Director of MLS Events at Major League Soccer
Mimi MacKinnon is the Director of MLS Events at Major League Soccer.
On May 10, 2013, Mimi suffered a near fatal pulmonary embolism at the age of 31 related to birth control. During her journey, she has searched for ways to become meaningfully involved in the cause to help raise awareness, especially about the dangerous side effects attributed to hormonal birth control.
Mimi is the daughter of Peter and Sue MacKinnon, and she has two wonderful sisters, Kelly and Christie. She has a BA in educational studies from Trinity College, where she played four years of varsity ice hockey. Mimi currently resides in Glen Cove, NY.
Nathan J. Alves, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Translational Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He also holds secondary appointments in the Department of Biochemistry at IUSM and in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Purdue University. The research Dr. Alves has conducted, while spanning many disciplines, is centered on the development of translational technologies, treatments and techniques that can be utilized to have a positive impact on people's lives.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a PhD in chemical and biomolecular engineering, he took on a brief post doc at IUSM, under Dr. Jeffrey Kline, conducting research in the area of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. Dr. Alves then successfully competed for a research associateship through the National Academy of Science to conduct research at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. While at NRL he was offered a faculty position at IUSM in the Emergency Medicine Department and jumped at the opportunity to be the first non-physician, tenure-track faculty member in the department conducting translational research.
While at IUSM, his primary area of research is implementing novel methods of improving medical treatments by utilizing multivalent binding principles in conjunction with many nanoparticle drug delivery formulations. Most notably Dr. Alves is the co-founder and President of Indiana Lysis Technologies LLC, a startup company spun out from research at IUSM in utilizing nanoparticles to deliver clot digesting proteins for the treatment of pulmonary embolism. His multidisciplinary background affords him a unique perspective on problem solving that has resulted in more than 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 6 patented technologies that support his mission of conducting relevant research to ultimately help people.
Job Titles:
- Director of Research at Johns Hopkins All Children 's Hospital
Dr. Goldenberg is Director of Research at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital (JHACH, St. Petersburg, FL) and oversees the bi-campus Johns Hopkins Pediatric Thrombosis Program at JHACH in Florida and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Children's Center in Maryland. He also directs the Pediatric Stroke Program at JHACH.
Dr. Goldenberg holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Investigation from the University of Colorado. He earned his undergraduate degree from Williams College (Willamstown, Massachusetts, USA) in 1993 and his medical degree from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) in 1998, and then completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of South Florida (Tampa, Florida, USA), followed by a fellowship in hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplantation at the University of Colorado (Denver/Aurora, Colorado, USA).
Dr. Goldenberg is the Overall Principal Investigator of the Kids-DOTT trial, a multinational randomized controlled trial on duration of anticoagulation for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients less than 21 years of age, funded by U01 grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. He is a former American Society of Hematology (ASH) Scholar and faculty member of the ASH Clinical Research Training Institute. He also chairs, or has recently chaired, Steering Committees and Data and Safety Monitoring Committees for several industry-sponsored multicenter clinical trials in pediatric venous and arterial thromboembolism treatment and prevention. He was also a recent co-chair of the Pediatric and Neonatal Subcommittee of International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Scientific and Standardization Committee, leading the Subcommittee's Work Groups on VTE prevention, arterial thromboembolism, and pulmonary embolism.
Dr. Goldenberg's work has been published as first- or senior-authored original research reports in the New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatrics, Stroke, Blood, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Lancet Neurology, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Thrombosis Research, and others. In addition to original research, review articles, book chapters, and edited textbooks, he has co-authored numerous international guidelines and scientific statements in VTE treatment and prevention, clinical research, and antithrombotic management, and has given CDC-sponsored webinars on venous thromboembolism in children and young adults. He mentors numerous junior faculty and trainees in pediatric clinical and translational research at Hopkins, as well as several junior faculty working in the pediatric VTE field at other institutions.
Over the years, Peter Kouides, MD, has served as principal investigator on a number of studies primarily dealing with the gynecological and obstetrical complications of von Willebrand Disease (VWD) as well as thrombotic disorders of pregnancy. Dr. Kouides is also co-chair of the Centers for Disease (CDC) Universal Data Collection (UDC) study of women with bleeding disorders. He serves on the CDC UDC working group and is past co-chair of the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis Women's Hemostasis and Thrombosis Issues committee. He recently completed a textbook of bleeding disorders in women co-edited with Professors Christine Lee and Rezan Kadir. In 2005, Dr. Kouides received a National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) Award of excellence for work in Women with bleeding disorders and then in 2009 the NHF Physician of the Year award. He was the 2010 recipient of the Rochester General Hospital Father Norton Physician of the Year award.
Dr. Kouides is also an appointed recent past member of the NHF Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and recent past member of the U.S. Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability. He is a member of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Foundation for Women and Girls with Blood Disorders. He is immediate past-president of the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Research Society (HTRS) of North America. He is chair of the New England Hemophilia Treatment Centers Executive committee. He was co-chair of the first biennial Thrombosis and Hemostasis Summit of North America (THSNA) in 2012 and is co-chair for the 2014 meeting. Dr. Kouides is co-editor of NHF's HemeAware magazine and the journal Seminars in Hemostasis and Thrombosis. He serves on the editorial board of Haemophilia. Dr. Kouides is the medical director of the Mary M. Gooley Hemophilia Treatment Center since 1998 and is also the team leader for the Mary M. Gooley Hemophilia Treatment Center World Federation of Haemophilia Twinning Program with Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in setting up a National Haemophilia program and Treatment Center with visits in 2009, 2011, and 2013.
Dr. Berkman has been Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at UCLA since 1991. He is a graduate of Tufts Medical School and completed his hematology fellowship at UCLA and his medical oncology training at the National Institutes of Health. He is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology.
He has consulted on thrombosis cases at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai since 1985, and was recognized six consecutive years as the outstanding teacher in the UCLA Department of Medicine by the medical house staff. He has published many articles about thrombosis and is a regular contributor to the McMaster University evidence-based newsletter.
Dr. Berkman is a frequent speaker on thrombosis at hospitals in Southern California, and has been a reviewer for Clinical and Applied Hemostasis/Thrombosis and the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Ms. Anderson BS, RN is an Advanced Heart and Vascular Clinical Program Coordinator at OhioHealth Riverside in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Anderson provides feedback to EMS providers, referral facilities, and internal teams regarding Pulmonary Embolism patients and has also been instrumental in developing a feedback template that is utilized for PE follow up care. Ms. Anderson collaborates with key stakeholders at the hospital to identify and resolve systemic issues with PE clinical pathways and processes and has been instrumental in developing a PE treatment algorithm.
Ms. Anderson is a nationally recognized and sought after educator specializing in PE and VTE program development and is a member of the provider team focused on improving patient outcomes. Sara has been a nurse for over 20 years and is dedicated to identifying process barriers and opportunities to advance the care of VTE patients.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University
- Fellow of American College of Physicians
Scott Kaatz is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit and also a Hospitalist at Henry Ford Hospital. He attended medical school at Michigan State University and completed his residency in internal medicine at Henry Ford Hospital. Later in his career, he earned his Master's degree in Evidence-Based Health Care from Oxford University.
He has a long standing research interest in anticoagulation and thromboembolic disease and was the Medical Director of the Anticoagulation Clinics for the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI for 15 years.
Dr. Kaatz is a fellow of American College of Physicians and the Society of Hospital Medicine, as well as a member of the Society for General Internal Medicine, International Society of Thrombosis and Heamostasis and the American Medical Association. He serves on the boards of the Anticoagulation Forum, Thrombosis and Hemostasis Societies of North America, National Certification Board of Anticoagulation Providers, Medical & Scientific Advisory Board of the National Blood Clot Alliance.
He has participated in many research studies with an emphasis on anticoagulation, atrial fibrillation, peri-procedural anticoagulation and venous thromboembolism prevention, diagnosis and treatment; and has published numerous abstracts, articles and book chapters in this field.
Job Titles:
- Chairman in Oncology Research at Case Western Reserve University
Job Titles:
- Outreach Coordinator for River Programs at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Todd Robertson is the Outreach Coordinator for River Programs at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He has served the public in the Outreach, Communication, and Marketing Bureau for the last twelve years. He is a certified American Canoe Association canoe and kayak instructor and loves teaching people how to paddle efficiently and how to stay safe on moving water. When not teaching, he loves paddle-boarding with his dog and best friend, Jett.
In 2011, Todd suffered the first of six blood clots and in 2017 experienced a close call with his first pulmonary embolism. He is a carrier of the inherited clotting disorder, factor V Leiden, and is homozygous, making him aggressive in the abnormal clotting department. He is a motivational speaker for blood clot trauma recovery and is a local patient advocate for new patients. He is working on his first book, "Blood Clots: A Road Map to Recovery."
Todd runs several Facebook support groups and has developed a level of trust and friendship with thousands of patients over the years. He loves to road and mountain bike, white water canoe, and stays active all year round.
Todd received his education in radio broadcasting at San Francisco State in the '80s and was a radio host and producer for twenty years in Northern California.
Tom is a two-time pulmonary embolism survivor and is the current chair of the NBCA Sports & Wellness Committee. Tom became a board member to help the blood clot community receive the support and education they need and deserve.
Tom has been an active runner and endurance athlete for more than 40 years, including running a sub-3-hour marathon. He has coached hundreds of athletes in both running and cycling, many of whom had never exercised in their lives. As a PE survivor, he can relate to the community on multiple levels.
Tom has spent more than 30 years in the sports and entertainment industries, with global brands like MTV Networks and CBS Sports (now Paramount), start-up companies in technology and as an industry consultant. There is no task too small nor ground too high for Tom to help move the mission at NBCA forward.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President and Agent in the Talent Representation Group at CSE
Traci Wilkes Smith is a senior vice president and agent in the talent representation group at CSE. Traci has built a dynamic media talent practice rich with experience, recognition, and diversity which has expanded the CSE brand beyond its well-known sports franchise.
Traci has established extensive national relationships in the media industry. She has worked diligently to help navigate the careers of and secure amazing opportunities for dynamic individuals with passion and creativity. Traci's keen eye has helped her identify, represent, mentor, and develop hundreds of brilliant on-air
Prior to CSE, Traci worked as a broadcast agent and attorney at WTA in New York. Traci is a graduate of Rutgers College and Rutgers University School of Law in Newark and is a member of the New York and New Jersey state bars.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Dr. Geerts is a thromboembolism specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Throughout his career, Dr. Geerts' major academic interests have been the prevention of venous thromboembolism, especially in trauma and in improving the use of thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients.
From 1998-2008, Dr. Geerts was chair of the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism section of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Guidelines on Antithrombotic Therapy and, from 2007-17, he led the Canadian Patient Safety Institute's Safer Healthcare Now! initiative to improve the use of thromboprophylaxis across the country.
In the United States, Dr. Geerts has been a consultant to the following organizations: The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP), The Joint Commission/National Quality Forum, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Prevention of Hospital-Acquired VTE Initiative, the FDA IVC Filter committee, and the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine VTE guidelines committee.
He has more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and has given more than 1,250 formal educational presentations locally, nationally and internationally.