Introducing Some of the 2008 Conference Speakers

Oralia V. Bazaldua, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS, is a Pharmacist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas. She previously presented at ThyCa's 2002 conference in Los Angeles.

James H. Boyd, M.D., ENT Surgeon, specializes in otolaryngology at the David C. Pratt Cancer Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He has co-authored and authored the following publications: "Malignant Melanoma in a Warthin’s Tumor of the Partoid Gland," "Neonatal Cavopulmonary Assist: Benefit of Pulsatile Pulmonary Perfusion," and "The Chromosone 49, XXXXY Syndrome: Report of a Case in an Adult." He received his medical education at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, completed his residency at the University of Missouri Hospital in Otolaryngology, and completed a Head & Neck Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

Marcia Brose, M.D., Ph.D., is a Medical Oncologist and Assistant Professor at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she also directs the Cancer Genetics Laboratory and is involved in clinical trials of new treatments for patients with advanced thyroid cancer. Her research interests include the genomic characterization of cancers of the head and neck, thyroid and lung; novel drug target discovery; and the use of genetic testing in the diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment of cancer. Dr. Brose received her bachelor’s degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts, her medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, and her Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University.

Rebecca Brown, M.D., Endocrinologist, is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the University of Chicago in Illinois, as well as a staff member at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Chicago. Her clinical practice focuses on the treatment and management of carcinomas of the thyroid and adrenal gland. Dr. Brown works in conjunction with Head and Neck Oncology and Surgery to formulate individualized and comprehensive treatment plans for patients with thyroid cancers. She is involved in several clinical trials evaluating novel treatments for advanced endocrine cancers.

Rosa M. Davila, M.D., is a Pathologist at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri. She has also served as instructor, assistant professor, and associate professor in pathology at St. Louis University School of Medicine and at the Washington University School of Medicine, where she has received several awards for distinguished teaching. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and invited publications, and is a frequent invited speaker at continuing medical education programs. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine she completed postgraduate training in anatomic and clinical pathology, cytopathology, and surgical pathology at Baptist Memorial Hospital, San Antonio, Texas; St. Louis University Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri.

Mary Debenedetti, R.N., B.S.N., was a Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Coordinator and Nurse Coordinator for many years at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Teresa L. Deshields, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the manager of Psycho-Oncology Services for the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. She has worked at the Siteman Cancer Center since February 1999. Her clinical practice is devoted to treating cancer patients and survivors and their family members, throughout the cancer continuumc( diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, end of life, grief. Her research is focused on issues related to psychological adjustment and quality of life in cancer patients and survivors.

James R. Etzkorn, M.D., is an Endocrinologist at St. John's Mercy Medical Center and Associate Professor of Endocrinology at St. Louis University School of Medicine. A graduate of St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed postgraduate training at St. Louis University Hospital.

Kevin Ferris, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Money Coach. She worked in hospice for ten years, before opening Ferris Counseling Services, where she specializes in working with clients with life threatening illness, and grief and loss issues. In addition, she offers Financial Wellness services, helping clients to clarify and address financial difficulties, from a holistic point of view.

Perry W. Grigsby, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., F.A.C.R., is Professor of Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Radiological Sciences, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He is involved in clinical care as well as research and is a Research Member of the Siteman Cancer Center and a member of the Clinical Steering Committee of the Radiation Oncology Center at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiological Sciences. A graduate of the University of Kentucky School of Medicine and School of Business, he completed his internship and residency at Washington University School of Medicine. At Barnes-Jewish Hospital he has served on the Cancer Committee since 1990, and its Quality Assurance Subcommittee since 1995.

Elizabeth Gardner Grubbs, M.D., Surgeon, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She is a graduate of Duke University Medical School in North Carolina, where she also completed her residency in surgery.

Ian D. Hay, M.D., Ph.D., Endocrinologist, is a thyroid cancer specialist who has been a Consultant in Endocrinology and Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic since 1983, and a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, since 1989. Dr. Hay graduated BSc, MB, PhD in 1973 from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and did his early internal medicine and endocrinology training in the Professorial Medical Unit of Glasgow Royal Infirmary during 1973-78. After a Fellowship in Endocrinology at Mayo Clinic (1981-3), he returned to the University of Edinburgh, where for 2 years he was the Sir Stanley Davidson Lecturer in Medicine. In 1994, he received the Paul Starr Award of the American Thyroid Association. In 1997 he chaired the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Thyroid Cancer Task Force. Since 1984, Professor Hay has worked daily to "find answers for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer."

Margaret A. Hesse, J.D., Esq., is an attorney with Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt, P.C., of St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri and Edwardsville, Illinois. She primarily practices in the areas of education law, employment law and workers’ compensation law. She is a graduate of Fontbonne College and Washington University School of Law and is a member of the bars of Missouri and Illinois.

Mimi I. Hu, M.D., Endocrinologist, is Assistant Professor in the Endocrine Center at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She is a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Center Medical School. She completed her residency and a fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine, where she also served as chief resident. Dr. Hu’s clinical care focuses on thyroid cancer and multiple endocrine neoplasia types 1 and 2, as well as parathyroid disorders and the endocrine sequelae of cancer and its therapies. Her research focuses on new therapies for thyroid cancer. In 2006 she received the American Thyroid Association’s Travel Grant Award for Young Investigators.

Uzma Z. Khan, M.D. has been an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cosmopolitan International Diabetes & Endocrinology Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri since September 2004. She is an active member of several professional organizations such as The Endocrine Society, American Thyroid Association, and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Her academic career is focused on thyroid disorders and endocrinology subjects such as pituitary disorders, thyroid tumors, and endocrine symptoms. Dr. Khan has also authored several publications in the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and endocrinology, and is board certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism. She earned her medical degree and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Paul R. Krakovitz, M.D., is an Otolaryngologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. He is a staff member of the Head and Neck Institute and the Division of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. His clinical work focuses on pediatric otolaryngology, and his research interests include minimally invasive thyroid and parathyroid surgery in children, multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), and the incidence of pediatric thyroid cancer. A graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine, he completed further training in surgery and pediatric otolaryngology at the University of Vermont, the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He is author of numerous peer-reviewed medical journal articles, as well as book chapters and abstracts, and is a frequent presenter at medical meetings. He is also an invited reviewer for three peer-reviewed medical journals: Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Journal of Otolaryngology, and The Laryngoscope.

Bryan McIver, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.C.P., chairs the Thyroid Group within the Division of Endocrinology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; this group has more than 40 full-time Endocrine specialists. As a consultant in endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition, he has extensive experience treating patients with diseases of the thyroid, specifically those faced with aggressive cancers such as anaplastic thyroid cancer and other advanced thyroid cancers. He also runs a research lab, working on thyroid cancer genetics and on new treatments for patients with thyroid cancer. Dr. McIver has received numerous awards and honors, including the Endocrine Society Mentor Award for Outstanding Research. He graduated Summa cum Laude in Medical Sciences from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, received his PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Vermont; and his MB ChB Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He is a member of the American Thyroid Association's Thyroid Cancer Guidelines Development Group.

Mira M. Milas, M.D., F.A.C.S., had been an Endocrine Surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, since 2002. She is Associate Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. After graduating from Rice University and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, she completed specialty training at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Emory University Hospitals and School of Medicine and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She has received numerous awards and honors, including being named in the Guide to America’s Top Surgeons 2007 by the Consumers’ Research Council of America. She is extensively involved in research as well as in training other medical professionals, including, in September, serving as a faculty member for the course Advances in Diagnostic and Interventional Endocrine Neck Ultrasound, sponsored by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. At ThyCa events, her sessions have included thyroid cancer basics for newcomers, thyroid surgery in complex situations including liver metastases, and physician-patient communications.

Jeffrey F. Moley, M.D., Surgeon, is Professor of Surgery, Chief of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, and Associate Director of the Siteman Cancer Center at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. He is also Chief of the Surgical Service, at the St. Louis VA Medical Center. Since 2005 he has also served on the American Board of Surgery Surgical Oncology Advisory Committee. Dr. Moley is study chair and principal investigator of clinical trials and studies of treatments for metastatic medullary thyroid cancer and differentiated thyroid cancer. A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University Medical School, he completed post-graduate training at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the National Cancer Institute. The author of dozens of articles as well as books and monographs, Dr. Moley also serves on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Moley is a member of ThyCa’s Medical Advisory Council.

David Myssiorek, M.D., F.A.C.S., Otolaryngologist, is also Professor of Otolaryngology at the New York Univeristy Clinical Cancer Center. He is also Secretary of the New York Head and Neck Society. Previously he was on the staff of Long Island Jewish Hospital. A graduate of New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Myssiorek did his internship at Lenox Hill Hospital and was Chief Resident at New York University/Bellevue. He is the author of numerous articles on thyroid cancer surgery and other head and neck surgery. At ThyCa conferences Dr. Myssiorek has spoken about general surgical issues and issues related to to having additional neck surgeries, as well as on the causes, prevention, and solutions for voice issues. Dr. Myssiorek is a member of ThyCa’s Medical Advisory Council.

Shannon Nanna, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who provides Psycho-Oncology Services for the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. She completed her internship at Coler-Goldwater Hospital in New York City, and has past experience working with HIV and other life-threatening illnesses. Her current clinical practice is devoted to treating cancer patients and survivors and their family members, throughout the cancer continuum c(diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, end of life, and grief.

Robert G. Oesch, J.D., has been an attorney with Riezman Berger, P.C. in the fields of business and estate planning since 1989. Mr. Oesch also chairs Riezman Berger’s Trusts and Estates practice, which encompasses both estate planning, and trust and estate administration. His expertise includes all aspects of estate planning and trust and estate administration, including the use of trusts for a wide variety of purposes, planning to minimize gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, administering probate estates and trusts, preparing gift and estate tax returns, creating and implementing business entities and business succession plans, and the use of guardianships. Mr. Oesch received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1983, and his law degree from the Washington University School of Law in 1986.

Ron Rain, D.Min., is a Certified QiGong Instructor at The Wellness Community, St. Louis, Missouri. He studied at the Huaxia Zhineng QiGong Hospital and Training Center in Qinhauangdao, China (1998); with Master Gu in Bediehi, China (2001); and with Master Liu Yuan Tong in Meishan, China (2006). He has been teaching for over 9 years and is the Founder of the Center of Well-Being. He is a retired Campus Minister and Adjunct Faculty of Meramec Community College.

Elizabeth J. Reinsch, Ph.D., A.C.S.W./ L.C.S.W., is a Human Development Specialist for the University of Missouri Extension in St. Louis. ?In that role she has presented on a variety of topics at the local, state and national levels. ?A keen interest in the Labyrinth as a tool to increase health and well-being has led to the development of this presentation.

Matthew D. Ringel, M.D., is an Endocrinologist and Associate Professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio. His research is aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in thyroid cancer invasion and metastasis. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles. A graduate of the University of Virginia, where he majored in Chemistry with Biological Chemistry Subspecialization, he received his M.D. from Pennsylvania State University, followed by internship and residency at Georgetown University and a Clinical and Research Fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Johns Hopkins University. He is a Board Member of the American Thyroid Association and chair of ATA’s Publications Committee. He is a ThyCa medical advisor.

Joseph Scharpf, M.D., specializes in otolaryngology at the Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus at the Head and Neck Institute and the Taussig Cancer Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. His interests include head and neck cancer, head and neck reconstructive surgery, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and paranasal sinus disease. A graduate of Case Western Reserve University, he received his medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Scharpf completed his internship and residency in surgery and otolaryngology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. His research and clinical interests led Dr. Scharpf to Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he completed a fellowship in head and neck oncology.

M. Julie Shanahan, Esq. is an attorney with Crowe and Shanahan in St. Louis, Missouri. Her area of specialization is Social Security and SSI disability claims and appeals.

Steven I. Sherman, M.D. Endocrinologist, is Chair of the Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, where he is also a Professor. He is also Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Harvard College, he received his M.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, followed by internship, residency, and fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore,?Maryland, and 3 years as a Clinical Associate Physician, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. His research interests include novel therapies for thyroid carcinoma and recombinant human TSH. He is coauthor of the American Thyroid Association Guidelines on Differentiated Thyroid Cancer and a Board Member of the American Thyroid Association. He is also a member of ThyCa's Medical Advisory Council.

Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., is board certified in Internal Medicine, Nuclear Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology. He is Professor of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and consulting staff member for The Jewish Hospital. For 33 years he was associate director of the Radioisotope Laboratory of the University of Cincinnati Hospital. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Medical School, he completed further training and service at Cincinnati General Hospital, DeWitt Army Hospital, Walter Reed General Hospital, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and New England Medical Center Hospital. He has served as President of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine and the Southeastern Chapter of Society of Nuclear Medicine and serves on the Panel on Radiation Oncology-Bone Metastases Imaging of American College of Radiology. He is also a reviewer for medical journals and an editorial board member of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

Jennifer A. Sipos, M.D., Endocrinologist, is a thyroid cancer clinician at the Shands Cancer Center at the University of Florida, Gainesville, where she has worked closely with Ernest L. Mazzaferri, M.D. for the past several years. They co-authored a paper published in the June 2008 issue of Thyroid, titled "Should all patients with subcentimeter thyroid nodules undergo fine-needle aspiration biopsy and preoperative neck ultrasonography to define the extent of tumor invasion?" After graduating from medical school, Dr. Sipos completed a residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and a fellowship at the University of North Carolina Hospitals before joining the staff at the University of Florida.

Julie Ann Sosa, M.D., M.A. is Assistant Professor at Yale University School of Medicine as well as an Endocrine and Oncologic Surgeon at Yale University Hospital. Her clinical interests include Endocrine and Oncology Surgery, including Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy and Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy. Her research focuses on Health Services Research in Surgery, including use of video analysis in the operating room; outcomes analysis, cost effectiveness/decision analysis, and quality of life measurement of surgical patients. After graduating from Princeton University, she earned a Master’s Degree in Human Sciences the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University Medical School, followed by internship, residency, and fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Beatriz Tendler, M.D., is an Endocrinologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, where her special focus is endocrine tumors. A graduate of Central University, Venezuela, she did her residency at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, plus fellowship training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

R. Michael Tuttle, M.D. is an Endocrinologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, and a member of ThyCa’s Medical Advisory Council. A graduate of University of Louisville School of Medicine, he completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, and fellowships in endocrinology and molecular biology at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. He served as assistant chief of the Thyroid Clinic and Department of Clinical Investigations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Dr. Tuttle’s main research interests are in thyroid cancer, specifically radiation-induced thyroid cancer and novel approaches to early detection and treatment of advanced thyroid cancer.

Irini E. Veronikis, M.D., is an Endocrinologist with St. John's Mercy Healthcare in St. Louis, Missouri. A graduate of the University of Patras Faculty of Medicine, she completed her residency in internal medicine at Easton Hospital, followed by a fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Steven Waguespack, M.D., is an associate professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. A native of Louisiana, Dr. Waguespack graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University in New Orleans, where he also participated in the presidential scholars honor program. He graduated from the University of Texas-Houston Medical School with honors and pursued training in internal medicine/pediatrics at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. He completed a combined adult and pediatric endocrinology fellowship at Indiana University and is board certified in both subspecialties. Recognized as one of “America’s Top Doctors for Cancer” in pediatric endocrinology, his major clinical and research interests are thyroid cancer, pituitary tumors, and metabolic bone disease. At M.D. Anderson, where he has been on faculty for six years, Dr. Waguespack provides endocrine care to patients of all ages.

Andrew Wolken, D.D.S. is a dental practictioner at Wolken Family Dentistry in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his DDS degree from University of Missouri Kansas City. He recently returned from Zambia, Africa, where he used his dental training to aid in missionary work with people there.

Christopher M. Wolken, D.D.S. is a dental practictioner at Wolken Family Dentistry in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, Kansas City Dental School and joined the family practice in 2003. Dr. Wolken has completed training in oral surgery and endodontics and is certified in treating orthodontic patients with Invisalign techniques. He spoke at the 2007 Midwest ThyCa Workshop.