Back to Past Conferences

Speakers

Leanne Kaiser Carlson

Leanne Kaiser Carlson is one of the most visible and influential futurists in the United States. She approaches the future with a powerful perspective—a perspective that it is not enough to simply predict what lies ahead. Leanne sees clearly that we must create the future we wish to experience, and her role as a futurist is to evoke new thought, see the potentials that often lie invisible, challenge limitation, and create fresh strategy. Leanne Kaiser Carlson is the co-founder of the Kaiser Institute, a place of exploration and support for innovators building the future. Here people develop their intuitive ability, learn how to more adeptly work with philanthropists, and create environments to accelerate innovation. The Institute draws executives, physicians, and many others committed to personal and organizational venture.

Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones is a Tony Award® winning playwright, actor, and poet. Her multi-character solo shows include Bridge & Tunnel, which was originally produced Off-Broadway by Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, and went on to become a critically acclaimed, long running smash-hit on Broadway. Sarah’s show Women Can’t Wait! was commissioned by Equality Now to address the human rights of women and girls. A subsequent commission by the National Immigration Forum yielded Waking the American Dream, the inspiration for Bridge & Tunnel. Most recently, Jones has been commissioned by the WK Kellogg Foundation for a piece entitled A Right to Care, which tackles themes of inequality in health.

John Sweeney

John Sweeney is the owner of the Brave New Workshop, the nation’s oldest satirical comedy theater. Ten years ago, John created a corporate services division that has grown to train, entertain, and inspire more than 150 companies each year. Using his business insight and unique knowledge of improvisation, John shows how improvisational theatre skills and behaviors can be successfully applied to business to achieve greater innovation, generate more and better ideas, increase teamwork and productivity, and change workplace cultures. He has served as an advisor to several Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Yahoo!, Target, General Mills, Hewlett Packard, US Bancorp, Toronto Blue Jays, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Medtronic. He is the author of Innovation at the Speed of Laughter.

David Whyte

Poet David Whyte grew up among the hills and valleys of Yorkshire, England. An Associate Fellow at Templeton College and Said Business School at the University of Oxford, he is one of the few poets to take his perspectives on creativity into the field of organizational development, where he works with many American and international companies. John is the author of five books of poetry including The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America. In organizational settings, using poetry and thoughtful commentary, he illustrates how we can foster qualities of courage and engagement; qualities needed if we are to respond to today’s call for increased creativity and adaptability in the workplace. He brings a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the nature of individual and organizational change.

Track Leaders

Debra Ness

President – National Partnership for Women & Families
Washington, DC

Ness is a member of the Board of Directors and chairs the Consumer Advisory Council of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the nation’s leader in accrediting and developing quality measures for managed care organizations. For over two decades, Debra Ness has been an ardent advocate for the principles of fairness and social justice. Drawing on an extensive background in health and public policy, Debra possesses a unique understanding of the issues that face women and families at home, in the workplace, and in the health care arena. Ness has played a leading role in positioning the organization as a powerful and effective advocate for today’s women and families.

Christopher Queram

Executive Director - Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality
Madison, WI

Christopher Queram is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ). WCHQ is a group of multi-specialty physician groups, hospitals, health plans, employers and labor organizations from geographically diverse areas of the state that have come together to develop and share best practices and quality outcomes. Previously, Chris served as Chief Executive Officer of the Employer Health Care Alliance Cooperative (The Alliance), in Madison, Wisconsin, since 1993. The Alliance, a non-profit cooperative formed by Dane County employers in 1990, partners employers and providers in an effort to improve the cost and quality of the health care system. The Alliance currently serves more than 700 corporations of all sizes in Dane County and southern Wisconsin, representing over 110,000 individual subscribers.

Jan Whitehouse

Senior Vice President – Greater Detroit Area Health Council
Detroit, MI

Jan Whitehouse is Senior Vice President of the Greater Detroit Area Health Council where she leads the Save Lives Save Dollars initiative. Save Lives Save Dollars is a regional, multi-stakeholder collaboration to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care in southeast Michigan. Previously, she was President of CyberMichigan, an institute within the nonprofit Altarum in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this capacity she focused on developing and applying information and communication technologies to improve the health, economic well-being, and educational achievement of Michigan citizens. Prior to that, Jan served as Director of Community Health Care Initiatives for General Motors Corp., one of many positions she held in more than 30 years at GM. She is a member of the Board of Directors of MPRO, Hospice of Michigan and a member of the Quality Management Committee of Christus Health.

Track Session Presenters

Catherine Ansuini, Ed.D.

Buffalo State College – Department of Health & Wellness
Buffalo, NY

Dr. Catherine G. Asuini is currently the Director of the Community Health Promotion Initiative and Masters Degree Program at the Buffalo State College. She previously held the position of Chairperson of the Health & Wellness Department for the past eight years. Dr. Ansuini also serves as adjunct professor for SUNY University at Buffalo. She is the director for both the campus based Center for Worksite Health and Team Power research consortium. Dr. Ansuini’s textbook “Health and Wellness for Everyone” (Kendell/Hunt publishers) focuses on general overview of the wellness concept and addresses the everyday concerns of men, women, and children.

Marcie Bartolotta, MS

Manager of Employee Wellness - Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Rochester, NY

Prior to joining Wegmans in 1996, she served as the Manager of the Health Management Program at Xerox Corporation. During her twenty-five years in corporate health promotion, Marcie has written and published award winning health awareness materials and journal articles. The International Benchmarking Clearinghouse recognized the results of her work with the Xerox Health Management Program when Xerox was chosen a "Best Practice Partner in Corporate Health Promotion and Demand Management". In her current role, Marcie is responsible for the delivery of the "eat well. live well." challenge to Wegmans employees and to employers within the Rochester area through the Rochester Business Alliance.

Foster Gesten

Medical Director, Office of Health Insurance Programs - New York State Department of Health
Albany, NY

Foster Gesten is the Medical Director for the Office of Health Insurance Programs in the New York State Department of Health. Dr. Gesten provides clinical direction and leadership for a team of professionals engaged in quality oversight, performance measurement and clinical improvement within health plans and public insurance programs in New York. Major initiatives include the development of statewide public reporting systems for commercial, Medicaid, and Child Health managed care programs on quality, access, and satisfaction. His interests include population health, health service research, and quality improvement projects directed at prevention services and chronic care.

Ann F. Monroe

President, Community Health Foundation or Western & Central New York
Western & Central, NY

Ann F. Monroe is President of the Community Health Foundation of Western New and Central New York, serving the Buffalo and Syracuse regions and focused primarily on improving the health outcomes of frail elders and children in communities of poverty. She has 30 years of experience in health and human services, including more than 10 years as a Senior Vice President with Blue Cross of California. She holds a BA in political science and an MA in human development from the University of Illinois.

Dr. John C. Notaro

Associate Medical Director – Buffalo Medical Group, PC
Buffalo, NY

Dr. John C. Notaro has been a member of the Buffalo Medical Group’s Department of Internal Medicine since 1995, and has served as chair of the Primary Care Department since January 2004. A Buffalo, NY, native, Dr. Notaro is a graduate of the University of Rochester where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He earned his medical degree at Albany Medical College, and did his residency in internal medicine at Albany Medical Center Hospital. As a BMG physician leader, he spearheaded the organization’s participation in an international initiative, entitled the "Idealized Design of Clinical Office Practice" (IDCOP). Conducted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, MA, the project’s goal was to design office-based systems that make it possible to achieve better clinical outcomes.

Kate O’Stricker

Chronic Disease Prevention Program Coordinator - Cornell Cooperative Extension

Kate O’Stricker was instrumental in the formation of the Southern Tier Wellness Partnership which consists of more than 30 local and nonprofit organizations, in collaboration with the Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties’ Departments of Health. This Partnership provides information, education and services to communities in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties that deal with diabetes, heart disease, asthma, tobacco control, and obesity issues. She has worked in this capacity for 10 years and oversees seven Chronic Disease Prevention Grant Programs in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties that include Heart Disease Prevention, Worksite Wellness, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Stroke Prevention and is the part-time coordinator of the Allegany County Tobacco Control Program. Kate is also responsible for the financial management of all seven Chronic Disease Prevention Grants, and supervises the Coordinator for Asthma Coalition of Western NY.

Liz Pohlmann, RN, MPH

Healthy Heart Program - Bureau of Health Risk Reduction
Albany, NY

Liz Pohlmann’s 30 years of experience includes program development, implementation and evaluation in health care, community services and long term care settings. She has significant experience in collaboration and partnership development at local, regional, and national levels, in policy analysis and legislative advocacy, and in systems change to support patient-centered care. Liz has been with the HHP program since May 2006 and has been instrumental in the health care sector’s relationships with internal and external partners. Liz is a member of the Outpatient workgroup of the CVH Task Force.

Tracy A. Sawicki

Senior Director of Health & Safety & Community Services – American Red Cross
Buffalo, NY

Ms. Sawicki is the Senior Director of Health, Safety and Community Services for the American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter. This is the Chapter’s largest department, providing health, safety and HIV training, transportation and services to the elderly to over 65,000 people annually. Prior to this, she was the Executive Director of Deaf Adult Services. Sawicki has over 20 years of experience in program and fund development and in the field of consumer advocacy. Ms. Sawicki is currently working with the P2 Collaborative of Western New York. She is a team leader for the consumer engagement component of P2’s Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Aligning Forces for Quality initiative.

Gregg Yoshito Shibata

Center for Health Improvement, National Program Office, RWJF Aligning Forces for Quality

Gregg Shibata, associate director of the Center for Health Improvement, serves as program officer for the Aligning Forces for Quality National Program Office. In this role, he manages all technical assistance for the consumer engagement aspect of Aligning Forces.

Mr. Shibata has more than seven years of experience in project management and technical assistance to government and community-based clients. He played a key role in the quality scan of 14 markets funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which informed the development of Aligning Forces.

Mr. Shibata has a B.A. in Asian Studies/Japanese History from the University of California, Berkeley, and worked in Japan for four years prior to joining CHI.

Deborah Wachenheim

Consumer Health Quality Coordinator - Health Care for All (HCFA) Boston, MA

In her position, Deborah Wachenheim is working to involve consumers in advocacy for healthcare quality improvement in Massachusetts. Wachenheim also represents HCFA on the advisory committee to the Massachusetts Quality and Cost Council, in the MA Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, and at various quality workgroups. She has presented about her work at the annual Families USA Conference and the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Annual Congress.