Join the Caring Coalition Leadership Council
for the 2010 Caring Coalition Conference
Presenters
Gerard van Grinsven
Gerard van Grinsven is President and CEO of Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. He holds a B.A. degree in Hotel Management from The Hotel Management School, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Prior to joining Henry Ford Hospital Systems, he served as vice president and area general manager for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Van Grinsven is a former board member of the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Michigan Kidney Foundation. He has more than 24 years of global experience in the luxury hospitality industry, and in 2003 was named one of the "100 Emerging Business Leaders" by the Detroit Regional Chamber
Robert Levine
Dr. Robert Levine is Director of the Henry Ford Center for Integrative Wellness. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from George Washington University and is an expert in basic and clinical neurology and psychiatry research, as well as a practitioner of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities. After conducting research for nine years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he joined the department of Psychiatry at Wayne State University and in 1993 moved his research program to Henry Ford Health System. Dr. Levine currently uses integrative wellness approaches for stress and pain elimination and health optimization. He is the co-host of the weekly radio show "Wellness for Prosperity" on WNZK, Southfield, MI.
Florine Mark
Florine Mark, President and CEO of The WW (Weight Watchers) Group Inc., is the leading U.S. franchise holder of Weight Watchers International. Florine serves as an advisor and board member to approximately 35 committees and civic organizations. She hosts a weekly morning radio show, "Remarkable Women", and can also be seen each week on the "Ask Florine" show on WXYZ. Florine has received numerous awards, including being the first woman inducted in the National Management Association Hall of Fame.
Gail Sheehy
Gail Sheehy, the author of 16 books, has changed the way millions of people look at their lives. As a literary journalist, Sheehy was one of the original contributors to New York Magazine and has been a contributing editor to Vanity Fair since 1984. She has won the Washington Journalism Review Award for Best Magazine Writer in America and is a seven-time recipient of the New York Newswomen's Club Front Page Award for distinguished journalism. In her history-making books and introspective commentary, Sheehy has addressed fundamental questions that apply to women and men as they move through the stages of adult life. Her revolutionary book Passages was on the New York Times bestseller list for over three years and has been reprinted in 28 languages. A Library of Congress survey named Passages one of the 10 most influential books of our time. In 2009, Sheehy takes on a new role, Care giving Ambassador for AARP, the leading advocate for 50-plus Americans. Her mission is to help a generation navigate the emotional and practical sides of the caregiver role facing some 44 million Americans. Sheehy is also collaborating with AARP as she writes her next book, The Caring Passage. She will share the story of her personal passage to family caregiver for her husband. Gail has helped countless readers through the passages of their lives and as one of our best writers and cultural observers, she will provide essential guidance and much-needed solace to others.
Joan Teno
Joan Teno, M.D., M.S., is Professor of Community Health and of Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research. She is a health services researcher, hospice medical director, and internist certified in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Teno has served on numerous advisory panels, including IOM, WHO, American Bar Association and NIH study section. As a scientist and clinician, Dr. Teno has devoted her career to measuring and improving quality of end-of-life care for vulnerable populations, especially those in NHs. Dr. Teno is the creator of the Family Evaluation of Hospice Care survey that is now used by 1,700 hospices across the U.S. In conjunction with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, she has created a data repository of nearly 500,000 surveys starting from 2005 that provides benchmarks and research to improve hospice care. Dr. Teno's current NIH funded research is examining the role of the acute care hospital in decisions to insert PEG feeding tubes in nursing home residents with advanced dementia. She is the project leader of a research effort on the P01, Shaping Long Term Care in America to examine the variation and consequences of health care transitions. In 2009, she was awarded the NHPCO Distinguished Research Award and named by the Journal of Palliative Medicine as one of the Pioneers in Palliative Medicine.
Elana Goell-Varkovitzky
Elana Goell-Varkovitzky, Ph.D. has been a Clinical Psychologist in private practice for 24 years. Dr. Goell-Varkovitzky received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Her specialties include the neurobiological treatment of trauma and disassociation, PTSD and the use of EMDR. Dr. Goell-Varkovitzky also specializes in grief and mourning and end-of-life care. She assisted in the development of the Center to Advance Palliative Care Excellence (CAPEWAYNE) at Wayne State University.
Conference Co-Chairs
Carolyn Cassin
Carolyn Cassin is President and CEO of the National Hospice Work group. A leader in the hospice movement since 1983, Ms. Cassin was CEO of Hospice of Michigan for ten years and has managed some of the largest hospices in the country. She served as Chairperson and President of the National Hospice Organization and serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Rabbi E.B. (Bunny) Freedman
Rabbi E.B. (Bunny) Freedman is a spiritual caregiver and Founding Director of Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network. Former Director of Jewish Services at Hospice of Michigan, he has worked with thousands of families as they faced the emotional pain of terminal illness. Rabbi Freedman works with the Jewish community and hospices around the country in developing hospice and palliative care programs that meet the spiritual care needs of Jewish patients.