Who We Are
The Foundation’s
board members represent a mix of backgrounds,
perspectives, and areas of expertise. However,
all share a devotion to fighting tumors of the
central nervous system, helping patients and
their loved ones, and advancing research.
Prakash Sampath,
M.D., Chairman
A desire to improve the treatment and study of
neurological tumors drives Dr. Prakash Sampath,
a board-certified neurosurgeon. He founded the
Rhode Island Neurosurgical Institute in 2005 and
has directed it ever since. He also serves as
the chief of Neurosurgery at Roger Williams
Medical Center and an associate professor at
Boston University School of Medicine. Named a
top doctor by Rhode Island Monthly Magazine, he
pursues novel therapies for brain and spine
tumors through research.
With a background
in biomedical engineering, Dr. Sampath attended
the Columbia University College of Physicians
and Surgeons, obtaining his medical degree in
1992. After that, he went to Johns Hopkins
Medical Center for a surgical internship,
followed by residencies in neurosurgery and
pediatric neurosurgery. He remained at Hopkins
for a neuro-oncology fellowship and a faculty
job; while there, he received the Harvey Cushing
Outstanding Research Award. He later moved on to
Brown Medical School, where he worked as
director of neuro-oncology and assistant
professor of clinical neurosciences until 2007.
Edward G. Stopa,
M.D., Vice Chairman
Since 1993, Dr. Edward Stopa has worked as
director of neuropathology at Brown Medical
School and Rhode Island Hospital. The
board-certified pathologist also oversees the
Brown Brain Bank, a human tissue resource for
researchers. He holds two professorships at
Brown, in pathology and clinical neuroscience.
Dr. Stopa has long maintained research ties to
the brain bank at McLean Hospital, a teaching
facility of Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Stopa earned
his medical degree at McGill University in
Montreal. After his internship, he trained at
Brigham and Women’s Hospital in anatomic
pathology and neuropathology. He also completed
a clinical pathology fellowship at Harvard
Medical School, followed by faculty appointments
at Tufts University School of Medicine and State
University of New York. His scientific papers
explore brain processes in health and in
disorders such as brain tumors and Alzheimer’s
disease.
Jeffrey M.
Rogg, M.D., Secretary
As a board-certified radiologist with added
qualification in neuroradiology, Dr. Jeffrey
Rogg works as medical director of magnetic
resonance imaging and division director of
neuroradiology imaging at Rhode Island Hospital.
Twice deemed one of the state’s best doctors by
Rhode Island Monthly Magazine, he is also
affiliated with the Miriam, Women and Infants,
and Butler hospitals. In the research he
conducts as associate professor of diagnostic
imaging at Brown University’s Warren Alpert
Medical School, he uses magnetic resonance
imaging to study disorders of the central
nervous system.
Dr. Rogg earned
his medical degree in 1982 at the New York
University School of Medicine. He stayed in New
York City to complete an internship at
Montefiore Hospital and a radiology residency at
Mount Sinai Hospital. After that, he went to
Pittsburgh for a neuroradiology fellowship at
Presbyterian-University Hospital. He came to
Rhode Island in 1988.
Suzanne
Lacroix, MSN, RN, OCN, Treasurer
Suzanne Lacroix, a clinical nurse specialist,
heads the quality assurance and infection
control program at Bethany Home of Rhode Island
in Providence. Her involvement in cancer
nursing, which began in 1981, ranges from roles
as inpatient medical oncology staff nurse and
outpatient nurse coordinator to management jobs
in ambulatory oncology. Her work has garnered
acclaim: Ms. Lacroix received the Rhode Island
Chapter of the American Cancer Society Nurse of
the Year Award and the Rhode Island Breast
Cancer Coalition Recognition Award.
In addition to a
master’s degree in nursing from the University
of Rhode Island, Ms. Lacroix has attained
certification as an oncology nurse. She has
strived to improve nursing practice,
particularly in regard to pain management and
chemotherapy.
Michelle Gerez,
MHA, Executive Director
Michelle Gerez has worked as a health services
administrator in a variety of settings,
including neurosurgery, long-term care, and
primary care. She studied health services
administration at Salve Regina University, where
she received her Master of Science degree in
2005. Currently, she is president and
administrator of Bethany Home of Rhode Island, a
skilled nursing facility and independent
condominium complex for older people. In
addition, through Michelle Gerez Healthcare
Consulting, she helps physicians manage their
practices.
Ms. Gerez
previously worked as the operations manager for
the Neurosurgery Foundation, a seven-surgeon
medical practice, and as the practice
administrator for Healthcare Associates, a large
primary-care practice associated with Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center. At Aquidneck
Management Associates, she oversaw the business
end of eight physical therapy clinics.
Ritu Goel,
M.D., Board Member
Dr. Ritu Goel is a board-certified
otolaryngologist, a surgeon who treats head and
neck disorders. After she graduated from Johns
Hopkins University, she went to Philadelphia,
where she obtained her medical degree from
Thomas Jefferson Medical School in 1993. She
completed her residency in ear, nose, and throat
medicine under the supervision of Dr. William
Keane at Thomas Jefferson Hospital; there she
focused on tumors of the neck and head,
particularly the lower front part of the skull.
After her residency, Dr. Goel joined the faculty
at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Since 1999, Dr.
Goel has provided the full range of
otolaryngological care to children as well as
adults at R.I. Ear, Nose, and Throat Physicians.
She continues to pursue her interest in tumors
of the pituitary and surgery of the anterior
skull base.
Laura Hartley,
Board Member
Laura Hartley, a legal secretary and office
manager, has enjoyed working at the same firm
for over 16 years. The mother of three knows
first-hand the challenges faced by families when
a loved one has a neurological tumor. An
astrocytoma threatened the life of her
13-year-old, Michael, who is now recovering.
When the brain surgeon who saved her son told
her about the Foundation, she welcomed the
opportunity to help other families.
Xristin
Maestri, RNP, MS, Board Member
Xristin Maestri brings a personal and
professional commitment to helping patients, as
well as families, who have suffered the impact
of a cancer diagnosis. While she was enrolled in
an undergraduate nursing program, her husband
died of a glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive
brain tumor. Ms. Maestri finished her bachelor’s
degree, became certified at Yale-New Haven
Hospital as a chemotherapy provider and, in
2007, earned a master’s degree from the nurse
practitioner program at the University of Rhode
Island. Today, she treats cancer patients as a
hematology/oncology nurse practitioner at the
Miriam Hospital.
Ms. Maestri’s
work history includes attending to patients with
neurological conditions at Rhode Island Hospital
and terminally ill patients through Home and
Hospice Care of Rhode Island. At the
Neurosurgery Foundation, she not only
administered chemotherapy, she set up a new
chemotherapy suite and collaborated on clinical
trials of cancer-fighting strategies. She also
treated patients and coordinated research at the
Neurology Foundation.
Sherry L.
Masse, MSW, LICSW, Board Member
Clinical social worker Sherry Masse is director
of social services for the Life Care Center of
Attleboro, a long-term care facility. She takes
a holistic approach to caring for patients and
supporting families. Previously, she helped
patients and families as an oncology clinical
social worker at Roger Willliams Medical Center
and a hospice social worker for the Visiting
Nurse Service of Greater Rhode Island. Her work
as social service director for the Catholic
Memorial Home of Fall River earned her its “Love
Made Visible” Mission Award.
Ms. Masse
obtained her Master of Social Work degree from
Boston College in 2001. Since then, she has
received specialized training in leading
cancer-related support groups and helping people
cope with serious illness or bereavement. Ms.
Masse has volunteered for the American Cancer
Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and
other nonprofit groups.
Marie Kessel, FACHE, Board Member
Marie Kessel, is the Vice
President of External Affairs for Memorial Hospital of
Rhode Island. She has worked in healthcare
administration for the past 40 years.
Her husband, William, died from a brain tumor in 2008.
She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare
Executives and has a master’s degree in Public Health
Administration.
Jon Mukand,
MD, Phd, Board Member
As a Rehabilitation Medicine
specialist and medical director of the Southern New
England Rehabilitation Center, Jon Mukand has treated
numerous patients with spine and brain tumors. His MD
was from The Medical College of Wisconsin and his PhD in
English literature was from Brown University. He is on
the faculty of Boston University (where he did his
residency), Brown University, and Tufts University, and
has also served on the RI Governor’s Commission on
Disabilities. He has received grants from Brown
University, Stanford University, the Mayo Clinic and the
National Fund for Medical Education. In addition to the
1988 annual research award of the American Congress of
Rehabilitation Medicine, he has received awards from the
American Heart Association and the Rhode Island
Rehabilitation Association. Consistently listed among
the best physicians in Rhode Island Monthly, Dr.
Mukand has authored numerous literary and scientific
publications. Edited texts include Rehabilitation for
Patients with HIV Disease, Vital Lines: Contemporary
Fiction about Medicine, and
Articulations: The Body and Illness in Poetry.
Michael Isaacs, Esq., Board
Member
Michael B. Isaacs is an
attorney in private practice admitted in Rhode Island,
Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. He serves as
the Executive Director of
Defense Counsel of Rhode Island, the state association
of attorneys who handle civil
cases. Mr. Isaacs is also serving his third term as
President of the Town Council in
East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Prior positions include
Vice President – Development
at Bresnan Communications and Vice President –
Government & Corporate Relations
at The Providence Journal Company (when it was a
publicly traded diversified media
company).
Current activities include serving as Chair of the Rhode
Island Public
Telecommunications Authority, which is the board of
directors of RI PBS, Rhode
Island’s public television station. He is also on the
finance committee of the Jewish
Seniors Agency.
Mr. Isaacs is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. He
is a graduate of the
University of Rochester and Boston College Law School. Jorge
Armesto, Ph. D Suriya Jeyapalan, MD,
Board Member |
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