Essentials for Clinicians New to PALTC Practice

Michele Bellantoni, MD, CMD, is Associate Professor and Clinical Director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the Medical Director of the Specialty Hospital Programs of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Post-acute Care Collaborative. She is President of the Mid-Atlantic Medical Directors Association and Chair of the AMDA New Provider Work Group of the AMDA Education Committee. She is a former member of the AMDA Board of Directors and former Chair of the AMDA annual Meeting Program Sub-committee.

Erin Brooks, PA-C, is a Physician Assistant working as a Clinical Advisor with Optum in Rochester, NY. She has served as a preceptor for students, new graduates, and physician assistants/nurse practitioners who are just beginning their careers in long term care with both her daily duties in the nursing home in addition to her time as adjunct clinical faculty for the Rochester Institute of Technology Physician Assistant Program. She was recently awarded the Optum Servant Leadership Award for the North Region. She was the recipient of the Educator of the Year Award from the University of Rochester Division of Geriatrics in 2014 and received Honorable Mention accolades for her poster submission at the annual AMDA meeting in 2014. With over 20 years experience working in geriatrics and long term care, her knowledge base and experience is well regarded among peers in her community. Over the years, she has been very active with AMDA while serving on the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, Education Committee, Interdisciplinary Team Advisory Panel, Futures Subcommittee and is excited to now share her vast experience in the New Provider Workgroup.

Chelsea Brower, MD, is a Geriatric Medicine Physician in Pompton Plains, NJ. She is affiliated with Chilton Medical Center. Dr. Brower graduated with honors from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 2014.

Sarah Hallen, MD, FACP, is the Program Director for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. She is also an Assistant Professor for Tufts University School of Medicine. She is currently on the online education committee at the AMDA - The Society for PALTC Medicine. Dr. Hallen served in the role of medical director for post-acute and long-term care facilities for several years and enjoys practicing and teaching in this setting. As a dedicated clinician educator, she is experienced with teaching all levels of physician education (from UME to CME) and in developing and conducting interprofessional educational activities. She was awarded a Geriatric Academic Career Award in 2010 from HRSA. Her research interests draw directly from her clinical experience in caring for older adults and has published in the areas of interprofessional education and how to use interprofessional teams to improve the care of older adults.

Paige Hector is a national speaker, author, and educator with over 25 years’ experience in post-acute and long-term care settings. She specializes in diverse topics for the interdisciplinary team, trauma informed care, Nonviolent Communication, sustainable process improvement, and advance care planning. Paige specializes in transforming content into relatable and shareable ways for immediate application in any setting. She writes extensively on topics relevant to nursing homes including multiple chapters of Managing the Long-Term Care Facility, 2nd Edition due for publication in 2023. She is the Associate Editor and a regular columnist for Caring for the Ages and is actively involved in the AMDA Online Education Subcommittee; the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workgroup; and the Behavioral Health Advisory Council, as well as national work groups to improve trauma-informed care.

Abid Iraqi, MD, CMD, is Clinical Professor of Medicine at Upstate University Hospital Syracuse, New York. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Palliative and Hospice Medicine. His interest is Person Centered Care for Older Adults.

Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP, is a professor in the school of nursing at the University of Maryland and the Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology and combines clinical work as an advanced practice nurse in a CCRC with teaching and research. Her research is focused on optimizing function and physical activity among older adults.

Saba Qadir, MD, is a Geriatric Medicine Physician at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health in Lancaster, PA.

Neema Kapadia Sharda, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University. She attended UNC-Chapel Hill, where she earned her B.S. in Psychology, then went on to St. George's University for medical school. She completed her internal medicine training at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC and her geriatrics fellowship at Duke University. Her primary clinical practice is focused on long-term and post-acute care and inpatient geriatrics consults. She is the associate medical director at a continuing care retirement community in Durham, NC, and the Duke University Hospital consult service medical director. She enjoys time spent learning from and teaching medical students, residents, fellows, and other interprofessional colleagues.

Fatima Sheikh, MD, MPH, is CMO of FutureCare Health and Management and oversees medical care in multiple skilled nursing/long-term care facilities in Baltimore Washington Area. She was trained at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Geriatrics and currently holds a part-time faculty position as assistant professor with Geriatric Medicine Department. She is a clinician, educator, and researcher in PALTC. Dr. Sheikh is a recipient of American Geriatric Society Clinician of the Year award 2017, for her clinical work, mentorship of her inter-professional team and learners from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and, efforts to improve care transitions for older adults.

Loveleen Sidhu, MD, CMD graduated from the Government Medical College, Government Medical College Patiala in 1995. She works in Lyons, NJ and specializes in Geriatric Medicine and Internal Medicine. Dr. Sidhu is affiliated with VA New Jersey Health Care System Lyons Campus.