2016 DOCTORS OF DISTINCTION WINNERS

PRESENTATION MAY 3 * THE VILLAGE AT WAVENY, NEW CANAAN

Event to benefit The Avielle Foundation

THE DOCTORS OF DISTINCTION

ALL IN THE FAMILY

CRAIG WERNER/ LINDA WERNER

NorthEast Medical Group/ Endocrine Associates

LINDA and CRAIG WERNER have been doctors for more than 20 years. Both are dedicated to their practices, have a large following of patients, all while raising four children, ages 12 through 19 years old. If they aren't caring for a patient, they can be found on the side of an athletic field watching their children play sports.

A board-certified endocrinologist practicing in the Bridgeport community, Linda Werner received a B.A.S. from Stanford University and went on to obtain her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the New England Deaconess Hospital where she met Craig Werner. She completed a fellowship in endocrinology at the New England Medical Center and the Yale University School of Medicine. After graduating, Linda joined Iradj Nejad's medical practice in Bridgeport, joined the staff at St. Vincent's Medical Center and began a successful career in endocrinology; she is the division chief for endocrinology at the medical center. Linda is a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Medical Association and the Fairfield County Medical Association.

Craig Werner is a board-certified interventional cardiologist practicing in the Trumbull community. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and obtained his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology at the New England Deaconess Hospital. After graduating, Werner joined the Connecticut Heart and Vascular Center in Bridgeport, the staff at St. Vincent's Medical Center and started a successful career in diagnostic and interventional cardiology. A member of the American College of Cardiology and the Fairfield County Medical Association, Craig is a past member of the medical executive committee at St. Vincent's.

CARING FOR ALL

STEPHEN WINTER

AmeriCares Free Clinic

STEPHEN WINTER is medical director of the Bob Macauley AmeriCares Free. Clinic in Norwalk, which serves low-income children and adults without health insurance. Winter, a volunteer for more than 20 years, took on the medical director role in 2015 after retiring as chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Norwalk Hospital. He provides guidance on clinic policies and procedures and plays a pivotal role in volunteer recruitment. Winter served on AmeriCares board of directors from 2003 to 2014 and participated in 20 relief missions. His volunteer work has taken him to more than 20 countries, including North Korea. Haiti and Uganda. Winter continues to work overseas as director of global health for Western Connecticut Health Network's Norwalk campus. He is also a clinical professor of medicine at Yale University and an adjunct professor of medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Winter has received numerous awards for his contributions to medicine and international relief work. Winter earned a medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, a Master of Science degree in systems analysis and synthesis from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from the University of Illinois. He completed a residency in internal medicine at The New York Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering and a pulmonary fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

CARING FOR ALL

ZANESAUL

Bridgeport Hospital

ZANE K. SAUL received his undergraduate degree from Ursinus College in Pennsylvania and his medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada. He completed his internship and residency at Brooklyn Hospital Center in 1988, and completed his fellowship in infectious diseases at Hackensack Medical Center in Newjersey in 1990. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and infectious diseases. Saul went to the Bridgeport area to practice internal medicine and infectious diseases, eventually forming Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease Associates in Stratford with Drs. David Lobo and Goran Miljkovic. Over the past 25-plus years, Saul has become one of the most respected infectious diseases physicians in the area. He is the chief of infectious diseases at Bridgeport Hospital as well as chairman of the infection control committee and the epidemiologist for the hospital. He has served on multiple hospital and community committees and is a clinical instructor at Yale University School of Medicine. Saul is a dedicated educator of peer physicians, medical students and residents, nurses and administrators and is consistently rated as one of the most outstanding educators by students and residents and consistently highly rated with respect to patient satisfaction in the state.

CUTTING EDGE

PAUL SETHI

Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery Specialists PC

RAUL SETHI is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine conditions of the elbow, knee and shoulder at Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists (ONS) in Greenwich. A leading research physician. Sethi speaks at academic and instructional medical conferences in the U.S. and abroad. His research on surgical advances for the shoulder, elbow and knee are regularly published in leading medical journals, including the Journal for Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Arthroscopy and the Journal of American Academy for Orthopaedic Surgery. As president of the ONS Foundation for Clinical Research and Education, Sethi's research has included the establishment of better methods for surgical skin preparation (cleaning) to lower the risk of surgical infection, development of a new technique to repair chronic or weakened biceps tendons and the evaluation of surgical needles in tendon suigeiy to establish international guidelines on needle use. A graduate of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, Sethi received his residency training in orthopedic surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, and completed a sports medicine fellowship at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Institute in Los Angeles. He served as orthopedic consultant to the Los Angeles Dodgers and was assistant team physician for the Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles Kings and the University of Southern California football team.

FEMALE TRAILBLAZER

ROMELLE MALONEY

Greenwich Hospital

ROMELLE MALONEY became an OB/GYN specialist more than 25 years ago with the goal of empowering women, which means going beyond just providing quality care to all patients. "Women are the gatekeepers of the family, " she says. "Educating women about their health is very important to me." Maloney's medical reach extends from her work as an OB/GYN specialist and attending physician at Greenwich Hospital and Northeast Medical Group, part of Yale New Haven Health System, to her service in the greater community. She serves on the board of the Fairfield County American Heart Association, where she works to combat the number-one cause of death in Connecticut - cardiovascular disease and stroke. She is also a member of the Mavis and Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Bakery Foundation Board and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, both of which provide scholarships to college-bound students. Maloney received her medical degree from East Tennessee State University and completed her OB/ GYN residency at New York Medical College. She has been listed by Castle Connolly as a top physician in New York.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

NOEL I. ROBIN

Stamford Health

NOEL I. ROBIN presently serves as chairman of medicine at Stamford Hospital, a position he has held since 1973. He is also professor of clinical medicine and associate dean at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, representing Stamford Hospital as a major teaching campus of Columbia Prior to Stamford Hospital, Robin had been assistant director of medicine at Cambridge Hospital and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Born in Brooklyn, Robin received his B.A. in chemistry from Hofstra University and his MD from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. His residency training in internal medicine was at Long Island Jewish Hospital followed by a fellowship in endocrinology at Harvard Medical School and Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. He has received numerous awards, including Mastership in the American College of Physicians, the Laureate Award and the Thornton Award of the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Physicians. Robin has been a visiting professor of medicine at Ben Gurion University in Beersheba, Israel the University of Pisa and the University of Florence in Italy.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

FRANCIS X. WALSH

The Nathaniel Withered

FRANCIS X. WALSH has been a physician for more than four decades and, at age 74, has one of the busiest practices in nephrology and internal medicine in Greenwich. In addition to his private practice, he sees patients six days a week at The Nathaniel Witherell, the short-term rehabilitation and long-term nursing care center in Greenwich. For the past 42 years, Walsh has been a member of Witherell's medical staff and served as the facility's medical director since 2008, overseeing 20 doctors and supervising the quality of medical care for 185-plus residents and rehab patients. An attending physician at Greenwich Hospital, where he has been the director of nephrology since 1974, Walsh was chief of the medical staff from 1994-97 and assistant chief from 1990-93. He is also the medical director at The Mews in Greenwich and has provided medical expertise to a long list of facilities, including Greenwich Woods Nursing Home and Waveny House in New Canaan. Walsh received his medical school degree from New York Medical College in 1967, served his internship and residency at Greenwich Hospital (1967-70), and completed his Fellowship in nephrology at Duke University Medical Center in 1972.

NO LAND TOO FAR

ALBERT DIMEO

St. Vincent's MultiSpecialty Group

ALBERT DIMEO is the chief of robotic and minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport DiMeo attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He went on to train in general and cardiothoracic surgery at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Following his training, he worked in Des Moines at the Iowa Heart Center before returning to St. Vincent's. In addition to an extensive cardiac surgical practice, including trans-catheter valve replacement, DiMeo has an expert designation in robotic surgery with a special emphasis in thoracic oncology. He is also very involved in minimally invasive atrial fibrillation ablation techniques and has served as a trainer and proctor in these surgical techniques. He has been involved in international medical travel working with the Hearts Around the World organization in China, Cuba, and in Vietnam, where he performed the first minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in that country. His experience in teaching and performing cardiac operations in the developing world have been among his most rewarding experiences as a physician.

PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE

KYLE BILODEAU

Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine Quinnipiac University

KYLE BILODEAU is a third -year MD candidate at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical science from Quinnipiac University and is a co-founder and director of FACES Inc., a project-based nonprofit organization with the initial goal of creating opportunities and sustainable solutions to issues facing orphaned children in underserved areas of Kenya. He has also participated in medical mission trips to Tanzania and India.

Prior to medical school, he worked as an emergency medical technician and then a paramedic from 2010 to 2014 in Waterbury and New Haven and was employed by Yale New Haven Hospital as an American Heart Association and paramedic instructor.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

DR. JEREMY RICHMAN has extensive research experience that spans the range from neuroscience and neuropsychopharmacology to cardiovascular biology, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, immunology and inflammation and kidney disease. He has worked in the research and drug discovery arena for more than two decades and is passionate about helping people live happier and healthier lives. Richman is dedicated to reaching out and educating youth and believes the future relies on their imaginations. This is manifest in his teaching martial arts, biology, neuroscience and rock climbing to children and teens for the past 25 years. Most importantly, he believes it is critical to empower youth to advocate for themselves and their peers when it comes to brain health and brain illnesses. Toward this end, Richman and his wife, Jennifer Hensel, started the Avielle Foundation, committed to preventing violence and building compassion through brain health research, community engagement and education.

JUDGES

DR. J. DAVID HADDOX

DR. MARSHAL PERIS

DR. KIRA GERACI-CIARDULLO