Keynote SpeakerS

Morning Keynote: Dr. Marie Savard
Dr. Marie Savard is one of the most trusted voices on women's health, wellness and patient empowerment. She is the author of four books, How to Save Your Own Life: The Savard System for Managing--and Controlling--Your Health Care, The Body Shape Solution to Weight Loss and Wellness, and The Savard Health Record. Her most recent book, Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk and Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions, is an entertaining guide to women's health that combines on-point opinions with the hard core facts about sex, hormones and other medical facts of life as well as best preventive tests and empowering ways to partner with practitioners. In addition to providing commentary for Good Morning America, she continually provides up-to-date health information through her website, Ask Dr. Marie Healthy Dose newsletter and on the health page of ABC News. She has appeared frequently on all major networks including The Oprah Show.

Dr. Savard earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and a Medical Degree at the University of Pennsylvania where she is currently a Trustee. She was formerly the director of the Center for Women's Health at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, technical advisor to the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, advisor to the American Board of Internal Medicine Subcommittee on Clinical Competency in Women's Health, health columnist for Woman's Day magazine, and senior medical consultant to Lifetime Television's Strong Medicine. She lives in Philadelphia with her physician husband. She has three grown sons.

Lunch Keynote: Amy Bloom
Amy Bloom is the author of two novels, three collections of short stories, and a nominee for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, and numerous anthologies here and abroad. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, among many other publications, and has won a National Magazine Award. Her most recent novel, Away, was an epic story about a Russian immigrant. Her new collection of short stories, Where the God of Love Hangs Out, just came out. She lives in Connecticut and teaches at Yale University.

Pre-conference Performance:
Deborah Copaken Kogan is the author of Shutterbabe, the bestselling memoir of her years as a war photographer; the novel Between Here and April, an Elle Reader's Prize finalist; and Hell is Other Parents, her newest book of humorous essays. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Paris Match, Newsweek, Time, Elle, Géo, L'Express, and PHOTO, and on ABC News, Dateline NBC, and CNN. She has performed live on stage with both The Moth and Afterbirth. She lives in New York with her husband and three children.

Conference Presenters:

Dr. Sumaira Aasi MD is an associate professor in dermatology at Yale University. Dr. Aasi graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, completed her medical and dermatology training at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Because of her interest in skin cancer and surgery, Dr. Aasi went on to complete a fellowship in advanced dermatologic surgery and Mohs micrographic surgery at Yale. Her areas of interest include skin cancer, Mohs micrographic and dermatological surgery as well as laser surgery.

Celeste Bellinghieri has been teaching and belly dancing for over seven years. Her goal is to bring this ancient dance to all women. Her message: "It's not about size, it's not about weight, it's not about age. It's about the woman; it's about the dance."

Merrie Buchsbaum, MS, MALS, has had a fascination with food since she was a child. She grew upon a farm and tended the garden and animals. Years later her passion for food led to earn a Masters Degree in nutrition. As a former teacher and now a nutritionist she is able to professionally guide other to achieving optimal health and establishing dietary lifestyles that are triumphant and sustainable for life.

Meghan Burgess, M.S.N., A.P.R.N., NP-C is an advanced practice registered nurse who provides consultation to patients from her office at the Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center, about genetics and hereditary risk for cancer. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Anselm College, and a Master of Science degree in Nursing from Quinnipiac University . Previous to her current position, she was a nurse practitioner at Connecticut Multispecialty Group, P.C., in Wethersfield and served as an oncology nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital

Terri Cain, certified Kripalu Yoga instructor, has lead students of all ages toward self awareness through movement for over 30 years. Inspiration for her yoga classes comes from her early career as a dancer (BFA, MA - Dance /Theatre/ Music), intensive training in Dance Therapy and Movement Analysis with Irmgard Bartenieff, founder of the Laban Institute of Movement Studies, and an ongoing exploration of spirituality and the arts (Master of Divinity -Yale/ Institute of Sacred Music.) Terri teaches group and private yoga in Guilford, Ct. She is also Director of Pilgrim Fellowship, a service organization for teens, and is the President of GCTV.

Sarah Collins, MS is the exercise physiologist for St. Vincent's Medical Center, responsible for employee health and wellness. She is also owner of FIT SOLUTIONS BY SARAH, LLC, a personal training and pilates studio in Trumbull CT where her special focus is special populations. Sarah has her Master of Science in Gerontology with a focus in Exercise Science from the University of Southern California, is ACSM: Health Fitness Specialist certified, NASM: Certified Personal Trainer certified and STOTT Pilates certified in Reformer and Mat, AFFAA Advanced Personal Trainer and a national YMCA of USA Faculty Trainer
Beth Connerly

Joan Fisler, CFP(r) is a Certified Financial Planner with New Alliance Investments. She seeks to help people succeed financially by creating a plan for them that links their investments and cash flow to their goals and dreams.

Clare Flannery, M.D. is finishing her medicine specialty training in Endocrinology at Yale University. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Trinity College, Dublin School of Medicine. During residency in Internal Medicine at the Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she did additional training in Women's Health. Her interests include Type 2 Diabetes, Gestational Diabetes, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Her research involves how diabetes develops in the elderly, as well as how reproductive organs are affected by insulin resistance.

Lisa Freed, M.D., FACC received her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and completed her residency training at Cornell Medical Center. She completed cardiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Currently, Dr. Freed is a partner at Cardiology Associates of New Haven with offices in New Haven, Orange, Hamden, and Guilford. She is also co-director of the Women's Heart Advantage Program at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Her research interests include mitral valve prolapse and Women and Heart Disease. Dr. Freed is also an Assistant Professor at Yale University School of Medicine.

Julie White-Gooding is a 50+ personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and specializing in working with women 40+ years old. Good health eludes many women who face the daily struggle of managing their weight, limiting the effects of aging and minimizing pain from poor posture or work demands. She understands these issues and works with people to find solutions that fit their personal and health goals. She has used fitness to manage her own chronic health problems and is sensitive to the many demands and challenges women face in juggling their busy lives. She is passionately committed to the belief that exercise can bring satisfaction and the rewards of improved energy, vigor, and health that will last into later years.

Marsha Guess, M.D., MS earned her medical degree, completed her residency training and served as Administrative Chief resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of medicine. She completed a comprehensive three-year fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center (AECOM) in New York. She was recruited to Yale where she continues to engage in translational research on cellular mechanisms involved in pelvic organ prolapse. Dr. Guess is certified by The American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and specializes in vaginal, minimally invasive/laparoscopic and abdominal reconstructive surgery.

Suzanne Hanley has been teaching tai chi since 1996. She has studied with many teachers and offers classes and workshops in tai chi and wellness programs for businesses and corporations. Suzanne is also a Reiki and an Integrated Energy Therapy (IET) practitioner, a 4 year trained energy medicine practitioner and an IET Master Teacher. IET is a healing modality which works to release past issues from our physical body. She is a grandmother, watercolor artist and gardener.

Kari Henley is the current president of our Board of Directors, and a weekly, featured contributor to several blogs, including the Huffington Post internet newspaper. Kari is a trend spotter, idea generator and social connector. She has been presenting and developing programs in the areas of women's development, authentic communities, girl's self esteem and team building for nearly twenty years.

Martha Hoffman, is the president of a grassroots nonprofit based in Madison, CT - Call To Care Uganda. Although started by one woman following her heart, the organization has now grown to dozens of likeminded humanitarians concerned with making a difference in the lives of Ugandan children and those that care for them. Through project partnerships and generous donors, Call To Care Uganda has taken on many projects, including providing clean/safe water to five rural villages, bringing mosquito nets to hundreds threatened by malaria, aiding villagers with famine relief in the midst of a drought, sponsoring schools, as well as taking on a children's community center build project in unreached Kaberamiado, Uganda. Martha's past experience in the corporate world, as a professional photographer, and most importantly - as a mother of three, prepared her for the challenges and rewards she enjoys today. And, not surprisingly, happiness is an ever-present hallmark through it all.

Karl L. Insogna M.D. received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut. He joined the faculty at Yale in 1984 and is currently a Professor in Medicine in the Department of Internal there. He is the Director of the Yale Bone Center, an integrated multispecialty clinical service that provides care to patients with osteoporosis and other metabolic skeletal disorders. He is also the director of the NIH-funded Yale Core Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders. Dr. Insogna is an internationally recognized expert in the field of metabolic bone diseases and has published widely on the topic in the field's leading scientific journals. His current clinical research focus is on the impact of dietary protein on bone health.

Jenna Keller is 28 years old and currently resides in Meriden, Connecticut. Jenna graduated with a Bachelors degree in Communication from Prince William and Mary in Virginia. She presently works as phone technical support for a cable company in Shelton, Connecticut. . She volunteers at the haunted attraction, the Trail of Terror, in Wallingford, Connecticut, where the proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations.

Lyne Landry and Harry E. Needham representing the Institute of Martial Arts, which offers the art of Tang Soo Do. Their goal is to teach self-respect and respect for others through this time-honored Korean discipline. Their training is traditional and encompasses technique, forms, sparring, and self-defense. We encourage the pursuit of excellence and applaud our students' and instructors' achievements both within and outside our discipline. Head instructors Harry E. Needham III and Lyne Landry have 35 and 25 years of teaching experience respectively. Mr. Needham, a retired police officer, is Lead Investigator at Quinnipiac University. Ms. Landry is the Director of Guilford Youth & Family Services.

Kristin Mastromarino, founder of Liveable Solutions Professional Organizing in 2003. Kristin spent 5 years working on Capital Hill in Washington, DC and decided that her true talents were found in helping people organize their lives as a professional organizer. In 2005, she brought her company back to her hometown of Guilford and opened the Organized Lifestyle store to provide workshops and home organization products to the public. The Organized Lifestyle store was the first store of its kind in CT. Kristin writes a bi-weekly column called, "Ask the Organizer" and has a Masters in Business Management as well as a Masters in Business Administration.

Adam B. Mayerson, M.D. completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Yale, followed by a fellowship in Endochrinology at Yale School of Medicine. Currently, he is Managing partner at Endochrine Associates of Connecticut, Associate Section Chief of Endochrinology at Yale New Haven Hospital, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

Jennifer McManus, RN has developed an approach to health, focused on empowering individuals to take an active role in their own well-being. Jennifer feels that pilates is one way to reach people with this mind-body exercise modality. She has worked in the field of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation at St. Francis and Providence Hospitals and was certified in 1995 as an ACSM Exercise Specialist from the Cleveland Heart Clinic and in 2001 certified as a Mat Pilates Instructors. She currently teaches pilates at the Madison Park and Recreation Dept. and is also part of the staff at Beyond Care LLC, a Therapeutic Lifestyle Center in Branford; that specializes in weight loss and stress reduction programs.

Jane Olson directs the Caregiver Support Network at VNA Community Healthcare which supports over 600 families on the shoreline. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Agency on Aging and has been a speaker at the CT Alzheimer's Conference and national VNA convention. Jane has a Masters in Healthcare Administration and has worked in homecare, hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Jane's personal experience includes caregiving for her father with Parkinson's disease.

Lubna Pal, MBBS, MRCOG, MS, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and Director of programs for Reproductive Aging and Bone Health and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome at the Yale Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility Center. Having received medical education in Pakistan, Dr. Pal completed a residency in Ob/Gyn at Yale followed by a Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY. She then completed Masters in Clinical Research from the Yeshiva University, New York. Dr. Pal was on faculty at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology & Women's Health, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, NY as an Assistant Professor until October 2007, when she returned to Yale to join faculty. While at AECOM, Dr. Pal's research has focused on reproductive aging and multisystem implications thereof, with a specific focus on bone health, and in reproductive and health implications of vitamin D status. She is the PI for an ongoing trial of vitamin D and calcium supplementation in women with PCOS.

Morris Papernik, MD is an Internist with over 20 years of clinical practice. He was formerly an Associate Professor of Medicine at Rush University in Chicago and is now relocated to CT. Presently on staff at Hartford Hospital and an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UConn, Dr. Papernik has had a special interest in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since the late 1980's and has been involved in clinical research for these illnesses. He recently served on the Presidential Advisory Committee for CFS within the Dept. of Health and Human Services. He is presently involved in opening up the ProHealth Center for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as a member of a nationwide task force to teach physicians how to recognize and properly diagnose and treat FMS.

Stefana Pecher, MD, FAAFP, CCFP, MCFP received her medical degree from Charles University, Prague. Dr. Pecher was Chief Resident at the Bryn Mawr Family Practice Residency Program in Bryn Mawr, PA and then became part of the teaching faculty. She also completed a research fellowship in prostate cancer at the University of Pittsburgh and was Chief Resident at the Charles University, Department of Urology. Most recently, Dr. Pecher joined the staff of The Westerly Hospital in 2008 and heads up a family medicine practice in North Stonington. Her special interests include women's health and control of infectious diseases.

Dr. Liane Philpotts is an Associate Professor of Diagnostic Radiology at Yale University School of Medicine, Chief of Breast Imaging, and Co-Director of the Yale-New Haven Breast Center. She completed her undergraduate, medical, and radiology residency training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada after which she came to Yale University in 1993 to become their first Breast Imaging fellow. Upon completion of fellowship, she became an attending physician and has continued there ever since. She has interest in all aspects of breast imaging, but particularly in interventional procedures, breast pathology, MRI, and new techniques such as tomosynthesis. Dr. Philpotts is a Consultant to the Editor of the journal Radiology and active in many breast imaging societies and committees.

Wendy Battles-Plasse, known as the Clean Eating Coach, Wendy Battles Plasses teaches busy men and women, and their families how to ditch eating so much junk food, how to embrace eating clean whole foods and how to plan quick, healthy and delicious meals that won't break the bank. As owner of Healthy Endeavors, a health coaching and consulting firm, she believes creating a health lifestyle is an adventure - full of discovery, insights and unexpected stops along the path to better health. She infuses her interactive and engaging presentations with fun, humor and a host of important information to get participants into action and motivated to practice clean eating.

Cheryl Roby is a certified Kripalu YogaDance instructor, Reiki Master Teacher and Certified Spiritual Healer. She is a graduate of the Institute of Healing Arts and Sciences in Bloomfield, CT and is the author of the Roby Chart of human energy and related beliefs. Currently Chery teaches Kripalu YogaDance; leads workshops and speaks on various wellness topics including stress management, the human energy field , abundance, the mind/body connection and the chakras.

Alon Ronen MD, is a cardiologist and the co-director of the Women at Heart program at St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport. He received his medical training at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and his Cardiology training at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Dr. Ronen is an Asst. Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut.

Patti Celori Said is the Executive Director of New England Cognitive Center and has been the driving force behind the development of NECC's Brain G.Y.M.M. programs, including the Mind Aerobics suite of programs, designed to help older adults at a wide variety of cognitive levels. These programs reflect Ms. Said's talent for translating fundamental learning principles into creative, effective programs that improve memory and overall cognitive function. She organized NECC's Research Advisory Committee, independent researchers who conduct research and program efficacy studies on NECC programs. Ms. Said, along with NECC, was the recipient of the 2006 Award for Excellence in Program Innovation from the Archstone Foundation and the Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association.

Beverly Sastri teaches a program called LIVE like YOU MEAN it!(tm) and her focus is on creating the inner growth that leads to outer success. Beverly has an MBA and over 25 years of business experience, including 13 years in corporate marketing and 8 years as a retail business owner.

Joy Scott began practicing Pilates in the 80's, while studying dance at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in NYC. She is a certified Instructor and continues to train at Pilates on Fifth. Joy has choreographed and performed with various Dance and Theatre groups in NYC and Ct. The Fusion approach has led her to Bodi N Motion, Guilford, Ct. in which you will benefit from a well-rounded non-intimidating fitness program for Adults and children. Our goal is to help you find the passion and the power to improve your overall well-being and achieve effortless grace and good health.

Shelby Threloff is 25 years old and was born and raised in Wallingford, Connecticut. Shelby graduated from Middlesex Community College with an Associates degree in Multimedia and from Central Connecticut State University with a Bachelors in Communication/Marketing. Currently, she is a grant writer at a performing arts organization in Hartford, Connecticut.

Jenna Keller is 28 years old and currently resides in Meriden, Connecticut. Jenna graduated with a Bachelors in Communication from Prince William and Mary in Virginia. She presently works as phone technical support for a cable company in Shelton, Connecticut. She volunteers at the haunted attraction, the Trail of Terror, in Wallingford, Connecticut, where the proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations.