BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Pam Benson
Pam Benson is CNN's Senior Producer for National Security Affairs based in Washington, DC, reporting on such issues as the intelligence community, terrorism, weapons proliferation, arms control and key U.S. bilateral relations with major powers such as Russia and China. As a 30-year veteran of CNN, Ms. Benson has held a variety of positions at the network including writer, show producer, Executive Producer for all aspects of Washington's daily news coverage, Executive Producer for International Affairs and Executive Producer of CNN's White House coverage.
Prior to joining CNN, Ms. Benson worked as a news writer/producer in local television in Buffalo, New York and started her career as a news reporter for an all-news radio station in Buffalo. Ms. Benson graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1976 with a double BA in Political Science and Speech Communication. She spent a semester abroad studying international broadcasting in London. She is a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at the University at Buffalo, the Women's International Media Foundation, and Women in International Security.
Emily Berry, MD
Emily Berry, a gynecologic oncologist, is an assistant professor at Northwestern University Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago. Her interest in international health care was sparked during college and medical school when she served in Guatemala with the organization Hospital de la Familia, assisting in gynecologic and general surgery. As a member of HVO, she has worked in Honduras where she provided training for surgical oncology residents to expand their knowledge of gynecologic cancers. In October 2012, she was an organizer and participant in the inaugural "International Young Doctors Summit" as part of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. Dr. Berry has been an active participant in the Society of Gynecologic Oncology since 2006, participating in educational programming for residents and fellows. She currently serves on the Membership Committee as the liaison to young physicians. A recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Berry received the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Compassionate Care Award in 2007, when she was a fellow in gynecologic oncology.
Peter Curran, MD
Peter Curran is an endocrinologist with interests in international health, public health and health care delivery. Raised in Europe, after college in the US he worked in Japan before returning to the States for his medical training at Columbia and the University of Chicago. After a clinical career in Chicago and Idaho, the international bug bit him again and he and his wife, Bonni, have volunteered in multiple sites overseas. With HVO Peter has served in Kampala, Cambodia, and Bangalore and has helped to set up the internal medicine program in Bhutan. He serves on the Board of Health in south-central Idaho and is currently enrolled in a pioneering program at Dartmouth University studying ways to positively affect health care delivery in the United States.
Kim Dunleavy, PhD, PT, MS, OCS
Kim Dunleavy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Dunleavy has a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology with expertise and research interests in designing and evaluating instruction for international use. Her doctoral dissertation focused on presenting and validating a model for design of globalized instruction of health care in developing countries.
Ms. Dunleavy has been involved with Health Volunteers Overseas and, more specifically, the physical therapy programs since 1993. She has volunteered with the physical therapy programs in Vietnam, Suriname, and South Africa and has completed site assessments in Sri Lanka, Suriname and South Africa. She was involved in the HVO/USAID project to upgrade rehabilitation standards in Vietnam from 1994 to 2006, and has performed evaluations for USAID. In addition, she has been on the faculty for several HVO orientation courses on traveling and teaching overseas, giving presentations on teaching skills and rehabilitation.
Rita Feinberg
Rita Feinberg is an international development consultant with over 30 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating programs to advance the physical, social, and economic well-being of organizations and communities around the world. She has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands. Ms. Feinberg received her M.A. in International Administration from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Richard Fisher, MD
Richard Fisher, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon, is Chair of HVO's Board of Directors. He previously served as chair of Orthopaedics Overseas, the founding division of HVO. Dr. Fisher has been an active HVO member for many years, and has served in Bangladesh, Peru, Bhutan, Vietnam, and Ghana. He served as Country Director for HVO's USAID-funded rehabilitation project in Mozambique and was a member of the Technical Advisory Group for HVO's Vietnam Rehabilitation Project. Dr. Fisher is a member of the WHO Expert Panel for Clinical Technology, a participant in the WHO Global Initiative for Emergency & Essential Surgical Care, and co-editor of the WHO publication Surgical Care at the District Hospital. He was a Fulbright Fellow in Sri Lanka in 2007.
John Fisk, MD
Dr. John Fisk retired from the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine in 2007, where he had served as Professor of Surgery in the Division of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation and as Medical Director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory. He joined the faculty of SIU in 1990. In 2005, Dr. Fisk received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, a national honor given at many medical schools to a faculty member and graduating senior who demonstrate compassion, respect for patients and families, and clinical excellence. In 2004, Dr. Fisk was elected Vice President of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics and appointed chair of their Triennial Congress Committee.
Dr. Fisk completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Minnesota and earned his medical degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He earned his bachelor's degree at Grinnell College. Dr. Fisk is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has worked clinically and educationally on four continents.
David Frost, DDS, MS
Dr. David Frost is a private practicing Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon (OMS) and has been active with Health Volunteers Overseas since 1988. During his time with HVO he has served as a volunteer (India, Nepal, Peru, Vietnam, Cuba and Chile), and has been on the Steering Committee for the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Division, including service as Chair. Dr. Frost was awarded his BS from Texas A&M in 1971, his DDS from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1974 and his MS from the University of North Carolina in 1980. He did his General Practice Residency at USAF in 1976 and his Residency in OMS at UNC in 1980 followed by a Fellowship in OMS in Canniseburn, Scotland & UNC in 1981.
Dr. Frost currently is a Civilian Consultant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force for OMS. Dr. Frost is a Past President of the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation. He has Clinical Associate Professor appointments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Frost has taught and presented papers nationally and internationally since 1980. He is author, editor and/or contributor to more than 60 textbooks, scientific articles and research projects.
Nancy Kelly, MHS - Executive Director, Ex Officio
Nancy Kelly has been the Executive Director of Health Volunteers Overseas since it was founded in 1986. Prior to that time, she worked for the National Council for International Health and served as a Maternal Child Health Worker with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Korea. Ms. Kelly received her BA in Asian Studies from the University of Virginia. Upon completion of her Peace Corps service, she pursued graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health earning a Master of Health Science degree in Maternal and Child Health.
In addition to her responsibilities at Health Volunteers Overseas, Ms. Kelly serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the US section of Handicap International and Vice Chair of Global Impact's Board of Directors. She also serves on the Open Board of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics and is the President of the Board of Friends of Korea.
In 1998 Ms. Kelly was inducted into Delta Omega (Alpha Chapter) Honorary Public Health Society in recognition of her role in the founding of Health Volunteers Overseas. In 2012, Ms. Kelly was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the International College of Dentists and awarded an honorary membership in the American Dental Association for her contributions to the advancement of dentistry in global health.
Stephanie Murphy, MPA, CPA
Stephanie Murphy serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute in Arlington, VA, a non-profit trade association representing manufacturers of air-conditioning, heating and commercial refrigeration machinery. Ms. Murphy holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management from George Mason University where she was also awarded her BS in Accounting. From 2000 to 2004, Ms. Murphy was Chief Financial Officer for Global Impact, a federation of America's leading humanitarian agencies. HVO is a member of Global Impact and participates in national, state and local work-place giving campaigns through this strategic alliance. Prior to her tenure with Global Impact, Ms. Murphy served as Vice President of Finance and Administration for the National Parks Conservation Association and as the Director of Finance for the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project. She has also served as Audit Manager and Senior Accountant for a major public accounting firm.
Jody Olsen, PhD
Jody Olsen, PhD, served as Deputy Director of the Peace Corps 2001-2009 (and as Acting Director for the last 8 months of that period). Her international experience began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia and Country Director in Togo. Since then she has held leadership positions with Youth for Understanding, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, and the Academy for Educational Development. Her work with these organizations and Peace Corps has given her extensive travel experience in more than 85 countries. Dr. Olsen previously served on HVO's Board (1997-2001) but had to step aside when she was appointed to the Peace Corps. Dr. Olsen was recently named as a Visiting Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland.
Julia Plotnick, RN, MPH, FAAN, RADM, USPHS (ret)
After earning her diploma from St. Anne's Hospital School of Nursing, a BSN from Catholic University, and a MPH from the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. Plotnick joined the Public Health Service in 1959. In that service, as a community health and maternal/child specialist, she held various national positions and accepted special international assignments with the World Health Organization. In 1992, the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service selected Rear Admiral Plotnick as the Chief Nurse Officer and Assistant Surgeon General. In her capacity as Chief Nurse, she was the principal advisor to the government on nursing affairs. Following her retirement as Assistant Surgeon General, Chief Nurse of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1996, she worked for 11 years as the Administrative Consultant to the New Jersey Collaborative Center for Nursing and as a part-time Visiting Professor at Rutgers College of Nursing.
Currently she is a consultant on African health affairs to the Foreign Service Institute, US Department of State. She has served as a founding member of the Health Committee for the International Rescue Committee since 1997, and served as chair of HVO's Board of Directors from 2009 - 2012. She and Jeanne Leffers, PhD, RN are co-authors of the book, Volunteering at Home and Abroad: The Essential Guide for Nurses.
Ms. Plotnick has received numerous awards and citations including the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award, the Surgeon General's Medallion, and the Distinguished Service Medal. She has served as an international consultant in numerous countries and represented the United States on the Global Advisory Group on Nursing to the Director-General of the World Health Organization. In May 2010, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for her work in global health.
Steve Schwartz
Steve Schwartz is President of GDS Consulting Services, LLC., specializing in the areas of professional medical education, marketing, and medical humanitarian initiatives. Mr. Schwartz has extensive experience in the medical device marketplace primarily as a result of his 32 year career with Synthes Inc, a leading international medical device company which specializes in the development, manufacturing and marketing of instruments and implants for the surgical fixation, correction and regeneration of the skeleton and its soft tissues. Mr. Schwartz worked in a variety of senior management positions within Synthes, including executive management of sales; executive management of professional education; and liaison with the AO Foundation (a worldwide non-profit medical research and education organization). Mr. Schwartz has worked closely with many professional societies relating to Orthopaedics, Spine, and Craniomaxillofacial surgery; and he currently serves on the Boards of several non-profit and non-governmental service organizations. Mr. Schwartz holds a degree in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Vidya Swaminathan, PhD
Vidya Swaminathan, a graduate of Purdue University's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, served as a Pfizer Global Health Fellow with HVO's program in Uganda in 2010. During her six months in Uganda, Dr. Swaminathan taught and worked with the Dean and faculty of the Department of Pharmacy at the School of Health Sciences at Makerere University. She focused on strengthening the academic capabilities and building the health research capacity of the department. Dr. Swaminathan received HVO's 2011 Golden Apple award for the sustainable difference she made in pharmacy education and training at the University. She is Director in Technical Operations at Bristol Myers Squibb.
