PRHI Staff
Karen Wolk Feinstein
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Jewish Healthcare Foundation, PRHI, and Health Careers Futures
PhD, Brandeis University, Social Welfare Policies and Economics;
MSW, Boston College; BA, Brown University, American History
Appointed the Foundation's first CEO in 1991, Dr. Feinstein initially focused on health issues endemic to aging, women's health and underserved populations. She has since made the Foundation a leading voice in patient safety, healthcare quality and workforce issues.
When Dr. Feinstein co-founded the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative with former Alcoa CEO and U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill in 1997, it was the nation's first community-wide collaborative devoted to making an entire region's healthcare institutions safer, more efficient and more diligent in applying best practices through the use of industrial quality engineering principles.
Dr. Feinstein founded Health Careers Futures in 2002 to assist the region's healthcare industry in attracting and retaining employees, particularly nursing professionals.
She serves on numerous community and nonprofit boards, previously held executive posts at other nonprofits, including the United Way, and served on the faculties of Boston College and Carnegie Mellon University. She also is a past president of Grantmakers in Health and was the editor of the Urban and Social Change Review. Contact: 412-594-2550.
Back to TopCarla Barricella
Communications Manager
BA, Point Park University, Journalism and Communications
Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Pittsburgh Regional Health
Initiative, Health Careers Futures
Ms. Barricella has a wealth of experience in health and human services, communications and event management. She joined the Foundation in 2004 after 12 years at United Way where she held the positions of Special Events Director and Corporate Relations Manager. Prior to United Way, Ms. Barricella worked as Staff Assistant to Elsie H. Hillman, Republican National Committeewoman. She was involved with the planning and execution of political visits involving the President, Vice President and Cabinet members, and served as a liaison to the White House Office of Political Affairs. She also worked for the local CBS affiliate, KDKA-TV, in public affairs, studio and remote production. Contact: 412-594-2568, barricella@jhf.org.
Back to TopMimi Falbo
Chronic Care Consultant
MSN and BSN, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing;
RN, Westmoreland School of Nursing
Previously, Mimi Falbo (formerly Priselac) served most of her 35-year career at UPMC Braddock/Braddock Medical Center/Braddock General Hospital, most recently as President and CEO. She also served as Executive Vice President, Vice President of Nursing, Director of Psychiatric Services, and Psychiatric Head Nurse. Along with her vast knowledge of hospital operations, Mimi brings particular strength in developing low-cost, high quality, community integrated health care dedicated to improving the health status of all served. She has demonstrated the ability to engage partners and develop creative solutions to identified community needs, winning recognition for her work in community outreach, mental health and children's programs. In addition to serving on numerous healthcare-related boards, Mimi was honored with the 2003 Susan B. Anthony Women of Vision Award. Contact mpriselac@prhi.org.
Back to TopNaida Grunden
Communications Consultant
BA, California State University, East Bay, English; Secondary
English Teaching Credential
Naida Grunden has 25 years of experience as a writer in health care, environment and business. She assists the Communications and Marketing Manager in creating strategic communications, newsletters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and website (www.prhi.org). She received the 2006 Challenge Award from the American College of Clinical Engineering for an article she wrote for Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology.
Previously, Ms. Grunden managed community and public communications for Southwestern Pennsylvania's largest suburban school district, the North Allegheny School District.
Tina Hahn
Provider Trainer and Coach - Demonstration Projects
BS, University of Pittsburgh, Psychology
Ms. Hahn has worked in the healthcare industry for more than eleven years. Her clinical experience includes intake and diagnostic evaluations of children with developmental and behavioral disorders. She served as a team leader for two years implementing Perfecting Patient Caresm in an outpatient pediatric setting. Most recently she has served as a Systems Analyst at UPMC, collaborating with clinical end users to define requirements and design specifications for an interoperability application aimed at bringing together patient data from disparate electronic medical record systems.
Contact: 412-586-6715, thahn@prhi.org.
Leah Holleran
Business Manager
Associate in Specialized Business, Duff's Business Institute;
RN Coursework, Mercy School of Nursing
At PRHI Ms. Holleran is the primary staff resource for accounting, IS, and grant management support. Prior to joining PRHI, Ms. Holleran served four years as Senior Secretary in the Department of Surgery at The Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, which included support for Surgical Research, Infection Control, Division of Orthopaedics and clinical and administrative work for the Chief of Pediatric Surgery. Contact: 412-586-6708, lholleran@prhi.org.
Barbara Jennion
Education Director
MEd, Pennsylvania State University, Health Education;
BS, Gannon University, Therapeutic Recreation; BA, Mercyhurst College, Art
Therapy
For most of the past 20 years, Ms. Jennion was as a mental health clinician and manager at Allegheny East Mental Health/Mental Retardation Center, Inc. For two years, she led a team in applying Perfecting Patient Caresm principles on the behavioral health unit at Forbes Regional Hospital.
Ms. Jennion directs PRHI's Center for Perfecting Patient Caresm, working on curriculum and coordination for the Perfecting Patient Caresm educational program. She teaches classes and coaches on site. Contact: 412-586-6711, bjennion@prhi.org.
Back to TopJason Kunzman
Vice President, Finance and Operations
CPA; MBA, University of Baltimore; BA, University of South Florida, Criminology
Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, Health Careers Futures
Mr. Kunzman joined the Jewish Healthcare Foundation after two years as a police officer in Baltimore County, Maryland and then nearly five years as a fraud investigator (forensic accounting) in both New York City and Pittsburgh. He is responsible for the financial and administrative operations at the Foundation. He also manages the Foundation’s government grants related to the provision of HIV/AIDS services within Southwestern Pennsylvania. Contact: 412-594-2560, kunzman@jhf.org.
Laura K. Mahood, SCT (ASCP)
Teacher and Coach, Center for Perfecting Patient Caresm
MS, Duquesne University, Education; BS, Thomas Jefferson University, Cytotechnology
Ms. Mahood serves as a teacher and coach of Perfecting Patient Caresm principles. She brings to PRHI over 18 years of healthcare experience in a variety of roles within the field of pathology, including laboratory technologist, educator, manager and quality assurance coordinator. She has a special interest in quality improvement methodologies and continuous work process improvement techniques. Contact: 412-586-6718, lmahood@prhi.org.
Back to TopHarold D. Miller
Strategic Initiatives Consultant
MS, Carnegie Mellon University, Public Management and
Policy
Mr. Miller is President of Future Strategies, LLC, a management and policy consulting firm in Pittsburgh. He created and maintains www.PittsburghFuture.com, an Internet resource that explains and comments on economic development strategy issues for the Pittsburgh region. He also serves as an adjunct Professor of Public Policy Management at Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management.
Mr. Miller provides JHF and its supporting organizations with analytical services on projects funded to help shed light on the financial impact of hospital-acquired infections, among other things. He previously served as the President of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania. In those roles, he designed and implemented a wide range of initiatives designed to improve the economy and quality of life in the Pittsburgh region. Mr. Miller served for 10 years as the Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Growth Alliance, a 10-county, public-private partnership dedicated to promoting the economic development needs of the region with state and federal officials.
Between 1987 and 1992, Mr. Miller served as Associate Dean of Carnegie Mellon's Heinz School. During the 1980s, he served as Director of the Pennsylvania Governor's Office of Policy Development. Mr. Miller serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and is President of the Board of Directors of Eastern Area Adult Services, Inc., an agency helping senior citizens. He is the author of a number of articles and books in the fields of science and public policy.
Back to TopBetsy Milliron
Administrative Assistant
Liberal Arts Studies, The University of Tampa
Ms. Milliron supports the Clinical and Patient Safety Activities, PRHI Board of Directors and Office Manager. Her responsibilities also include Committee and Working Group administration and event management.
Prior to joining PRHI, Ms. Milliron served as Accounts Payable Specialist and Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer for GMS Florida West Coast, Inc., a physician group. She has over ten years of administrative and business support experience in the healthcare and finance industries. Contact 412-586-6714, bmilliron@prhi.org.
Back to TopShauna Spencer
Project Director
MBA and BA (Behavioral Science),Westminster College (Utah)
Ms. Spencer is the Project Director for Behavioral Health and Addictions. She joins the staff from her position as Director of Children’s Services in the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health (DMH), where she led major system change efforts to improve services for children and families. She also served as DMH’s Director of Community Crisis Response, developing financing and related mechanisms to transition acute care services from the state-run to community-based hospitals. After September 11, 2001 and the anthrax attacks, she was recruited to DMH to lead the capital city’s federally funded crisis counseling program and joined the federal government’s cadre of experts leading training across the country in psychosocial consequence management.
Ms. Spencer was the Sr. Vice President for Managed Care and Community and School Health at the DC Public Health and Hospital Corporation and served as regional administrator for a staff model HMO, managing services for 20,000 capitated lives and leading system-wide quality improvement initiatives. She has extensive experience leading system change and quality improvement for public health and mental health delivery systems, including profit, not-for-profit and managed care structures.
Contact 412-586-6716, sspencer@prhi.org.
Back to TopFran Sheedy Bost
Senior Workforce Training Specialist
MEd, University of Pittsburgh; BS, Duquesne University, Psychology
Ms. Bost is an on-site coach and teacher involved in the Perfecting Patient Caresm program with PRHI. She has more than 25 years of administrative experience in Pennsylvania healthcare programs. Prior to joining the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and PRHI, Ms. Bost was a Director of Quality Improvement for Allegheny Health Choices, Inc. (AHCI), the agency that oversees Medicaid Behavioral Health managed care in Allegheny County.
Prior to joining AHCI, Ms. Bost was Vice President of Operations at Heritage Valley Health System, near Pittsburgh. In that post, she directed Staunton Clinic, the inpatient psychiatric service and six outpatient psychiatric programs for a two-hospital health system, and provided oversight of several other hospital departments such as laboratory and radiology services.
Ms. Bost has served on various community boards such as the Allegheny County Advisory Board for Children Youth and Families and is Past President of the Allegheny County Mental Health Providers Association. Contact: 412-594-2575, sheedybost@jhf.org.
Back to TopBrian Turcsanyi
Healthcare Data Analyst
BS, Pennsylvania State University, Management Information Systems
Mr. Turcsanyi works in a number of areas including the development of a web-based learning platform designed to advance quality, safety and best practices in health care, and managing large data sets relative to PRHI's initiatives. He joined the staff after a number of years at the University of Pittsburgh, Center for Pathology Quality and Healthcare Research, where he managed the informatics needs of the research group which include the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funded Improving Patient Safety by Examining Pathology Errors database and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) funded Best Practices for Pathology database. Brian developed a datamart that included data from the laboratory information system and other information systems to track the progress of the Toyota Process intervention in the histology lab, as well as other AHRQ interventions.
He is currently pursuing an MBA at the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, with a focus on strategy. Contact: 412-586-6712, bturcsanyi@prhi.org.
Back to TopColleen Vrbin
Healthcare Data Analyst
BS, Carnegie Mellon University,
Policy and Management, Political Science, and Social and Decision Science
Ms. Vrbin's focus is on research, including identifying funding opportunities, grant writing, as well as analyzing data and developing metrics. Prior to joining PRHI, she was a research assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, Center for Pathology Quality and Healthcare Research. She worked on numerous patient safety studies pertaining to pathology errors, co-authoring 10 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 14 abstracts and presenting more than 30 posters. Ms. Vrbin has been involved with various studies, including AHRQ-related and others, studying physicians’ perceptions of the usefulness of various healthcare professionals, variations in existing quality measures designed to detect errors in pathology, and implementation of interventions geared to reduce errors. Larger-scale interventions include implementation of Toyota Production principles into the practice of collecting Pap smear and thyroid fine needle aspiration specimens. Contact: 412-586-6710, cvrbin@prhi.org.
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