DRI Faculty List
Medical Liability and Health Care Law Seminar
Hilton Austin | Austin, TX | March 26 - 27, 2020
Tamika C. Auguste, MD Georgetown University Hospital
Tamika C. Auguste, MD is the Vice-Chair of Women's and Infants' Services at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Associate Professor in OB/GYN at Georgetown School of Medicine, and Chairperson of the OBGYN Clinical Practice Council for MedStar Health. Dr. Auguste is a board-certified OB/GYN that has multiple publications on patient safety, simulation, and medical education. Dr. Auguste is also the Immediate Past Chair of the DC Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). |
Robert Cykiert, MD New York University
Robert Cykiert, MD is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist and a Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Cykiert practices general ophthalmology and is also a fellowship-trained cornea specialist. He has performed thousands of cataract surgeries, corneal transplants and LASIK laser vision correction operations since starting his practice in 1981. |
Andrew DeSimone Sturgill Turner Barker & Moloney PLLC
Andrew DeSimoneis a civil litigator at the office of Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC, in Lexington, Kentucky. Andrew defends health care professionals from malpractice lawsuits throughout the State of Kentucky. He is AV-rated from Martindale-Hubbell, as well as Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers. He has garnered numerous trial and appellate victories in medical malpractice, insurance defense and governmental law. |
Carol A. Dillon Managing Partner
Bleeke Dillon Crandall
Carol A. Dillon is a shareholder with Bleeke Dillon Crandall in Indianapolis. Carol's practice is focused on defending healthcare providers in medical malpractice cases, particularly in the correctional healthcare environment. She has been a presenter at the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare meetings. She has appeared multiple times before the U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit and before the Indiana Court of Appeals. She has tried multiple cases to jury verdict in both federal and state court. |
Laura D. Eschleman Partner
Nall & Miller LLP
Laura D. Eschleman is a partner at Nall & Miller LLP in Atlanta, Georgia. She is licensed in Georgia, Alabama and Missouri and has defended health care professionals and entities in medical malpractice cases, direct corporate liability claims, product liability cases and board licensing matters in 28 different states. Laura has tried several medical malpractice cases to successful jury verdict in multiple states. In addition, Laura represents healthcare providers in Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance company audits. Laura is AV® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® and has been recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2012 through 2018 in medical malpractice defense. Laura was the Program Chair for the 2017 DRI Medical Liability & Health Care Law Committee's seminar and was recognized with the Albert H. Parnell Outstanding Program Chair Award in 2017. Laura additionally serves as the Women in the Law Substantive Law Committee Liaison for that Committee and is a member of the DRI for Life Steering Committee and DRI Women in the Law Committee's Marketing Subcommittee. |
John F. Floyd, Sr. Wicker Smith
John F. Floyd, Sr. has been a trial lawyer since 1990, trying over 100 jury trials (business/professional negligence) to verdict. In addition, he has tried numerous cases before state regulatory boards and judges throughout Tennessee. He is board certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a Medical Malpractice Specialist by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys. As National Counsel for a large insurance carrier, John assists local counsel trying complex medical malpractice cases throughout the United States. |
Rick R. Fuentes, PhD Managing Partner
R& D Strategic Solutions LLC
Rick R. Fuentes, PhD a founding partner of R&D Strategic Solutions, LLC, has specialized in jury behavior and decision-making and the evaluation of complex evidence for over 30 years. He has worked on hundreds of civil and criminal cases involving tort, contracts, anti-trust, intellectual property, product liability, and professional malpractice issues. Through focus groups, mock trials, and surveys, he assists trial attorneys and in-house counsel to develop persuasive jury messages and themes and with witness preparation, jury selection, and case valuation. |
John E. Hall, Jr. Hall Booth Smith PC
John E. Hall, Jr. is one of the founding partners of Hall Booth Smith, PC. He specializes in the defense of high exposure cases, involving hospitals and medical malpractice claims. He manages and handles high exposure cases in over 20 states as National Counsel for several insurers, companies and hospitals. He has extensive litigation experience, having tried in excess of 125 civil cases. Mr. Hall is licensed in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and New Jersey. |
Linda Harrison, PhD Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company
Linda Harrison, PhD is the Director of Risk Management at OMIC. Dr. Harrison has lectured nationally on topics in health care risk management, litigation stress syndrome, physician burnout, and negotiation strategies. Dr. Harrison also leads efforts to improve organizational effectiveness through process analysis, re-engineering and implementation, team building, and coaching. Dr. Harrison received her AB from Smith College, her master's in Psychology and Human Development from Harvard, and PhD in Organizational Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. |
Tharun Karthikeyan, MD Lexington Clinic
Tharun Karthikeyan, MD is board-certified in Orthopedic Surgery, receiving his medical degree in 2005 and completing his residency in 2011, both from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2012, he completed his fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center. He provides specialty services in adult hip and knee reconstruction, including primary, complex and revision hip and knee replacement, and anterior hip replacement. |
Mandi J. Karvis Partner
Wicker Smith
Mandi J. Karvis a partner in the Wicker Smith Phoenix office, is an experienced trial attorney, with jury trial experience in state and federal courts. Her practice primarily focuses on handling medical malpractice cases. Ms. Karvis defends premises liability, products liability, and general personal injury matters that involve catastrophic and/or complex injuries. Ms. Karvis assists clients in pre-litigation evaluation of claims to allow clients to identify claims that should be resolved prior to the initiation of litigation. |
Joseph G. (Joey) Mattson Devine Millimet & Branch
Joseph G. (Joey) Mattson practice focuses on defense of healthcare providers, healthcare institutions, and other professionals, including lawyers and accountants. Additionally, Joey has defended premises and general liability matters and has been involved in complex commercial litigation on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants. Joey is the NH editor for AM Best Insurance Law Digest. |
Aubrey Milunsky, MD Tufts University, Center For Human Genetics
Aubrey Milunsky, MD is the founder of the non-profit Center for Human Genetics, now in its 35th year. He is a Co-Director with his son and is an adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine. He was Professor of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pathology at Boston University School of Medicine. Boston University named the AUBREY MILUNSKY CHAIR IN HUMAN GENETICS. He has given hundreds of invited lectures in 35 countries and the Vatican. |
John B. Mumford, Jr. Hancock Daniel & Johnson PC
John B. Mumford, Jr. leads Hancock Daniel's insurance practice group from the firm's office in Richmond, Virginia. John represents insurance companies in litigating coverage disputes in multiple jurisdictions and forums, with a focus on Virginia, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, and Tennessee. He also advises insurers on a variety of coverage matters, such as policy rescission, extra-contractual liability avoidance, and the duty to defend and reservation of rights. |
Nicole Palichat Claims Specialist
ProAssurance
Nicole Palichat has been in the insurance defense industry for more than 20 years. Since 2015, Nicole has worked as a Senior Claims Specialist with ProAssurance in the Las Vegas, Nevada office defending healthcare providers. ProAssurance is an industry-leading specialty insurer with extensive expertise in healthcare professional liability. |
Shareholder
Bassford Remele PA
Amy Ray, MD, MPH Case Western Reserve University
Amy Ray, MD, MPH is the Medical Director of Infection Prevention for MetroHealth in Cleveland, Ohio. As the 2018 receipt of the Barry Farr Award of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology, she is a nationally recognized expert of infection prevention and healthcare epidemiology. She has served on the National Quality Forum's Technical Advisory Panel of the Voluntary Consensus Standards and Quality Improvement Committee of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Dr. Ray is an Associate Professor at the Case Western School of Medicine. |
Antonio C. Robaina McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP
Antonio C. Robaina is Of Counsel at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, where he acts as a mediator in medical malpractice cases and other types of civil litigation. Previously, he was a Connecticut Superior Court Judge for 20 years, and most recently served as the presiding judge for civil matters in the Hartford Judicial District. He has served as the co-chairperson of a bench/bar committee with respect to medical malpractice cases. |
Travis Schamber, MD Advanced Correctional Healthcare
Travis Schamber, MD is a board-certified internal medicine physician with clinical interests in primary care, underserved populations, addiction medicine, and behavioral health. He began his career in outpatient internal medicine before finding his niche in correctional health care. Dr. Schamber lectures locally and nationally on correctional health care topics such as transgender care and medication-assisted treatment. |
Larry L. Smith, Jr. VP,Coporate Risk Management Services
MedStar Health Inc
Larry L. Smith, Jr. Since 2001 Larry Smith has been the Vice President, Risk Management Services for MedStar Health and the president of MedStar Health's captive insurance company, Greenspring Financial Insurance Limited, Inc. Prior to joining MedStar Health, Larry was the vice president and chief risk officer for UCSF-Stanford Health Care in San Francisco, California, a healthcare delivery system that included the academic and healthcare programs of Stanford University and the University of California Medical Center at San Francisco. |
Sarah M. Temkin, MD Anne Arundel Medical Center
Sarah M. Temkin, MD is the Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland. Her clinical interests include both surgical and medical care of ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancer. She is Board Certified in OB/GYN and Gynecologic Oncology. |
Albert Barclay Wong Partner
Drewry Simmons Vornehm LLP
Albert Barclay Wong, an AV-rated Partner at Drewry Simmons Vornehm, LLP in Carmel, Indiana, represents health care providers His practice focuses on defending physicians, hospitals, and nursing facilities in negligence claims. He also represents all licensed health care providers, including physicians, nurses, and dentists in professional licensure matters before all of Indiana's health related boards and committees. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Wong was an Indiana deputy attorney general where he successfully litigated hundreds of administrative actions. Mr. Wong is the Chair of the DRI Medical Liability and Healthcare Law Committee. |
Kimberly Logue Woodland Partner
Bendin Sumrall & Ladner LLC
Kimberly Logue Woodland is a partner at Bendin, Sumrall & Ladner LLC in Atlanta. Kim has devoted her career to complex civil litigation, including medical malpractice and product liability cases. Kim focuses her practice on the defense of hospitals and their employees and has tried numerous medical malpractice cases in a wide variety of jurisdictions in Georgia. Kim prepares her clients for all stages of litigation so as to achieve the best resolution of the claims against them. |
Meghan H. Yanacek Partner
Hall Booth Smith PC
Meghan H. Yanacek is a partner with Goodell, DeVries, LLP, practicing primarily medical malpractice defense in both federal and state courts. Throughout her career, Ms. Yanacek has successfully represented providers at trial and on appeal in complex medical negligence and premise liability matters. In addition to courtroom litigation, Ms. Yanacek has also defended health care providers in disciplinary actions brought by licensing agencies. Given her health policy background, Ms. Yanacek also advises clients on healthcare-related regulatory and policy issues. Ms. Yanacek has worked both in private practice and in a claims management setting. Her legal experience includes serving as Associate Counsel for a large hospital system where she managed complex healthcare claims and litigation in the District of Columbia and Maryland. |
Jessica K. Young President
Advanced Correctional Healthcare
Jessica K. Young joined ACH in 2005, managing the litigation of the largest jail health care provider in the U.S. In 2016, she became a Certified Correctional Health Professional with the NCCHC. In 2017, she was inducted into iBi Magazine's 40 Leaders Under 40. In 2019, she was voted onto the Board of Springdale Cemetery & Mausoleum – a National Historic Site. She also recently received the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce and WEEK 25's 25 Women in Leadership Award. |