Zackary Berger, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, is an internal medicine physician and primary care doctor. He obtained his MD and PhD from New York University and trained in the primary care - internal medicine residency program at NYU/Bellevue, coming to Hopkins for a faculty position in 2009. In addition to his active adult medicine practice and role as a preceptor (instructor) in the resident clinic, he conducts research on doctor-patient communication and the role of the primary care doctor in cancer treatment. He is particularly interested in measuring and improving safety and quality in the outpatient setting. His publications can be viewed on Pubmed, Google Scholar. Berger's writing has appeared in scholarly journals and many venues for the broader public both on-line and in print. In a parallel life, he is a poet and translator in Yiddish and English.

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Saving Animals, Running for a Cause, and Partnering with your Doctor

Kelly Flynn started her running career after college and has been involved in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training (TNT) program for over 13 years. She has run in many events including notable races such as the Boston, Maine and Dublin marathons. Kelly loves coaching for TNT and she first signed up to honor a friend who had lost his battle with cancer. Initially she didn’t know if she could accomplish the task. She had the motivation but not a clue on how to run – much less train for long distance running. When Kelly crossed the finish line she felt such a sense of accomplishment and was thrilled to have completed the run in honor of her late friend. Since that first marathon, she signed up to volunteer, mentor other participants and eventually ran other marathons for TNT. In 2005, Kelly was asked to coach one of the TNT teams and she’s been involved since then.

Allison Cardona is the director of the organization’s Cruelty Intervention Advocacy (CIA) program. The CIA program addresses situations where, without intervention, companion animals in New York City are in danger of becoming cruelty victims. To date through this initiative, thousands of animals have been saved that would likely have otherwise become victims of neglect. Cardona has been deployed across the country to respond to cruelty cases and natural disasters. She is trained in technical and large animal rescue, swift water rescue, CPR, first aid, and incident command systems. She is also a member of NYC’s Animal Planning Task Force, a coalition of animal welfare and emergency management agencies that work together to plan and respond to animal issues during disasters. Cardona has a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs from Empire State College and lives in Brooklyn with her pit bull, Turkey, and rescued cat, Rita.

Dr. Hendin is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Arizona and is the chief of the Neurology Service at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Banner Health Services. He is a graduate of the Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his neurology residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology where he has served as an examiner for the Board for more than 30 years. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology where he had been honored as a fellow. He has also been extensively involved in clinical research for more than 20 years especially in emerging therapies in MS. He serves on the Board of Directors of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Arizona Chapter. He has been selected by the MS Society as Health Professional of the Year.

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MS Advances and Myths, Safe Teen Driving, and Surviving World War II Atrocities

Jeffrey English, MD. Graduate of Dartmouth Medical School did his post medical training in Internship, Residency and Fellowship at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. He was the Chief Resident in Neurology at the University of Maryland in Dr. English is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with sub-specialty training in neuromuscular disorders. Dr. English is the Director of Clinical Research at the MS Center of Atlanta and the Medical Director, Sports Concussion Institute at Atlanta. He is a paid speaker and consultant for several pharmaceutical companies. He has also been invited as a national speaker on health care economics and the delivery of care to the multiple sclerosis population.

Margret Mefford was born in Kassel, Germany and lives her young life dodging bombs and hiding in caves to survive. She meets Americans for the first time in 1945 when they occupy her home town. She eventually meets Bobby Mefford an Army man and married him in 1957. They move to his hometown in Huntsville, Alabama. Margret volunteers at the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens, Alabama. She co-authored Journey to Freedom with James Ehl.

James Ehl along with Margret Mefford wrote Journey to Freedom: Collected Stories of Perseverance and Survival in the Presence of Great Adversity. It is about German ladies of Limestone County in Alabama and their path to get to where they are now. James earned his MBA from Alabama A&M and his AMP from Harvard. He is the holder of two aerospace-related patents. He is the author of numerous papers and presentations. He was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and also the Outstanding Leadership Medal. He retired from NASA as a Senior Executive and subsequently was a successful aerospace consultant. After retirement he studied the German language at a school in Germany.

Tyler Presnell discusses his personal story and the NAIC’S campaign to raise awareness about the importance of safe and respectful driving, especially among teens. As a passenger he suffered life-threatening injuries when he was 14, when a friend lost control of the car. Now he travels the country as an advocate for safe teen driving and why it’s so important to continuing educating teens about the dangers facing them on the road.

Leigh Ann Edwards, MPH, RD, is National Program Operations Director for Cooking Matters. She has been with the Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters since 2006 and held various responsibilities including research and development of curricula and shepherding start up programs as they build their infrastructure. She received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interpersonal Communications from North Carolina State University. Ms. Edwards received the UNC Gilling School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition’s Outstanding Alumnus for 2008 – 2009 and was inducted into the Theta Chapter of the Delta Omega Society. She was also selected as the 2010 Emerging Leader for the NC Dietetic Association. Before joining the Share Our Strength team, Leigh Ann served as the Manager for Nutrition & Scientific Affairs at N Chapman Associates, Inc.

Hanne Hojsted was born and raised in Denmark. She studied Advanced Iridology under Dr. Bernard Jensen at the Iridology International College in Los Angeles, and has been practicing since 1989. In 1999, she continued her education as a Naturopathic Doctor in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For four years, she had her own live radio broadcast show on nutrition, and was a weekly guest host for Danny Burden Talk Show. In addition, she has been on various radio talk shows. She has given lectures at the Women’s Health Conference in Heidelberg, Germany, at Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Successful Living Seminars in Vancouver, BC, Canada, as well as individual health consultations. Hanne is also an Author. She wrote the book The Miracle Journey of Love, and is currently working on her second book about Iridology.