The DD-PBRN is led by Dr. Carl Tyler MD, MSc who completed a 3- year NIH sponsored fellowship in Practice-Based Research Design and Methodology at CWRU under mentors James Werner PhD, MSSA and Kurt Stange MD, PhD. Dr. Tyler is Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is also Director of Research and Geriatric Education at Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine Residency. For the past three decades, Dr. Tyler's focus has been improving the health and health care of persons with developmental disabilities through clinical care, research, education, and training.
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Lin Peters provides administrative and research support as Research Coordinator for the DD-PBRN. She has worked in disability-related fields since graduating from college, first as a transition services provider with UCP of Greater Cleveland and later performing data analysis for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities as a graduate student intern. A self-advocate who has a disability, Lin holds a Master of Public Health from The Ohio State University.
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Lisanne Bright is Director of Healthcare Services for Koinonia Homes, Inc. An RN of 37 years, she holds a master's degree in medical sociology and is currently a candidate for her PhD in nursing. She has been a nurse in the IDD field since 2008. She also holds leadership positions including co-chair for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities nursing continuing education committee and secretary of Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (DDNA) Research Council, and is a member of the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education (ADHCE). Recently, she presented “Public and Healthcare Provider Attitudes Toward Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: An Integrative Review" at the annual Midwest Nursing Research Society conference.
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Amy Clawson, BA, is the Northern Ohio Family Support Specialist for Ohio Family to Family Health Information Centers. (OHF2F) Amy assists families in navigating Ohio’s disability, community and health systems for their children and adults who have special needs. Amy has functioned in various family support roles for over 20 years. As a parent of an adult with a disability, she draws on her personal experiences navigating the health and service systems and participating in the community. Amy leads activities and trainings on topics of importance to individuals with disabilities and their families, with special interests in transitioning to adulthood (specifically leading Transition Booster sessions for over 6 years). Amy serves on local and statewide committees including the Cuyahoga County Committee on Disabilities. She also participates in the Ohio Department of Health’s Maternal Child Health Block Grant Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Workgroup.
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Laura Cifra-Bean MD, FAAP is a general pediatrician with over 25 years of experience in helping families. She has a special interest in people with developmental disabilities, especially Down syndrome. She earned her undergraduate and medical degree from Case Western Reserve University and did her pediatric training at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. She has presented workshops on Down syndrome at national and regional conferences. She is a past board member of the National Down Syndrome Congress and current member of the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group-USA. She has three children including an adult son with Down syndrome.
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Brian Corrigan is a Care Coordinator at the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Prior, he worked as a Case Management Associate at United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland. Having a disability gives Brian the opportunity to provide clients and families with a unique perspective to motivate and inspire them to work towards realistic and attainable goals. This may include navigating various systems to access available resources that help level the playing field to achieve success. Brian remains an active contributor and advocate within the Disability community. He is the Vice President of the Gould Syndrome Foundation, a Vice Chair on the Maximum Accessible Housing of Ohio board and a participant/ contributor on the Youth Leadership Forum steering committee (in association with SIL). Brian has been an active member of the DDPBRN since January of 2018. He is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace College with Honors (Class of 2014).
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Helena came to Milestones in 2014 after a lengthy career at Metro Health Medical Center. There, she worked extensively with the special needs population helping families navigate the medical and community systems. Now as a retired social worker with Milestones, Helena coaches families, individuals and professionals to access the multiple resources that promote education, health and independence and has a particular expertise in linking families of low income to available resources. Helena earned an MSSA from Case Western Reserve University.
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Rachael Ferrari, MD is an outpatient adult psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic. She developed a special interest in caring for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities during her psychiatry residency at Wright State University. During her residency she worked at Access Clinic, a clinic with a mission for improving care for patients with intellectual disabilities and co-morbid psychiatric illnesses through the use of telepsychiatry services. She has a passion for clinical care, resident teaching, collaboration, lifelong learning, and applying new knowledge to patient care including development of novel patient-centered approaches.
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Stephanie Larson, PhD completed her fellowship training in clinical ethics at the Cleveland Clinic. She has participated in over 450 consultations and gained sub-specializations in genetic ethics and disability bioethics. Her research interests include disability cultural competence in medical practice and clinical ethics consultation, advance care planning, public health, preventative medicine and ethics, rural health, and narrative ethics. She holds a PhD in English with a certificate in bioethics from Emory University where she researched the role of narratives in literature and public health using the case study of parasite eradication campaigns in the US and Global South. She also holds a BS in Psychology and BA in literature from Purdue University.
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Tamara Lentini is the Health Services Manager at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities. She has been in the field of nursing for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for over 25 years, providing care and consultation for individuals throughout their lifespan. She began working at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities in 2005, taking on the role of Health Services Manager in 2021 after serving as the nurse educator for nine years. Tamara is also the guardian to two adults with disabilities. Tamara holds a license as a Registered Nurse and has her Master of Science in Nursing with an Education focus.
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Beth Lucas became the President & CEO of UCP of Greater Cleveland in 2022 after serving as UCP’s Chief Operations Officer for seven years and their Director of Development for five years prior to that. She has spent her entire career in the nonprofit sector, first specializing in fundraising and marketing. Beth’s passion for program development and sustainability drove her to pursue the operational and administrative sides of the agency and, under her direction, UCP of Greater Cleveland and those they serve have benefited. Beth has a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Administration from John Carroll University and a Bachelor of Arts from Baldwin Wallace University. She is a graduate of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities Leadership Academy and engages in advocacy, outreach and fundraising efforts for UCP as well as various mental health-related groups.
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Lizz Maxwell is the Site Director for GiGi’s Playhouse Cleveland - Down Syndrome Achievement Center. Her passion is to advocate for the Down syndrome community within the Playhouse, as well as speaking engagements and outreach opportunities throughout Northeast Ohio. Her mission is to serve, educate, and ensure meaningful programs and resources for the participants at GiGi’s Playhouse, as well as provide a positive environment for anyone who walks through their doors.
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Gail has provided nursing services to adults and children in multiple settings for over 30 years. She is passionate about improving the standards of healthcare and methods of delivery. Gail initiated nursing telehealth and electronic medication records at Koinonia Home. She enjoys teaching staff and presenting on various topics, from diabetes to autism.
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Deborah Picker is the Healthy Aging Coordinator for the Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio. After a career as an Intervention Specialist in the public schools, Deborah retired and changed paths in order to focus on an area of personal and professional interest, Healthy Aging in adults with Down syndrome. With experience as a parent of two adults with Ds, she facilitates discussions and seminars about how to live a balanced lifestyle in order to minimize the impact of aging in people with Ds. Her vision is to educate their family members about options and supports needed to help their loved ones continue to live and learn in good health.
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Barb Sapharas has worked in the field of IDD for over 45 years. She is a Charting the LifeCourse Ambassador and Ambassador Coach. She is also a Person Centered Thinking (PCT) Mentor Trainer. Her passion for supporting and empowering people with lived experience and families is driven by her role as a sibling. She was a licensed Speech Language Pathologist for over 40 years, supporting people to communicate as well as teaching those around them to recognize and respect what was communicated. She is a founding member and former Board Chair of the non-profits Ohio SIBS as well as the National Sibling Leadership Network. She has seen how Charting the LifeCourse empowers people and families to identify their good life and gives them “paper power” and “paper courage” to share their vision with others and direct their lives. She is dedicated to supporting and empowering people and families to have control over the lives they value.
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Dr. Laura Sorg is the Medical Director for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. Throughout her career as a family physician, Dr. Laura has focused on care throughout the life span, rural medicine, and caring for those with intellectual disabilities. Her goal is to expand awareness of preventative care to the almost 100,000 Ohioans DODD serves with developmental disabilities, as well as education to the health care professionals serving them. Raised on a farm in Southwest Ohio, her passion for caring for others started as a classroom assistant in fourth grade to children with disabilities. Dr. Laura’s devotion to the field was cemented when her youngest son was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. Laura is inspired daily by her husband Jonathan and their two sons. In her free time, she enjoys running, gardening and watching her sons compete at various events.
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Tony Thomas, LISW-S, ACSW has extensive experience in the developmental disabilities field. He has been Executive Director of Welcome House Inc. since 1999; Welcome House, Inc. is a residential and community services agency serving 210 persons with IDD in 46 group residential and community living sites with a staff of over 400. Tony has been actively involved in the development of the first ever statewide credentialing and certification program in Ohio for DSP’s working with persons with IDD. He has worked with others around the country to establish a national credential for DSP’s under the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP). Tony was awarded the John F. Kennedy Jr. national award in September of 2019. This award is presented to a person who has committed significant time and effort for workforce development for the IDD field. Tony received his Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the Ohio State University in 1977 and received his Master’s degree in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University and its Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS) in 1984. He is also a Licensed Independent Social Worker in Ohio with specific supervision designation (LISW-S).
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Beth has over a decade of experience working directly with autistic young adults, guiding families and individuals toward greater independence. Prior to joining Milestones in 2011, Beth served as a Youth Transition Specialist with LEAP (Linking Employment, Abilities & Potential). Beth earned her MSSA with a concentration in Community Development and Social Change from Case Western Reserve University. She has represented Milestones on the Employment First Transition Council for the State of Ohio where she assisted with policy development and implementation and also serves as a field advisor for Case Western Reserve University Graduate School of Social Work and previously sat on the internal curriculum committee. She has also presented on topics related to autistic teens and adults throughout the state of Ohio and national conferences. Beth is dedicated to mentoring self-advocates to become teachers for others and expanding community engagement for autistic individuals.
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Ginnie Whisman is a Health Improvement Policy Specialist at The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). Ginnie has spent her entire career collaborating with people with developmental disabilities with a primary focus on deinstitutionalization. She began her career at Orient State Institute providing direct support to individuals and training to staff. She worked at Goodwill Columbus as the director of Community Services providing residential and employment services to people for over 20 years. She developed Goodwill’s supported living program where they supported over 100 people living and working in their community. She rejoined the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities in 2007, as Assistant Deputy Director and became the Deputy Director in 2009 where she and her team moved over 1000 people out of state operated developmental centers into smaller community-based homes. In 2021 she started her current position to focus on health improvement and other special projects for DODD. She has an Associates Degree in Mental Health and developmental disabilities from Columbus State, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from The Ohio State University and a Masters degree in Human Service Management from Franklin University. She is a licensed social worker with over 42 years of experience in the disability system.
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