About Us

Sechel Ventures provides rich and informative content that addresses specific educational questions in fields with strong outlooks, such as medical technology. While on average, the BLS projects that opportunities will grow 3 percent across all occupations from 2022 to 2032, in medical technology the outlook is much stronger, with demand for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians expected to increase 5 percent over the same timeframe, and demand for other specialized medical technologists, like cardiovascular technologists (10 percent), expected to grow even more.

On MedicalTechnologySchools.com, the Sechel editorial team addresses trends and dynamics in medical technology, since as said technology evolves, so too will the careers associated with operating it and interpreting its output to formulate diagnoses. In addition to addressing questions about occupational futures, the team also focuses on how to prepare for those careers today, covering broad requirements down to the niche specializations, and provides a glimpse behind the educational curtain with interviews and curated lists of unique programs, learning opportunities, and professors educating the technologists of tomorrow.

Experts Interviewed on MedicalTechnologySchools.com

Alex Ledbetter, PhD
Alex Ledbetter, PhD

Dr. Alex Ledbetter is a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Ledbetter has worked in various public school settings and as a clinical supervisor at the University of Oregon Speech-Language-Hearing Center while completing his doctorate in communication disorders and sciences (CDS). He also holds a master of science degree in communication disorders from the University of New Mexico.

In addition to professional interests in specialty clinic development, inter-professional collaboration, and problem-based learning, Dr. Ledbetter is especially interested in writing intervention.

Amy Spiczka, MS
Amy Spiczka, MS

Amy Spiczka currently serves as the executive director of the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC). The ASCP BOC has credentialed over 625,000 laboratory professionals worldwide. Spiczka is a patient-centric advocate for the laboratory professional workforce, as the ASCP BOC collaboratively provides examinations and credentials across the entirety of the laboratory-specific healthcare continuum.

Spiczka’s clinical practice, published research, education interests, and awards focus primarily on elevating patients’ experiences with continuous quality improvement; developing and integrating innovative laboratory techniques; and advancing professional development opportunities, visibility, and recognition for laboratory team members.

Andrew Dallas Boyd, MD
Andrew Dallas Boyd, MD

Dr. Andy Boyd is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Applied Health Sciences. He earned his MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and completed his postdoctoral work in biomedical informatics at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Boyd’s research focuses on data simplification to improve clinical outcomes, engaging administrators, researchers, and patients. His recent research succeeded in simplifying the transition for International Classification of Disease version 9 clinical modification (ICD-9-CM) to version 10 (ICD-10-CM). Over 200 news publications have cited his work, including Crain’s Chicago Business, POLITICO, and Inside Health Policy.

Carrie Bowen, RDMS, RDCS
Carrie Bowen, RDMS, RDCS

Carrie Bowen is a registered diagnostic medical sonographer and registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer with nearly two decades of experience. She’s currently a sonographer and ultrasound educator at the Perinatal Associates of New Mexico. She also serves as a secretary of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM).

Cheryl DeRosier Martin, MA
Cheryl DeRosier Martin, MA

Cheryl DeRosier Martin is the chief knowledge officer at AHIMA where she is responsible for developing AHIMA’s knowledge as an asset to the company and its members. She has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and served as the chief information officer at both Tuomey Healthcare System and Kingman Regional Medical Center before joining AHIMA. She holds a bachelor of applied science in health information and medical records, as well as a master of arts in health information management.

Christina Gardiner, PhD
Christina Gardiner, PhD

Dr. Christina Gardiner has served since 2018 as a Professor in the Department of Healthcare Services Management at the University of Maryland Global Campus, College of Business & Management. She is the President of Summit Healthcare Advisors and has over two decades of executive healthcare experience. She has taught a variety of subjects including healthcare administration, public health, quantitative and qualitative analysis, finance, and business management.

Dr. Gardiner has advised both private firms and nonprofit organizations on issues related to value-based healthcare, healthcare system competition, market allocation, patient safety, and health policy. She is known for being a trusted consultant, educator, and subject matter expert on complex healthcare systems as well as evidence-based interventions that support public health responses.

Over the past five years, Dr. Gardiner has conducted over 100 speaking engagements on topics related to value-based healthcare, public health preparedness, and neurological disorders. She also engages in public health projects such as large-scale nursing home evacuation preparedness, conducts Alzheimer’s research using artificial neural networks, and performs data analysis for nonprofit organizations and post-secondary institutions.

Christopher Gates
Christopher Gates

Christopher Gates has over three decades of experience developing and securing medical devices for various industry leaders. Currently, he serves as the director of product security at Velentium, an engineering firm specializing in designing and manufacturing therapeutic and diagnostic medical devices.

He actively collaborates with regulatory and standard bodies such as NTIA, MITRE, Bluetooth SIG, IEEE, U.S. Department of Commerce, and FDA to design and formalize tools, techniques, and processes that facilitate the development of secure medical devices. He holds a BS in computer science from California State University Northridge and has worked as a software engineer, project manager, and cybersecurity architect.

Christopher T. Robertson, PhD, JD
Christopher T. Robertson, PhD, JD

Dr. Christopher T. Robertson is a professor at Boston University’s School of Law. His interests include bioethics, professional responsibility, conflicts of interests, criminal justice, evidence, the First Amendment, racial disparities, and corruption.

Dr. Robertson has served as visiting professor at Harvard Law School, NYU Law, and the London School of Economics, and as a visiting scholar at the Brown University Policy Lab.

Clara McCurdy
Clara McCurdy

Clara McCurdyis a third-year graduate student at UW co-advised between this lab in the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and the Institute for Protein Design.

Her focus is on using designed proteins to study signaling and direct stem cell differentiation.

Danny Arends, PhD
Danny Arends, PhD

Dr. Danny Arends is an associate professor of bioinformatics at the University of Northumbria, England. In addition to a master’s degree in molecular biology, he holds a PhD in bioinformatics and has completed a postdoctoral program in computational biology at Humboldt University in Berlin.

As a former biologist, some of his research focuses on plant life and the challenges posed by a warming planet for vital food crops. In addition to working on several projects related to the human genome, he is regularly drawn to work on bees, whose genetic makeup he describes as utterly fascinating.

Danny Goel, MD
Danny Goel, MD

Dr. Danny Goel earned his medical degree and a master’s in science from the University of Manitoba. He then pursued his Orthopaedic Surgery training at the University of Calgary. Dr. Goel is shoulder fellowship trained from the University of Western Ontario and Harvard. He has also trained in complex shoulder tendon transfers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

Dr. Goel has his MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. His practice includes all aspects of arthroscopic and reconstructive shoulder surgery. He is a member and an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and is board-certified under the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He maintains privileges at Burnaby General and St. Paul’s Hospital. He is a member of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association, American Shoulder Elbow Surgeons, and the Canadian Shoulder and Elbow Society.

Dr. Goel’s research and clinical interests include surgical education and skill acquisition. He is also the CEO and founder of PrecisionOS, an immersive medical education software company.

David Ferguson, PhD
David Ferguson, PhD

Dr. David Ferguson is an associate professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University. With a strong foundation in exercise science and a passion for promoting physical health, Dr. Ferguson has dedicated his career to advancing the understanding of human movement, exercise physiology, and the impact of physical activity on overall well-being.

As a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM) and a Clinical Exercise Physiologist certified by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM-CEP), he brings a wealth of expertise to his role, combining academic rigor with practical insights from the field. A commitment to excellence in research and education has marked his professional journey. His work encompasses various topics, from the physiological responses to exercise to developing evidence-based exercise interventions for diverse populations. His most recent publications have centered on how early life growth restriction can affect an individual’s chronic disease risk.

Deborah Josko, PhD
Deborah Josko, PhD

Dr. Deborah Josko has been the director of the medical laboratory science program at Rutgers University, School of Health Related Professions in New Jersey for the last eight years, and has been an associate professor at the university for 24 years.

Dr. Josko earned her master of science in molecular biology from Georgian Court University and her doctorate from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She started out in the field as a medical laboratory technician and then became a clinical microbiologist at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey before she started her career in education.

Dmitry Beyder, MPA
Dmitry Beyder, MPA

Dmitry Beyder is a certified nuclear medicine technologist, who holds a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from New York University. He has been a member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) for 20 years, and during this period worked for major academic facilities such as the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Oregon Health & Science University, and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

In his role at those facilities, he provided direct patient care and was a nuclear medicine leader for more than ten years. He is currently a program manager for outpatient radiology. He has authored many papers and continuing education presentations for SNMMI annual meetings and has been chair of a number of committees for the SNMMI Technologist Section.

Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA
Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA

Donald A. Balasa serves as the CEO and legal counsel of the American Association of Medical Assistants. His areas of legal specialization include not-for-profit governance, professional credentialing and regulation, and antitrust principles applicable to certifying and accrediting bodies.

Balasa served as chair of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and as vice-chair of the committee to update the Institute for Credential Excellence (ICE) publication ICE 1100:2019—Standard for Assessment-Based Certificate Programs, which is an American National Standard. He was elected to the board of directors of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in 2018 and as president of CAAHEP in 2021.

Balasa received both his baccalaureate and law degrees from Northwestern University and his MBA in economics from the University of Chicago. He was awarded the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives. Balasa has taught a course on association management at the DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and teaches constitutional law evening courses at Trinity International University.

Douglas S. Laher MBA
Douglas S. Laher MBA

Douglas S. Laher is the Chief Operating Officer at the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), where he provides strategic oversight for all functional divisions and service lines. He received his BS in respiratory therapy from the Ohio State University and his MBA from Ashland University.

Prior to his term as COO with AARC, Laher had 16 years of service with Cleveland Clinic, where he worked as a registered respiratory therapist (RRT), a respiratory clinical instructor, and director of respiratory care. Laher has also served on the board of directors of both the Ohio Society for Respiratory Care and AARC.

Eric Swirsky, JD
Eric Swirsky, JD

Eric Swirsky is a clinical associate professor, director of graduate studies, and PhD program director in the College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He has created and delivered ethics and professionalism curricula from the baccalaureate to post-doctoral levels with multiple teaching appointments across disciplines.

Swirsky serves on numerous health and education-related boards, including contributions to the editorial board of The American Journal of Bioethics, the Chicagoland Covid-19 Pandemic Response Commons, and the Board of Directors of the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. His current research involves testing the construct validity of an instrument measuring variables related to moral distress resulting from the hidden curriculum of undergraduate medical education.

Gabrielle Francois, CT(ASCP)
Gabrielle Francois, CT(ASCP)

Gabrielle Francois is an American Society for Clinical Pathology-certified cytotechnologist. She completed her post-baccalaureate certificate in cytotechnology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently pursuing a master’s in health informatics from the University of San Diego.

In March of 2020, Francois took advantage of the flexibility working in cytotechnology can offer and took a position as a traveling cytotechnologist. When not working, she spends time exploring the new cities she gets to live in and writes about it on her blog “The Traveling Cytotech.” She routinely posts pictures of the cells she analyzes on both Facebook and Instagram. With her years of experience, here is the advice she has for new cytotechnologists.

Harman Dhawan
Harman Dhawan

Harman Dhawan is the CEO and founder of Bikham Healthcare, an IT solutions company that offers digital solutions for revenue cycle management, credentialing and enrollments, patient reports, and billing and compliance.

Bikham Healthcare’s clientele includes a mix of healthcare institutions, hospitals, physician groups, laboratories, durable medical equipment companies, and standalone physicians.

Howard Rosen, MBA
Howard Rosen, MBA

Howard Rosen is the CEO and lead solutions architect at Nova Insights, a consulting firm transforming major healthcare companies in North America. With over 20 years as a health sector innovator, he was awarded seven patents and seamlessly blends engagement, innovation, and business development expertise.

As a founder and thought leader, he’s pioneered novel health tech solutions across diverse domains, contributing to health informatics and innovation governance. Rosen’s mission is to enhance healthcare accessibility and affordability using mobile, digital, and emerging technologies.

Jeffrey Damrauer, PhD
Jeffrey Damrauer, PhD

Dr. Jeffrey Damrauer is an assistant professor and researcher in the Department of Medicine at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also serves as a co-leader for the Bladder Cancer Research Program, where he plays a pivotal role in overseeing the group's bioinformatics endeavors.

Dr. Damrauer has a long track record in bladder cancer research, including identifying and characterizing molecular subtypes of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. He also discovered a unique gene expression signature demonstrating predictive capabilities regarding the response to BCG therapy. The research he has accomplished has relied heavily on the data produced for The Cancer Genome Atlas.

Jennifer Murphy, EMT
Jennifer Murphy, EMT

Jennifer Murphy has been a volunteer EMT in Brooklyn, New York since 2018. In addition to her EMT work, she maintains a parallel career as an investigator, crisis adviser, and author. Her writing has appeared in Mississippi Review and Wrath-Bearing Tree, Forbes, and the New York Post.

She holds a BA from Syracuse University, an MA from the University of Chicago, and an MFA from New York University.

Joe Hamel, MS
Joe Hamel, MS

Joe Hamel is the Strategic Innovation and Emerging Technology Manager for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). He received his BA in molecular biology from Colgate University and his MS in biotechnology from John Hopkins University.

Prior to joining the ASPR, Hamel worked as a biologist for the US Army, where he also served as a team leader and chief of planning and policy. Later, Hamel was a program director for the Department of Homeland Security, and then a program manager at Johns Hopkins University’s applied physics laboratory. You can find him on Twitter (@JoeHamel9).

John Richey, MBA
John Richey, MBA

John Richey is an AHIMA Academic Affairs Subject Matter Expert with a wealth of experience in health information professional practice, academic program development, teaching, and membership association leadership. His 36-year career features leadership and management roles in health information management, coding, revenue cycle and chargemaster, and occupational health services.

Mr. Richey founded two academic programs: an associate degree program in health information technology, leading the program to CAHIIM accreditation, and a master of science in health informatics program.

Mr. Richey serves as the Staff Liaison for the AHIMA Professional Certificate Approval Program (PCAP) and the Council for Excellence in Education’s (CEE) Graduate Resource Alliance. He is a past president and distinguished member of OHIMA (Ohio). He is also a doctoral candidate in the biomedical informatics program at Rutgers University.

Karen Langan, RCIS
Karen Langan, RCIS

Karen Langan is the Clinical Coordinator of the Cardiovascular Technology (CVT) Program at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences.

Over an 18 year career in endovascular care, she’s provided care at several different cath labs, and brings experience in carotid interventions, high-risk cardiac repair, CTOs, congenital defect repairs, TAVRs, and electrophysiology procedures. Langan earned her diploma in invasive cardiovascular technology from the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences.

Kate McFadyen
Kate McFadyen

Kate McFadyen is the director of government affairs at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), where she focuses on the congressional and policy work for the association. Previously, McFadyen was the director of government affairs for the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM), where she worked on public health and preventive medicine issues within the medical specialty.

She was also previously director of government affairs at QGA Public Affairs, where she handled healthcare issues, including Medicare, funding for biomedical research, and access to medicines.

Keith L. Olenik, MA
Keith L. Olenik, MA

Keith Olenik is the Chief Health Information Officer for AHIMA. He has more than 35 years of experience working with healthcare delivery systems as a member of executive leadership and a consultant. He specializes in streamlining business operations, evaluating and implementing information technology solutions, and enhancing productivity through process improvement.

Olenik holds a bachelor’s degree in health information management from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in health services management with an emphasis in computer resources management from Webster University. He has a long history of volunteer leadership at AHIMA, having served on the boards of directors for AHIMA, the AHIMA Foundation, and the Council for Excellence in Education. Olenik also served as chair of the CHPS exam construction committee and the EHR Practice Council.

Kevin Craycraft
Kevin Craycraft

Kevin Craycraft is the vice president of the Association of Surgical Technologists’ board of directors. The organization represents more than 80,000 surgical technologists and is a public advocate in the push to get more states to introduce requirements.

Craycraft is also the program coordinator and a professor of the surgical technology program at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky. Notably, he has been a certified surgical technologist for 32 years—14 years as a practitioner and 18 as a program coordinator.

Kimberly Harrington
Kimberly Harrington

Kimberly Harrington is the CEO of Phlebotomy Express Training Centers LLC in Detroit, MI. Ms. Harrington transitioned to phlebotomy after a 30-year career working for AT&T. She quickly realized this low-barrier-to-entry profession offered higher than average wages and advancement opportunities and wanted to provide that same opportunity to her community and neighbors.

She founded Phlebotomy Express Training Centers directly across from Samuel Mumford High School and now offers a four-week course in phlebotomy and a six-week medical assistant certification program. Students include everyone from high schoolers to retirees. Ms. Harrington is the recipient of the Walker Power 15 Legacy Award Detroit, the 2018 City Spirit of Detroit Award, and is among the Who's Who in Black Detroit 2020.

Kristi Moore, PhD
Kristi Moore, PhD

Dr. Kristi Moore is the president of the ASRT, where she has held positions as vice president and secretary, among many other roles. She also serves as the chair and director of the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, as well as a professor of radiologic sciences. She earned her BSHS, MS in clinical health sciences, and PhD in clinical health sciences—all from UMMC.

Dr. Moore has received a wealth of awards and honors related to radiologic technology, including Technologist of the Year from the Mississippi Society of Radiologic Technologists and the Nelson Order of Exemplary Teaching recognition from UMMC.

Kwindla Hultman Kramer
Kwindla Hultman Kramer

Kwindla Hultman Kramer is the CEO and co-founder of Daily, a video infrastructure software company. Kwin's background lies in programming, hardware design, and developing large-scale systems architectures.

Before Daily, he served as the founding CTO of AllAfrica.com, one of the web's largest content aggregators and the only independent, comprehensive pan-African news source.

Kyle Zebley
Kyle Zebley

Kyle Zebley is senior vice president of public policy at the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), working with and on behalf of ATA members and like-minded organizations to eliminate barriers to the expansion of telehealth and ensure patients, providers, and payers can realize the benefits of virtual care.

Previously, Zebley was the chief of staff in the Office of Global Affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He collaborated with senior leadership from HHS, the White House, and other cabinet departments to develop, advise, and promote US global health policy, including in such policy areas as drug pricing, global health security, and non-communicable diseases.

Zebley is frequently quoted in major media coverage on the topic of telehealth, including by the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal. In early 2022, Kyle was named by POLITICO as one of the “four Washington players poised to shape digital health in 2022.”

Leila Casteel, DNP
Leila Casteel, DNP

Dr. Leila Casteel is associate vice president of curriculum and innovation at Herzing University and a nationally certified family nurse practitioner. She has 17 years of advanced practice nursing in emergency medicine and internal medicine and over 27 years in medical, surgical, pediatric, and oncology nursing.

Dr. Casteel is also a long-time gamer passionate about the potential of gamification to enhance students’ learning outcomes. In her role at Herzing University, she has sought to increase the immersive learning experiences that its nursing students receive.

For more than a decade, Dr. Casteel has been spreading the word about how higher education can benefit from elements of computer and video games.

Lisa Cremeans, MMDS
Lisa Cremeans, MMDS

Lisa Cremeans said she has been keeping tabs on the medical lab worker shortage since she became a clinical assistant professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill in 2013. She has more than 14 years of experience as a medical technologist, working in physician office laboratories, emergency medical services, organ and tissue donation services, and for clinical research organizations in clinical trials and post-approval pharmaceutical safety. She’s also a task force member for the ASCLS, which is seeking to address the clinical laboratory workforce shortage.

Cremeans holds her BA in clinical laboratory science, as well as a master’s in molecular diagnostic science from UNC at Chapel Hill.

Mark A. Bailey, MA
Mark A. Bailey, MA

Mark A. Bailey is an associate professor and program director in the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He earned his certificate in histotechnology at MD Anderson in 1988, and then went on to get his MA in education and humanities from Texas A&M.

A board-certified histotechnologist, Bailey is a member of numerous professional societies, including the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP), and the National Society for Histotechnology (NSH), among others. Over the course of his career, he’s co-authored over a dozen academic papers and served on numerous institutional committees.

Michael Mukavetz
Michael Mukavetz

Michael Mukavetz is an experienced lecturer at Boston University with over 20 years of experience in the IT and telecom industry. He graduated from BU's MSCIS program and has been a course facilitator since 2011. He also holds a bachelor's degree from the J. Warren McClure School of Information and Telecommunication Systems at Ohio University.

Currently, he works in healthcare technology as an application analyst for Catholic Medical Center. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, he was previously the project lead for implementing a multi-site cardiology imaging and reporting system.

Michal Tzuchman Katz, MD
Michal Tzuchman Katz, MD

Dr. Michal Tzuchman Katz is the co-founder and chief medical officer of Tel Aviv-based medtech company Kahun. She began her career as a software engineer, but later decided to go back to school to pursue her dream of studying medicine.

In 2018, Dr. Katz partnered up with peers from her tech days to start Kahun, merging her two vocations. The company’s clinical reasoning software aims to optimize physicians’ time, focusing on the U.S. market. She continues to practice as a pediatrician in primary care and emergency settings.

Nicole Pahl
Nicole Pahl

For more than a decade, Nicole Pahl has been the program director and faculty member for the dental assisting program at Lake Area Technical College. She graduated with her associate’s in dental assisting from Lake Area Technical College and then went on to work for private dental offices. She then pursued a bachelor’s of arts in educational psychology from Mount Marty University.

Ms. Pahl currently leads courses in anatomy and preclinical science, which encompasses sterilization techniques.

Norrina Bai Allen, PhD
Norrina Bai Allen, PhD

Dr. Norrina Bai Allen is a highly respected researcher specializing in cardiovascular epidemiology, focusing on health services research. She is the director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

She is also a professor in epidemiology and pediatrics, and her work revolves around understanding the impact of various factors on cardiovascular disease, including neighborhood and environmental influences. She holds a master’s of public health and a doctorate in epidemiology from Yale.

Peter Hotez, PhD
Peter Hotez, PhD

Dr. Peter Hotez is an expert on infectious diseases, co-director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, and was previously chair of microbiology at George Washington University.

A decade ago, Dr. Hotez helped create the National School of Tropical Medicine in Texas, where he is the dean. He also is the founding editor-in-chief of the influential scholarly journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

He and his team have worked on a vaccine for Covid-19.

Philip A. Verhoef, MD, PhD
Philip A. Verhoef, MD, PhD

Dr. Philip Verhoef is an adult and pediatric intensivist who has dedicated his career to clinical practice and research. He serves patients at Kaiser Foundation Hospital and Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children while also holding the position of associate program director for the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Internal Medicine Residency.

Additionally, Dr. Verhoef is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Recently, Dr. Verhoef co-authored a paper titled “Racial Differences in Detection of Fever Using Temporal vs. Oral Temperature Measurements in Hospitalized Patients” that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Randy Stout, PhD
Randy Stout, PhD

Dr. Randy Stout is a neuroscientist, cell biologist, and associate professor of biomedical sciences at the New York Institute of Technology. He is the director of the biomedical science school’s Center for Biomedical Innovation. He is also leading scientific planning for the Biomedical Research Imaging Innovation Center, which is being established in 2023.

Dr. Stout also organizes VR Interest Group meetings within the university, bringing together New York Tech faculty, staff, and students from many departments and disciplines to build new VR and computation-focused research and educational technologies.

Richelle Rada, RDN
Richelle Rada, RDN

Richelle Rada is a licensed dietician based in Guam. Born and raised in Hawaii, she fosters the spirit of aloha and encourages clients to honor food, family, and culture when it comes to nutrition.

Rada has been a dietitian for the U.S. Renal Care in Dededo, Guam for the last five years. She earned her bachelor of science degree in science and human nutrition from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2012. You can subscribe to her health newsletter here and follow her on Instagram for lifestyle tips.

Robin Foroutan, MS
Robin Foroutan, MS

Robin Foroutan is an award-winning registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in integrative medicine, functional medicine, and holistic healing. She holds a master’s of science in nutrition education from Columbia University and a bachelor’s of science in nutrition and dietetics from New York University.

Her passion is empowering individuals to discover the healing power of food, nutrition, and herbs and teaching people how to take better care of their bodies through gut healing, detoxification, and other natural ways of healing.

Rodney E. Rohde, PhD
Rodney E. Rohde, PhD

Dr. Rodney E. Rohde is a widely published specialist of virology, microbiology, and molecular biology. He serves as the associate dean for research, department chair, and professor in the clinical laboratory science program within the College of Health Professions at Texas State University.

Prior to joining academia, Dr. Rohde spent a decade as a public health microbiologist and molecular epidemiologist at the Texas Department of State Health Services Bureau of Laboratories and Zoonosis Control Division.

Sam Hurley, MPH
Sam Hurley, MPH

Sam Hurley started volunteering as an EMT as a 16-year-old high school student, attracted to the idea of being able to help people in their hour of need. While his time as an EMT made him fall in love with healthcare, he quickly became frustrated with the role.

Hurley started getting paid work in EMS during college, after securing his paramedic certification. At the age of 19, he was one of the youngest paramedics in the state.

Hurley went on to gain a master’s degree in public health from the Emory University in Atlanta and his executive master’s in emergency and disaster management from Georgetown University. In 2017, he became the EMS Division Chief for the D.C. Department of Health, where he stayed for two-and-a-half years, before becoming the state EMS director of Maine in 2019.

Sanaz Eftekhari
Sanaz Eftekhari

Sanaz Eftekhari is the Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Research for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). Over her 13 years with AAFA, she’s served in a wide variety of roles and connected with stakeholders across multiple industries, including patient advocacy organizations, pharmaceutical companies, medical societies, research firms, and government agencies.

Eftekhari has also co-authored several of AAFA’s key research reports, such as “My Life With Asthma” and “Asthma Disparities in America,” which have been shared with researchers, medical experts, and policymakers to emphasize patient needs for treatment options, advocacy, and support.

Sandra Fenwick, MPH
Sandra Fenwick, MPH

During her 22-year tenure at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), which included serving as the chief executive officer from 2013 to 2021, Sandra Fenwick led a team of 20,000 people dedicated to improving and advancing health through life-changing work in clinical care, biomedical research, medical education, and community engagement.

Today, she serves as a member of the Board of Directors at Patient Discovery, where she strives to make a meaningful impact on patient outcomes by addressing social determinants of health. Her additional board commitments include serving on the Board of Directors of The Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Inc, Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically-inspired Engineering, and Teladoc Health, Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Simmons College with distinction and a master’s in public health in health services administration from the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Sara Bogner, DPT
Sara Bogner, DPT

Dr. Sara Bogner is the director of the physical therapist assistant program at Mendocino College. She has been a physical therapist in Ukiah and other Northern California areas for the past 22 years. Her bachelor’s of science in exercise and movement science is from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s of science in exercise and movement science. She also received a master’s of science in physical therapy from Regis University and completed a doctor of physical therapy degree from AT Stills University.

She has worked in various patient care settings over the years and began teaching anatomy at Mendocino College in 2016, where she was instrumental in developing the physical therapist assistant program.

Sean Khozin, MD
Sean Khozin, MD

Dr. Sean Khozin is a physician-executive, board-certified oncologist, and data scientist with over 15 years of experience in therapeutic development, drug regulation, and artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in biomedical research.

As the founder of Phyusion, Dr. Khozin is currently working on advancing ventures at the intersection of biology, technology, and artificial intelligence. Previously, he was a founding member of the US FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence and Executive Director of Information Exchange and Data Transformation (INFORMED), the FDA’s first data science and technology incubator that he established under special federal authorities.

Dr. Khozin currently serves on the boards of the Society for Translational Oncology, the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, the Digital Medicine Society, and the Life Sciences Council of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.

Shiri Levy, PhD
Shiri Levy, PhD

Dr. Shiri Levy is an epigenetic scientist passionate about how the study of protein design can uncover cures for diseases. She completed her master’s degree and PhD a thet Israel Institute of Technology before moving to Seattle to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at UW, where she worked with the Institute for Protein Design to explore synthetic epigenetic modifiers.

She is currently an acting instructor at UW, where she lectures on stem cells in development and regeneration. In 2021, Dr. Levy founded Histone Therapeutics—a biotechnology company for developing drug modalities based on protein modifiers of chromatin remodeling, to create new options for treating disease.

Stephanie Gomes-Ganhão, JD
Stephanie Gomes-Ganhão, JD

Stephanie Gomes-Ganhão is an associate attorney at Day Pitney law firm in Connecticut. She advises corporations and organizations across diverse industries on data privacy, cybersecurity, and technology matters and has particular experience handling data breach matters, having counseled clients on dozens of ransomware, phishing, and other cybersecurity incidents.

Building upon a healthcare and insurer privacy background, she regularly counsels manufacturers, software companies, technology companies, and financial institutions.

Stephanie Johnston, MSRS
Stephanie Johnston, MSRS

Stephanie Johnston is the current president of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT). But that’s only part of her dedication to (and passion for) the radiologic technology profession. She’s a working mammographer in Wichita Falls, Texas.

As president of the ASRT, she’s traveled across the world, sharing her passion for the profession, listening to the concerns and ideas of her fellow RTs, and keeping an eye on the future.

Thomas Hartung, MD, PhD
Thomas Hartung, MD, PhD

Dr. Thomas Hartungis a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He received his PhD from the University of Konstanz and his MD from the University of Tuebingen in Germany. The main objective of his work is to revolutionize toxicity testing with the underlying goal of improving public health.

His background lies in clinical and experimental pharmacology and toxicology, documented in more than 550 publications. Between 2002 and 2008, he served as Head of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) at the EU Joint Research Centre.

Meet the Team

Seth Restaino
Seth Restaino Co-Founder

Seth Restaino has devoted the past 20 years of his professional career to software consulting and educational web publishing, and runs production and engineering for Sechel Ventures, which he co-owns with Barry.

Barry Franklin
Barry Franklin Co-Founder

Before co-founding Sechel Ventures Partners LLC, Barry Franklin was a VP at a Silicon Valley software company. He is an investor and advisor for DataSimply and Impellia. Barry believes that education and lifelong learning are paramount. Barry met his wife at Carnegie Mellon University and they have two beautiful daughters. He also volunteers for various committees at his kids’ high school.

Jocelyn Blore
Jocelyn Blore Managing Editor

Jocelyn Blore has interviewed dozens of medical technology and healthcare professionals, and edited hundreds of articles related to this field since 2015. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Jocelyn traveled the world for five years as freelance writer and English teacher. After stints in Japan, Brazil, Nepal, and Argentina, she took an 11-month road trip across the US, finally settling into lovely Eugene, OR. When Jocelyn isn’t writing about college programs or interviewing professors, she satirizes global politics and other absurdities at Blore’s Razor (Instagram: @bloresrazor). Thank you for being so interested.

Aimee Hosler
Aimee Hosler Writer

Aimee Hosler is a long-time journalist specializing in education and technology. She is an advocate for experiential learning among all ages and serves as Director of Communications for a non-profit community makerspace. She holds a degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

Andrea Vale
Andrea Vale Writer

Andrea Vale is a writer and filmmaker, focusing on biodiversity and conservation. She has reported for National Geographic, USA Today, Oceana, The Oxford Scientist, The Oxford Climate Review, and many other publications. She’s covered wetlands along the India-Pakistan border, community-based salmon conservation in the U.S, and seabirds in the Pacific, among other topics.

Previously, she worked as a Human Story Specialist at the National Geographic Society, and producer on the Oxford University Anthroposea Expedition. She has a BA in English and creative writing from the University of Notre Dame and an MS in biodiversity, conservation, and management from the University of Oxford.

Becca Brewer, MEd
Becca Brewer, MEd Writer

Becca Brewer is building a better future on a thriving earth by healing herself into wholeness, divesting from separation, and walking the path of the loving heart. Previously to her journey as an adventurer for a just, meaningful, and regenerative world, Becca was a formally trained sexuality educator with a master of education.

Bernd Geels
Bernd Geels Writer

Bernd Geels is a Berlin, Germany-based freelance writer and artist. He holds an undergraduate degree in atmospheric science and two graduate degrees. He completed his most recent graduate degree in international environmental studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2011. He is interested in healthcare, climate change, marine conservation, indigenous science, and refugee issues. You can reach him directly at [email protected].

Bree Nicolello
Bree Nicolello Writer

Bree is an urban planner and freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. She has worked on land use and housing policy issues throughout the Pacific Northwest. She previously led Run Oregon Run, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Oregonians run for office and apply to boards and commissions. When not writing, she is lovingly tending to her cast iron pans.

Catherine Mosley
Catherine Mosley Writer

Catherine Chapman Mosley is a writer living in central Virginia. She’s written extensively on healthcare topics for various outlets and also works full-time in communications, marketing and community engagement. She is the proud parent of a son who is focused on a healthcare career and often seeks his editing help.

Cevia Yellin
Cevia Yellin Writer

Cevia Yellin is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon. She studied English and French literature as an undergraduate. After serving two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer, she earned her master of arts in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Cevia's travels and experiences working with students of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds have contributed to her interest in the forces that shape identity. She grew up on the edge of Philadelphia, where her mom still lives in her childhood home.

Chelsea Toczauer
Chelsea Toczauer Writer

Chelsea Toczauer is a journalist with experience managing publications at several global universities and companies related to higher education, logistics, and trade. She holds two BAs in international relations and asian languages and cultures from the University of Southern California, as well as a double accredited US-Chinese MA in international studies from the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University joint degree program. Toczauer speaks Mandarin and Russian.

Dom DiFurio
Dom DiFurio Writer

Dom DiFurio is a writer and researcher whose work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and ESPN Magazine. Additionally, he’s been featured in local and regional newsrooms across the country. Notably, he has been recognized by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors, and Columbia University for his work.

Farheen Gani
Farheen Gani Writer

Farheen Gani has immense knowledge about medical technology schools, having researched topics such as medical billing and coding, health information management, nursing informatics, and biotechnology degree programs since 2018. She is a freelance writer, marketer, and researcher. She writes about healthcare, technology, education, and marketing. Her work has appeared on websites such as Tech in Asia and Foundr, as well as top SaaS blogs such as Zapier and InVision. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter (@FarheenGani).

Johannes Stitz
Johannes Stitz Writer

Johannes Stitz is a freelance writer and researcher based in the Southwest. He’s written about various topics in medical technology careers. Before turning to freelance writing, he spent nearly a decade in the arts as a booker and event manager.

Kenneth Parker
Kenneth Parker Writer

Kenneth Parker is a feature writer, poet, and musician living in the Pacific Northwest. His writing on remote work, education, and technology has been published by BustedCubicle.com, MedicalTechnologySchools.com, and other websites. His poetry, short fiction, and album reviews have appeared in Scifaikuest, Nanoism, and No Clean Singing. His background includes time spent as an associate editor, proofreader, private grammar instructor, freelance content editor, medical claims agent, and SEO consultant. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon, where he studied literature and worked as a composition tutor.

Kimmy Gustafson
Kimmy Gustafson Writer

With her passion for uncovering the latest innovations and trends, Kimmy Gustafson has provided valuable insights and has interviewed experts to provide readers with the latest information in the rapidly evolving field of medical technology since 2019. Kimmy has been a freelance writer for more than a decade, writing hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics such as startups, nonprofits, healthcare, kiteboarding, the outdoors, and higher education. She is passionate about seeing the world and has traveled to over 27 countries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. When not working she can be found outdoors, parenting, kiteboarding, or cooking.

Lea Dias
Lea Dias Writer

Lea Dias is the founder and CEO of Quaefacta Health. She is a clinician and digital health strategist from Australia, currently living in France. A registered pharmacist with extensive experience in adult and pediatric clinical pharmacy, Lea is a health-tech entrepreneur, with a vision of empowering patients through ownership and control of their health data using digital technologies including blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). Lea is committed to digital inclusion and healthcare data literacy, bringing digital health solutions to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities; improving access to clear and accurate health information; and driving more sustainable and equitable healthcare globally.

Lisa A Eramo
Lisa A Eramo Writer

Lisa A. Eramo, BA, MA is a full-time freelance healthcare writer specializing in health information management, medical coding, and regulatory topics. She regularly contributes to various healthcare publications and assists clients with healthcare content development, including blogs, articles, white papers, case studies, and more. Visit her website at www.lisaeramo.com.

Mackenzie Brown, DO
Mackenzie Brown, DO

Dr. Mackenzie Brown is an osteopathic physician, a branch of medical training that focuses on disease prevention, lifestyle, environment, and the interconnectedness of the body’s systems. She is board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pediatric Rehabilitation.

Dr. Brown’s practice is focused on how exercise and physical activity can promote health and prevent disease.

Maggie O’Neill
Maggie O’Neill Writer

Maggie O'Neill is a journalist from Northern Nevada, specializing in interviews and educational feature stories.

Matt Zbrog
Matt Zbrog Writer

Matt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about emerging topics in medical technology, particularly the modernization of the medical laboratory and the network effects of both health data management and health IT. In consultation with professors, practitioners, and professional associations, his writing and research are focused on learning from those who know the subject best. For MedicalTechnologySchools.com, he’s interviewed leaders and subject matter experts at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Nathan Stevens
Nathan Stevens Writer

Nathan Stevens is a reporter, musician, and native Texan living in Austin. He received his degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and has worked in broadcast for over a decade. His website, the2010s.net, is a collection and retrospective of the best music of the 21st century.

Nina Chamlou
Nina Chamlou Writer

Nina Chamlou is an avid freelance writer from Portland, OR. She writes about economic trends, business, technology, digitization, supply chain, healthcare, education, aviation, and travel. You can find her floating around the Pacific Northwest in diners and coffee shops, or traveling abroad, studying the locale from behind her MacBook. Visit her website at www.ninachamlou.com.

Paxtyn Merten
Paxtyn Merten Writer

Paxtyn Merten is a senior data reporter for Stacker on the money desk. She is based in Seattle and previously worked for the Puget Sound Business Journal as a data reporter and beat reporter covering technology, transportation, and education.

Rachel A. Becker
Rachel A. Becker Writer

Rachel Becker is a freelance writer who enjoys life in the PNW. She holds a master's degree in education and taught in elementary classrooms for twelve years. When she is not running around after two toddlers, she makes time for daily movement, running two blogs, and reading.

Rachel Drummond, MEd
Rachel Drummond, MEd Writer

Rachel Drummond has contributed insightful articles to MedicalTechnologySchools.com since 2019, where she offers valuable advice and guidance for those pursuing careers in the healthcare field, combining her passion for education with her understanding of the critical role that healthcare professionals play in promoting physical and mental well-being.

Rachel is a writer, educator, and coach from Oregon. She has a master’s degree in education (MEd) and has over 15 years of experience teaching English, public speaking, and mindfulness to international audiences in the United States, Japan, and Spain. She writes about the mind-body benefits of contemplative movement practices like yoga on her blog, inviting people to prioritize their unique version of well-being and empowering everyone to live healthier and more balanced lives.

Scott Mace
Scott Mace

Scott Mace has been writing about technology for 40 years, and about technology's role in healthcare for the past 20 years. He served as a senior editor at InfoWorld in the 1980s and 1990s, and as technology editor for HealthLeaders Media from 2012 to 2017.

He studied medical writing at UC San Diego Extension and won a Neal Award for his healthcare journalism work in 2015. (Twitter: @scottmace)

Vanessa Salvia
Vanessa Salvia Writer

Vanessa Salvia is an Oregon-based freelance writer and editor with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. As fun as rigorous studies in math and science were, Vanessa took an independent path and developed a prolific career covering lifestyle topics for magazines and newspapers, important industries such as concrete construction and building waterproofing, and even hard science. You can get in touch at www.sagemediaandmarketing.com.

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