Learning Specialist at Orlando Health Advanced Rehabilitation Institute
Christopher Allen has over 9 years of experience in bedside nursing within an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility. His professional journey includes significant contributions to professional governance at the unit, hospital, and corporate levels, as well as active participation in multiple interdisciplinary committees. His commitment to excellence has been recognized through 2 nominations for the Nursing Excellence Award. Christopher holds 2 Bachelor degrees (Biomedical Mathematics and Nursing). Additionally, he served as the Subject Matter Expert for Rehab Nursing during the launch of the current EHR, Epic, at his institution. At the FSARN Annual Educational Conference, Christopher aims to share his insights and experiences in wound care, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive treatment strategies for burn injuries and effective wound management.
Adaptive Sports Coordinator at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
Alyssa Caselnova is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Florida. Alyssa is currently the Adaptive Sports Coordinator within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department, serving Veterans with a variety of diagnoses. She also has experience with Brain Injury and Polytrauma inpatient rehabilitation. Alyssa received her Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Parks, and Leisure with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation from Central Michigan University. In her free time, she enjoys playing golf, staying active and watching sports with her husband.
Nurse Manager at Encompass Health Vero Beach
Experience: Encompass Health Vero Beach, FL Jul 2020 - Present Director: Sebastian River Medical Center Oct 2018 - Jul 2020 Northwell Health: Nurse Manager Cardiothoracic Surgery/SICU/Trauma Southside Hospital Nov 2010 - Aug 2018 Education: Stony Brook University Graduate School Master’s Degree, Nursing Leadership Farmingdale State College Bachelor’s Degree, Nursing Licenses & certifications: American Nurses Credentialing Center Nurse Executive Board Certified (NE-BC) CRRN
Orlando Health Advanced Rehab Institute
Katie Durante has been employed for almost two years at OHARI. She started her journey in rehab nursing as a student during a practicum. She instantly fell in love with rehab and what it means to the patients we serve. She returned to OHARI after graduating and continued to work with her preceptor while waiting to take the NCLEX. Katie received her RN license and have been working on the unit ever since. Working with such a wide range of conditions and disease processes has been an invaluable wealth of knowledge as a new grad and she couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity and experience of working in Rehabilitation.
Nurse Manager, BI/Ortho/Medically Complex Program
Karen Durham is an accomplished nursing leader with over 20 years of experience in diverse clinical and leadership roles. Karen received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Keiser University in 2013 and is a Board Certified Medical-Surgical Nurse. Currently serving as the Nurse Manager in the Brain Injury Unit at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital. Karen is a member of the National Black Nurses Association, the First Coast Black Nurses Association, Florida Professionals in Infection Control, The American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
Assoc Prof University of Florida
Emily Fox, PT, DPT, MHS, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Director of Neuromuscular Research at Brooks Rehabilitation. She also directs the Brooks Motion Analysis Center, a clinical and research assessment facility. She is the Director of the Brooks-PHHP Research Collaboration, an established collaboration between Brooks Rehabilitation and the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. Dr. Fox’s research is focused on control and recovery following neurologic injury and disease. Her objective is to apply intrinsic neural and biomechanical control principles to enhance rehabilitation and promote recovery. As a physical therapist and researcher, she has extensive experience working with individuals with stroke, spinal cord injury, and older adults. Her research represents an interdisciplinary, translational approach to investigate mechanisms underlying motor control and the use of activity-based interventions to restore function.
CNO Encompass Health Vero Beach
Encompass Health Treasure Coast is proud to recognize their chief nursing officer (CNO), Lisa Kuh. Lisa has had quite the journey here at Encompass Health Treasure Coast. In 2007, she started her career as an overnight licensed nurse practitioner (LPN). She went to Indian River State College for her ADN. In 2011, after obtaining her registered nurse (RN) license. In 2017, she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Western Governor’s University and her Master’s in Nursing Leadership two years later. Lisa continued as our nurse manager until she took on the responsibility of becoming our CNO.
www.foldedcraneyoga.com
I completed my Yoga Teacher Training in 2005 at the Yoga Center of Columbia and am registered as an Experienced Yoga Teacher, E-RYT200 through Yoga Alliance. Since 2006, I have taught at Life Time Athletic, The Yoga Center of Columbia, and Maple Lawn as well as at corporations such as Raytheon, BAE, COLA, the Howard County Health Department and several Girl Scout troops. I am currently teaching private instruction and classes exclusively through Folded Crane Yoga. I am in training with Matt Giordano for my 500 hour certification. His instruction how joints and muscles work along with facilitated stretching, has increased my body awareness and has improved how I move and feel in my body. Sharing the knowledge that I am learning has been such a joy. I have deep respect and gratitude for all the teachers and students alike, who have put me on this path and have taught me so much along the way.
Clinical Assistant Nurse Manager Orlando Health
Lina Navas is a dedicated Rehabilitation Registered Nurse with six years of experience in the rehab setting, specializing in patient recovery and rehabilitation. In addition to her clinical expertise, she has served as a Clinical Assistant Nurse Manager for two years. As a Stroke Certified Registered Nurse and Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, Lina brings a wealth of knowledge in managing complex stroke cases. She is actively involved in ensuring compliance with CARF standards within her unit, contributing to high-quality care and accreditation. Lina is also passionate about performance improvement initiatives, participating in multiple projects aimed at enhancing patient education and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her work includes updating stroke education materials for patients and families, as well as implementing an interdisciplinary stroke council to optimize treatment strategies and outcomes.
Infection Preventionist Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital at Bartram Campus
Patricia Russell is a highly skilled and dedicated Registered Nurse with 14 years of diverse clinical experience, specializing in infection prevention, wound care, leadership, and quality improvement. She currently serves as an Infection Preventionist at Brooks Bartram Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, where she leads initiatives to reduce healthcare-associated infections through evidence-based interventions and compliance audits. She serves as a resource for staff and management, leading educational and performance improvement initiatives. Patricia’s passion includes patient education, care coordination, and continuous quality improvement, with a strong commitment to continuous learning. She advocates for change and seeks new strategies to improve patient care. Patricia holds a Master of Science in Health Administration, a Wound Care Certification, and several other professional credentials, reinforcing her dedication to advancing her knowledge and abilities. She is also pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership degree, further expanding her leadership and clinical expertise.
Infection preventionist and hospital educator at Encompass Health Miami
Yvette Salas, MSN, CRRN, an infection preventionist and hospital educator at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Miami, is one of two recipients of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) 2022 Nurse in Washington Internship (NIWI) Scholarship. The NIWI Scholarship is designed to educate and empower nurses to become directly involved with and influence policy at the local and national levels.
Physical Therapist at Brooks Rehab Bartram Campus
She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Drew University in New Jersey. After college, she served 6 years in the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer. She continued her education at the University of South Carolina and earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. During her education, she completed a rotation on the oncology unit at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte where she advocated referrals for patients with cancer to the Oncology Rehab Program. Currently, Meg is a Physical Therapist at Brooks Rehabilitation Inpatient Hospital-Bartram Campus. Her past experience along with caring for her own father with cancer has ignited her drive to create Brooks Rehabilitation Inpatient Cancer Program. As a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve, Santaniello is commissioned as an Information Warfare Officer.
Beekly Medical Senior clinical Product Specialist/Certified Aromatherapist
ELEQUIL AROMATABS® AROMATHERAPY / January 2020-present Responsible for product knowledge, selling to all levels of nursing leadership, and dedicated customer support. Presented Elequil Aromatabs aromatherapy at national conferences, authored multiple blogs focusing on clinical aromatherapy, and participated in Beyond the Ribbon podcast. Education Certificate: Aromatherapy (Level I) New York Institute of Aromatic Studies / July 2018 New York City, NY Post-Baccalaureate Certificate: Cytotechnology Thomas Jefferson University / August 1993 Philadelphia, PA Certificate: Medical Technology Latrobe Area Hospital / July 1990 Latrobe, PA Bachelor of Science Degree: Medical Technology Gannon University / May 1990
Advanced Practice Burn Research and Clinical Practice Education Specialist Senior Nurse Practitioner, Surgery II at The Warden Burn Center, Orlando Regional Medical Center
Dr. Smith began her nursing career as an RN in 1989, completing her MSN, becoming a Nurse Practitioner, in 1998, and achieving her educational goal of Ph.D. in 2017. She is nationally board certified in Burns, Simulation, Wound Care, Family Practice and Acute Care. Dr. Smith has published manuscripts on a variety of topics, presenting throughout the nation and world on burn care. Her primary role is as Advanced Practice Burn Research and Clinical Practice Education Specialist for central Florida’s verified burn center, providing burn care for adults in the critical care, ambulatory and surgical settings. She also enjoys her roles as clinical preceptor and adjunct faculty for her local state university. Her many years of dedication to the care of burn patients include serving as National Teaching Faculty with the American Burn Association and an elected member of their national research committee. She travels to a variety of international locations as a burn nurse educator. Dr. Smith was selected as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2013 and serves as Region Director for her state advanced practice nurses organization.
Orlando Health
My name is Tsion. I go by Zion. I was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I was introduced to rehab nursing while doing my practicum as a nursing student at Valencia college and fell in love with the supportive work environment and culture. This experience led me to join OHARI after graduation. I now have a little over a year experience in rehab nursing and am planning to advance my career in nursing informatics. My goal is to integrate informatics and simulation into healthcare to improve patient care and training. In my free time I enjoy traveling, reading books, and watching movies.
Night shift Nursing Supervisor at Brooks Rehabilitation Halifax
Ebi has extensive experience in the healthcare industry, with over 8 years as a CNA in various settings, including SNFs, hospitals, and ALFs. She worked as an LPN, serving as a charge nurse for over a year, before becoming an RN. For the past 6 years, she has worked in inpatient rehabilitation, taking on roles such as floor nurse, charge nurse, and nursing supervisor. Ebi has contributed to CARF accreditation education and currently serves as the cancer programmatic champion at her facility. She has also played an active role in numerous councils, including chairing the Patient and Employee Experience Council, co-chairing the Nursing Practice and Professional Practice Councils, and being a member of the Research and Informatics Councils.