Health Professionals
Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer and Legal Counsel, American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)
Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA, has served as CEO and legal counsel of the American Association of Medical Assistants since 1990. His primary responsibilities include protecting the legal scope of practice of medical assistants by monitoring proposed legislation and regulations on the state and federal levels, providing written and oral testimony, and offering revised language for bills and proposed rules. Balasa received both his baccalaureate and law degrees from Northwestern University, and his Master of Business Administration in economics from the University of Chicago.
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Elisha B. DeNeal
President, Association for Healthcare Administrative Professionals (AHCAP)
Elisha DeNeal is the executive and administrative support manager for the Information Systems department at Mary Washington Healthcare in Fredricksburg, Virginia. In her position she supports the senior vice president/CEO, supervises two administrative assistants in IS, and manages office operations for 155 application and technology associates.
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Anita Hazelwood, Ed.D, RHIA, FAHIMA
Professor and Allied Health Department Head, College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Anita C. Hazelwood, Ed.D, RHIA, FAHIMA, is a professor and allied health department head in the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She served as the Health Information Management program director for four years and has been a credentialed Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) for more than 43 years. Hazelwood is a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and has served on various committees and boards. She is also a member of the Louisiana Health Information Management Association (LHIMA) and was honored with the Career Achievement award in 2017.
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Becky Goldberg Petty
Instructional Designer, Hilbert College
Becky Goldberg Petty is a multi-hyphenate writer, educator, and academic. She is currently the instructional designer at Hilbert College in Hamburg, New York, but has been teaching and working in higher education since 2009. As an experienced distance educator and leader of several online pilot initiatives, Goldberg Petty is looking forward to all of the great changes that are happening in the world of online learning. When she is not working, she can be found writing, running, or chasing her four-year-old.
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Julie A. Pursley, MSHI, RHIA, CHDA, FAHIMA
Director, Health Information Thought Leadership, American Health Information Management Association
Julie Pursley serves as director, health information thought leadership for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), where she leads and cultivates initiatives and content development within an organizational-wide strategic framework to promote AHIMA’s thought leadership position. Pursley is a published author, contributor and public speaker. She holds a Master of Science in Health Informatics and a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration from the University of Cincinnati and currently serves on the school’s Health Informatics Advisory Board. She serves in an adjunct professor for the HIM program at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, holds AHIMA’s Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) specialty credential, and has been awarded the designation of Fellow American Health Information Management Association (FAHIMA).
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Matt Zavadsky, MS-HSA, NREMT
Past President, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT)
In addition to his work with NAEMT, Matt Zavadsky is the chief strategic integration officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Fort Worth, Texas. Zavadsky has a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, with a graduate certificate in Healthcare Data Management. He is also adjunct faculty for the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Department of Health Management and Policy, as well as an appointed committee member to the Joint Commission’s Home Care Professional and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) and the Lewin Groups Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (HOQR) Program Stroke and AMI Expert Work Group.
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Sareer Zia, MD, MBA
Physician and Physician Advisor, SIH Herrin Hospital
Sareer Zia, MD, MBA, is a physician and physician advisor. She is the founder and CEO of Virtual Hospitalist, a telemedicine company that offers telehospitalist and physician advisory services. She has a special interest in improving access to affordable quality care and improving the quality of medical records by leveraging technology. She has received training in AI in healthcare from MIT and Health Informatics from the University of Chicago. Dr. Zia has served in various leadership roles, including system physician advisor, medical staff president, and medical director. She has been invited to speak at different forums including international conferences and web-based channels to discuss the role of technology in healthcare.
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Authors
Stephanie Behring
Contributing Writer
Stephanie Behring is an east coast-based freelance writer who specializes in healthcare, education, and insurance. Prior to making the move to writing, Stephanie worked in healthcare and social services for many years. Her experience in the field has taught her how to break down and explain complex topics in a way people can understand and use. She uses this experience in her writing, creating engaging and highly readable content, no matter the subject. Behring is always looking to expand her writing resume. She’s recently completed a journalism certification from Michigan State University and is looking to pursue a grant writing course.
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- Healthcare Programs You Can Complete in a Year or Less
- What is Health Information Management?
- What’s the Difference Between a Medical Assistant and a Medical Administrative Assistant?
- What is a Medical Records Specialist?
- What’s the Difference Between a Certified Medical Assistant and a Registered Medical Assistant?
- What is a Medical Administrative Assistant?
- What’s the Difference Between a Certified Medical Assistant and a Registered Medical Assistant?
- What is a Medical Office Manager?
Sheila Cain
ASD Writer/Editor
Sheila Cain is a writer/editor at All Star Directories. She has more than 25 years of experience working as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and freelance writer. She has extensive experience in the technology and feature writing realm, having written dozens of sponsored content stories as well as lifestyle pieces for a variety of local and national publications. Cain is a native of the Pacific Northwest and lives in Seattle with her husband and son.
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Catherine Ryan Gregory
Contributing Writer
Catherine Ryan Gregory writes about health, technology, and—her favorite—family travel. She is also the author of Virtual Travel Activities for Kids and Road Trip Games & Activities for Kids, both #1 Amazon bestsellers. She and her husband live outside Portland, Oregon, with their two daughters and two senior rescue dogs.
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Hana LaRock
Contributing Writer
Hana LaRock is a freelance writer and content strategist who works in various industries, from tech and marketing, to real estate, higher education, and personal finance.
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