AMWA 109th Annual Meeting Speakers

Dr. Karen Antman
Provost, Boston University Medical Campus Dean, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine Professor of Medicine

Karen H. Antman, MD, has been Provost of the Medical Campus and Dean of Boston University School of Medicine since 2005.  Dr. Antman previously served as Deputy Director for Translational and Clinical Sciences at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2004-5) and before that as Wu Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she also co-directed the cancer care service line at New York Presbyterian Hospital. 

Dr. Antman was voted 1993 Senior Faculty Teacher of the Year by medical residents. She also served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School from 1979 to 1993 and had hospital appointments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where her teams developed new regimens for mesotheliomas, sarcomas and breast cancers.

She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and served as President of the American Association of Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology and as Chair of the Administration Board of the American Association of Medical Colleges Council of Deans.  She also served on the International Editorial Board of Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association Oversight Committee, and board of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). 

Dr. Donna Elliott, MD, EdD
Vice Dean for Medical Education, Professor and Chair, Department of Medical Education, Ensign Foundation
Tony Alamo, MD, Endowed Chair in Medical Education, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Donna D. Elliott, M.D., Ed.D., is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Education and Vice Dean for Medical Education at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She is the holder of the Ensign Foundation and Tony Alamo, MD, Endowed Chair in Medical Education. Dr. Elliott has received numerous teaching and mentoring awards including the Mellon Award for Excellence in Mentoring and the Excellence in Teaching Award. She was also named a Master Teacher at the Keck School of Medicine and elected a faculty fellow in the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Elliott received the Edithe J. Levit Distinguished Service Award from the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Exemplary Service Award from the AAMC Group on Student Affairs. Dr. Elliott is currently the past chair of the National Resident Matching Program Board of Directors and a member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. Dr. Elliott was recently recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a Woman of Influence in Healthcare.

Dr. Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd
Senior Vice Dean for Medical Education, Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd serves as Senior Vice Dean for Medical Education at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM). Serving on the Dean’s leadership team, she oversees an Education Council to coordinate education across all programs at PSOM and with other schools in the University. Prior to her arrival in 2018, she was Senior Associate Dean for Education at the University of Connecticut. She also served for 13 years at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in various leadership capacities and previously held positions at Weill Cornell Medical College (1996‐1997) and at the University of Pittsburgh (1990-1996).

She has served in many leadership roles in the AGA including as Education Councillor on the Governing Board. She convened all six GI societies to create end-of-training entrustable professional activities, co-created the first subspecialty Academy for educators in this country, served as co-director of the AGA Future Leaders Program and was appointed Course Director for the Postgraduate Course (2017). Dr. Rose was awarded the AGA Distinguished Educator Award (2016). She completed a two‐year term as co‐chair of the Northeast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and served as the chair of the AAMC Group on Educational Affairs. She received the inaugural NEGEA Distinguished Service and Leadership Award in 2015.

Dr. Rose received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Russian language and literature, followed by a master’s degree in education from Penn. She graduated from Case Western University School of Medicine as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and completed her internship and residency there. Her GI fellowship, including the chief fellow year, was done at The Cleveland Clinic, OH (the first woman Chief Fellow at CCF).

LTG Telita Crosland
Director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA)

LTG Telita Crosland, Director of the Defense Health Agency Agency (DHA), with headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia.

Crosland is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. In addition to her Doctor of Medicine, she also holds a Master of Public Health from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School. Crosland entered the Army as a Medical Corps Officer in 1993. She is Board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and a recipient of The Surgeon General’s “A” proficiency designator.

Crosland has served in a variety of leadership positions including: Officer in Charge, Camp Walker Health Clinic, South Korea; Officer in Charge, Bennett Health Clinic, Fort Hood, Texas; Associate Program Director, Department of Family Medicine, Fort Lewis, Washington; Chief, Soldier Care, Fort Lewis, Washington; Deputy Chief, Department of Family Medicine, Fort Lewis, Washington; Commander, U.S. Army Health Clinic, Grafenwoehr, Germany; Senior Medical Officer, Office of The Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Activity, Heidelberg, Germany; Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany; Medical Corps Branch Chief, U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Activity, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), Falls Church, Virginia; Commanding General, Regional Health Command-Atlantic, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She most recently served as the Army Deputy Surgeon General and Deputy Commanding General (Operations) of MEDCOM.

Her awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters; Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Staff Badge and the Parachutist’s Badge. She is also a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.

Dr. Stephanie Ashraf, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Stephanie Ashraf is an Assistance Professor of Clinical Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM). Board certified in both internal medicine and sleep medicine, she is actively involved with graduate medical education at IUSM, serving as mentor and educator with the internal medicine residency program as well as the sleep medicine fellowship program.

Dr. Ashraf’s clinical practice is with Eskenazi Health, the public hospital in Indianapolis, where she is one of only two sleep medicine physicians. She focuses primarily on the diagnosis and management of sleep disorders in a subspecialty sleep medicine clinic, working with historically marginalized patients to overcome barriers to testing and treatment. Her passion lies in the education of patients, residents, and other healthcare providers in the recognition and appropriate treatment of common sleep disorders, with a special emphasis on providing tools for primary care providers to maximize their role in caring for patients with obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia. She is uniquely qualified to approach sleep disorders as both a generalist and a subspecialist, having spent 5 years as a primary care provider and continuing to precept internal medicine residents in their weekly continuity clinic.

Dr. Amy Cruz, MD
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Temple University Hospital, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Amy Cruz is an Assistant Professor in the department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Temple University Hospital, Lewis Katz School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry at Westminster College in Pennsylvania. She then achieved her medical degree at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Lankenau Medical Center outside of Philadelphia.

Dr. Cruz is a clinician educator and holds several administrative roles within her department, including Medical Director of Labor and Delivery, Patient Safety and Quality Officer, and OB/GYN Associate Clerkship Director. Her primary interests are in resident and medical student education as well as improving maternal safety outcomes. Her research interests involve quality care improvement efforts in Obstetrics and Gynecology, particularly in maternal wellness and reducing severe maternal morbidity.

Dr. Nathalie Foray
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield Illinois

Dr. Foray is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Dr. Foray received her medical degree from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, Arizona. She then completed her Internal Medicine residency and Pulmonary Medicine fellowship at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She completed her Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Foray is certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine. Amongst Dr. Foray’s practice, she has special interests in Cystic Fibrosis, point-of-care ultrasound, and graduate medical education. Outside of medicine, Dr. Foray enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, experiencing new restaurants, and spending quality time with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog.

Dr. Jessica Fraker, MD
Senior Associate Consultant and Instructor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona

Jessica Fraker, M.D., is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician with a clinical focus on breast medicine.

Dr. Fraker attended medical school at Creighton University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency training at Banner University Medical Center- Phoenix and was practicing in outpatient Internal Medicine primary care prior to focusing her clinical practice on breast health.

She currently practices in the breast clinic at Mayo Clinic, Arizona, where she is a Senior Associate Consultant in Women’s Health Internal Medicine, and an Instructor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. Dr. Fraker’s clinical practice is focused on the care and evaluation of patients with breast concerns, including but not limited to: breast pain, masses, skin changes, nipple changes, nipple discharge, and abnormal imaging. She also sees patients with elevated risk for developing breast cancer and guides decisions regarding early detection and risk reduction for breast cancer.

Dr. Lara Hart, MD, FACOG
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, AU/UGA Medical Partnership

Dr. Lara Hart is an obstetrician-gynecologist in private practice in Athens, GA. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership. In 2022 she became the 3rd year OB/Gyn Clerkship Coordinator for the partnership. Dr. Hart has a passion for teaching the next generation of medical providers, as well as interests in maternal health disparities, reproductive health policy, and LGBTQ+ healthcare access. She has provided care to the women of Georgia since graduating residency. Dr. Hart is involved with The Yonkofa Project, an NGO working to provide healthcare education and support to the people of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Caring for patients at all stages of their reproductive lives is a passion of hers. Dr. Hart is always trying to improve her patient outcomes, while teaching the next generation of physicians how to provide the most compassionate care.

Dr. Lydia Kaoutzani
PGY-6 Neurosurgery Resident at Wellstar MCG Health

Dr. Kaoutzani was born in Athens, Greece and then moved to Nicosia, Cyprus where she received her high school diploma from the Pagkyprio Gymnasium. She then moved to the United States where she received her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry: Biochemistry from Boston University. She subsequently completed a master’s degree in Medical Science at Boston University School of Medicine. For the following two years she conducted research at the Department of Gastroenterology at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Harvard Medical School. She obtained her medical degree at The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School. Dr. Kaoutzani then completed two years of preliminary general surgery residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. Currently she am in her sixth year of neurosurgery residency at Wellstar Medical College of Georgia (MCG) Health.

Lillian Kreppel
Executive Director, Co-Founder and Cancer Thriver of HPV Cancers Alliance

When Lillian was diagnosed with stage II anal cancer in 2017, her response reflected her personality: “I don’t have time for this cancer. Let’s take care of this. Let’s get it done.”

Lillian and her doctors immediately identified her rigorous treatment program of chemoradiation therapy, and she assembled a huge support team of friends that was with her every step of the way. Her determination, positive attitude, and relentless spirit got her through the ordeal with her critical organs (and sense of humor!) intact.

Lillian’s personal experience with HPV related anal cancer profoundly influenced her to become an activist and a tireless advocate, and in the end a new mission and vision in life was born. She knew that she had a responsibility to empower the public and the medical communities through education, awareness, and advocacy, and that the time was, and is, NOW. Together with actress, Marcia Cross and businessman, Dan Lifton, they founded HPV Cancers Alliance in 2019.

Lillian/HPVCA is motivated, driven and committed to spreading knowledge and saving lives, in Lillian’s own words, “although HPV impacts nearly everyone, no one should die from this preventable virus”. She is a woman with an iron-sharp mission and vision, and the endless energy and dedication to achieve it.

Lillian is funny, outgoing, and a lover of life. She just hit her 5-year cancer free mark & considers herself now, an anal cancer thriver.

Dr. Aasta Mehta, MD, MPP
Medical Officer of Women’s Health, Philadelphia Department of Public Health

Dr. Aasta Mehta, a renowned expert in women’s health, boasts a multifaceted background. She completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Drexel University College of Medicine/Hahnemann University Hospital and earned a Health Policy-focused Master’s from Drexel University. Her public health work is focused on the crossroads of healthcare and policy, particularly in women’s health advocacy.

Currently, Dr. Mehta serves as the Medical Officer of Women’s Health at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, overseeing policies to improve women’s health. She’s also a clinical faculty member in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine and an Affiliate Faculty at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, where she created a course addressing maternal mortality.

Her roles encompass directing the Philadelphia County Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Program, co-chairing the Pennsylvania State Maternal Mortality Review Committee and Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative Advisory Group. She is additionally Immediate Past President of the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia and Secretary of the PA Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Dr. Barbara Simon
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia PA

Dr. Barbara Simon is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia PA. She earned her medical degree from MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency and endocrine fellowship training at Thomas Jefferson University. She went on to serve as the Section Chief of Endocrinology at Drexel University College of Medicine and Hahnemann Hospital where she also founded and served as Endocrinology Fellowship Program Director. She has a focus on GME and UME education, with clinical and research interests in diabetes. Now back at Thomas Jefferson University, she is the Endocrinology content director for the medical school curriculum, Associate Program Director for the Medicine Residency Program, and a Principal Investigator in several diabetes clinical trials. She has served as President of the Philadelphia Endocrine Society, been selected for Top Doctor, and has won numerous teaching awards.

Dr. Kate Stampler, DO, FACOG
Division Chair of Gynecology, Section Chief of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, Assistant Program Director, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program, Einstein Healthcare Network Philadelphia, Jefferson Health
Clinical Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University

Dr. Kate Stampler is a Minimally Invasive and Advanced Pelvic Gynecologic Surgeon at Jefferson Einstein in Philadelphia specializing in endometriosis, fibroids and abnormal uterine bleeding. She attended Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a traditional rotating internship at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. She went on to complete residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Lankenau Hospital and Minimally Invasive and Advance Pelvic Surgery fellowship at Fox Chase Cancer Center. She currently serves as an Assistant Program Director for the OB/GYN residency at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, Division Chair of Gynecology and Section Chief of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery. She also provides gender affirming gynecologic surgical services for their robust Pride Program. She has an interest in medical education, surgical quality and equitable, cost-effective care. She has been involved with AMWA since 2018 when she started as Poster Committee Chair and enjoys mentoring the students through leadership and research.

Dr. Hamer Titus
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wellstar MCG Health, Augusta, Georgia

Hamer Titus grew up in the rural town of Latta, South Carolina, where she graduated valedictorian of her class. She then went on to college at the University of South Carolina where she majored in chemistry- graduating Summa cum Laude. She also received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina. She did her OBGYN residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, and stayed on as academic faculty following her graduation in 2018. Dr. Titus has special interests in high risk obstetrics, infertility, and PCOS. She established the Bariatric Women’s Health Clinic with her surgery colleague Dr. Renee Hilton in September 2020.

Wendy Cox-Largent, MBA, CPA
Chief Financial and Operating Officer

Wendy Cox-Largent has spent the last 30 years in leadership roles for healthcare, higher education, and nonprofit organizations. Currently serving as the Chief Financial and Operating Officer for Medical Home Network in Chicago, Wendy is responsible for the data analytics, compliance and human resources teams and all finance strategies. Wendy has extensive experience in finance strategy, operations, financial performance, and hospital/physician contract negotiations.

Prior to MHN, Wendy served as the CFO for the Rush University Medical Group and held various roles at the SIU School of Medicine, including Senior Associate Provost for Finance and Administration. She also had the opportunity to serve as the CEO for two FQHCs in Chicago. Early in her career, Wendy worked at E&Y and Lurie Children’s Hospital.

She has a BS in Accounting from Indiana University in Bloomington, a MBA, with a Health Care Management Concentration, from DePaul University and is a registered CPA. She and her husband reside in Chicago.

Dr. Alyson McGregor, MD, MA, FACEP
Professor of Emergency Medicine, Associate Dean of Clinical Faculty Affairs and Development, University of South Carolina, School of Medicine Greenville

Alyson J. McGregor, MD MA FACEP is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and currently serves as Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Development at University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Dr. McGregor was the co-founder and Director for the Division of Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications on biological sex differences and its impact on women’s health and was recently awarded an Honorary Degree in Science by the University of New Hampshire for her life’s work.

Dr. McGregor currently serves as a member of the Advisory Committee Research on Women’s Health for the Office of Research on Women’s Health, National Institutes of Health. She is a Co-Founder of the national organization Sex and Gender Health Collaborative and serves on the Advisory Council to the Sex and Gender Health Education Summit series which is designed to establish an integrative sex and gender curriculum for current and future health professionals. In her new role at School of Medicine Greenville, Dr. McGregor is responsible for the development of over 1300 clinical faculty for which she has established novel programs for Emerging Leaders, a Clinical Educator Teaching Academy and recently was awarded an NIH R25 Grant for the project Sex and Gender Curricular Assessment and Revision (SG-CAR).

Dr. McGregor’s TEDx talk, “Why Medicine Often Has Dangerous Side Effects for Women,” currently has over 2 million views and her award-winning book “Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health and What We Can Do About It”. Dr. McGregor is excited to have recently published her second book entitled “Why Women Aren’t Wining at Health (But Can)” Published by WorldChangers Media.

Dr. Connie Newman, MD, MACP, FAMWA
Adjunct Professor of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine

Connie Newman, MD, MACP, FAMWA, an endocrinologist, is MWIA Vice President, North America; Past President, AMWA; Adjunct Professor, New York University School of Medicine; member, FDA Endocrine and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee; and Chair, Board of Directors, Planned Parenthood, Northern, Central, Southern New Jersey. She advocates for access to high quality reproductive health services for all people. Dr. Newman is a leading proponent of sex and gender- based healthcare and co-edited “How Sex and Gender Impact Clinical Practice: An Evidence Based Guide to Patient Care”, Elsevier 2021. She is an expert in cholesterol management, and chaired committees for the AHA Scientific Statement on statin safety and Endocrine Society guideline on dyslipidemia. She also writes and lectures on reproductive rights, health equity, challenges facing women in medicine, and burnout. Dr Newman has three children and lives in NJ and Oxford, UK.

Dr. Janice Werbinski, MD, FACOG, FAMWA
Associate Clinical Professor Emerita of OBGtn, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine

Board-certified in ObGyn, she practiced gynecology, surgery, and women’s health in Kalamazoo, Michigan for 40 years. During clinical years, she served as Medical Director of Bronson Women’s Center, Borgess Women’s Health, and the YWCA (SANE) Sexual Assault Center. Now Clinical Associate Professor Emerita at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of Medicine, she teaches sex and gender specific medicine there, and has written an iBook and several peer-reviewed articles on the topic.

She is a founder of the Sex and Gender Health Collaborative of AMWA, and she served as the 2021 President of AMWA. For over 10 years, she has led the Collaborative in efforts to infuse concepts of sex and gender specific medicine into medical and interprofessional curricula.

Most recent Collaborative efforts have been infused with the enthusiasm of over 200 medical students who are creating peer reviewed educational toolkits with the goal of introducing these into curricula.