Event Speakers/Presenters

Dr. Armando L. Oliver is the chairman of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology. After completing his residency at the program that he currently directs, he completed an ocular immunology and uveitis fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute under the guidance of Dr. Douglas A. Jabs. Later, he completed a 2-year vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Oliver is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and a member of the American Uveitis Society, and the American Society of Retina Specialists. He is the senior instructor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s scleritis instruction course and co-authored the Systemic Immunomodulation for Eye Diseases American Academy of Ophthalmology Focal Points Publications. In 2021, he received the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award. He has co-authored multiple manuscripts in well-renowned peer-reviewed journals. He is presently involved in multiple research projects to improve our understanding of the uveitides’ diagnostic criteria, disease association, and therapeutic response.

Dr. Tim Page is co-chief of anterior segment surgery and professor of ophthalmology at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Royal Oak, Michigan. He specializes in refractive cataract surgery and complex anterior segment surgery. He has pioneered surgical techniques and patented devices for eyes with zonular disorders. His work was published as a chapter in David Chang’s 2019 textbook “Advanced IOL Fixation Techniques”. His CTR design won the first place prize in the category of New Devices and IOLs at the 2019 ASCRS Film Festival and second place at the 2019 ESCRS Film Festival in Paris.

Dr. Akshay Patel is the co-Director of the Hartford Hospital Head and Neck Oncology Program. He is a co-founder of the Connecticut Institute for Head and Neck Surgery, a subsidiary of Connecticut Ear, Nose and Throat Associates. Dr. Patel also serves as a clinical assistant professor with the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed residency training in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Plastics Surgery at NY-COM/Barnabas Medical Center and Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at University Hospitals – Case Western School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH.

Dr. Yash Patil is a Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Patil is also the Residency Program Director.

Zachary Pearce D.O. is an oculoplastic surgeon with Michigan Oculofacial Specialists in Metro Detroit. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Michigan State University. His ophthalmology residency and two-year oculoplastics fellowship were both completed in Grand Rapids, MI. He treats adults and children with a variety of disorders, such as eyelid malpositions; lacrimal disorders; cancer and trauma reconstructions; orbital diseases; and facial rejuvenation. In addition to a busy clinical practice, he is active in both local and national societies including the American College of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has a passion for helping others and serves on the MiSEPS Public Service Committee.

Born: Grafton, Ohio Education: Undergraduate: Bachelor of Science – Exercise Science, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY Medical School: Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH Residency: Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dayton, OH Fellowship: Neurotology Swedish Neuroscience Institute, Seattle, WA Dr. Prueter completed residency in general ear nose and throat and fellowship in neurotology. He performs pediatric and adult sinus and head and neck surgery. His primary clinical interest is neurotology, the surgical and medical management for disorders of hearing, balance, and facial movement. He treats disorders of the ear canal, ear drum, middle ear bones, mastoid, inner ear (cochlea and vestibular labyrinth), and nerves traveling to the brainstem. He is part of a collaborative team of neurosurgeons and skull base surgeons who treat tumors of the lateral skull base, including acoustic neuromas. Dr. Prueter is the recipient of numerous awards including the AOCOO-HNS Council of Residents and Fellows Presidential Award. He has been published in various journals including the American Journal of Otolaryngology and Journal of Otology and Neurotology.

Originally from Arizona, Clare completed her undergraduate education at Arizona State University and medical school nearby in Southern California at Loma Linda University. She attended residency at Case Western Reserve University/ University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center before moving to Seattle for fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital. During medical school she developed an interest in education and quality improvement, which translated into academic and research interests during training. She currently works at Seattle Children’s Hospital and is completing an NIH T32 grant looking at simulation and computational fluid dynamics of the upper and lower airway. Her clinical interests include endoscopic and open airway surgery, aerodigestive pathology, craniofacial conditions, and tracheostomy management. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys reading, baking, and spending time outside.

Dr. Arnaldo Rivera’s areas of clinical and surgical interest are conditions that affect hearing and balance as well as conditions that affect the skull (lateral skull base). Dr. Rivera cares for patients of all ages with complex tumors and pathology, and he is the only fellowship-trained ear, lateral skull base and implantable hearing device surgeon at MU Health Care. While his tenure in the NAVY, he was the neurotologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and cared for wounded warriors. As such, he treated complex trauma to the lateral skull base and inner ear, giving him a unique perspective in the surgical interventions and reconstructions of this complex anatomy. Dr. Rivera is a NAVY reservist and holds the rank of captain.

Family Medicine Program Director- 39 resident program in Flint Mi for 11 years. Currently serving on the ACGME FM RC and on the ACGME FM AIRE project committee. Past President of the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Active with both ACOFP and MAOFP. Outside of work, I stay busy with 4 kids and a dog we adopted in 2020.

Kathryn W. Ruckart, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist specializing in the treatment of voice and upper airway disorders. She provides diagnostic and treatment services at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Voice and Swallowing Center located in Winston-Salem, NC. Kathryn received her bachelor of arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master of science in communication sciences and disorders from East Carolina University. Her primary clinical interests include care of the speaking voice, rehabilitation of functional voice disorders, and behavioral management of paradoxical vocal fold motion disorder, chronic cough, and irritable larynx syndrome.

Ocular infections and inflammations specialist in Puerto Rico for over 30 years. Trained at Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco. Teacher at the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. Local, national and international speaker.

Private Practice: Aesthetic Facial Plastic/Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery, Otorhinolaryngology: Longmont, Colorado; 1993-present. Double Board Certified by the American Osteopathic College of Otolaryngology, Facial Plastic Surgery, Head, Neck and Reconstructive Surgery (AOCOOHNS) Fellow and Diplomat, American Osteopathic College of Otolaryngology, Head, Neck and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head, Neck and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) Board of Trustees World Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (WAOCS) 2019-present. Past Chair, American Society of Liposuction Surgery (ASLS) Advisory Board (2010-13) Past BOT, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (2010-2013) Past Board Examiner, American Osteopathic College of Otorhinolaryngology, Head/Neck, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (1994-2005) Associate Clinical Professor, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine Allergan Facial Medical Aesthetics Speakers Bureau President and Founder: Sculpting for Surgeons™ www.sculptingforsurgeons.com President & Medical Director: Colorado Learning Center for Human Anatomy (2016-2021)

JO SHAPIRO, MD, FACS, is an associate professor of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School. She is Principal Faculty for the Center for Medical Simulation in Boston and a Consultant for the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Anesthesia, Pain and Critical Care. In 2008, she founded the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Professionalism and Peer Support where she served as the director for over 10 years. During that time the Center became a model for national and international institutions seeking methods to enhance a culture of trust and respect and improve clinician wellbeing and patient care. She continues to educate and assist organizations in developing specific programmatic and educational approaches such as peer support, disclosure and apology, wellbeing programs, professionalism initiatives, and conflict management. For many years, she has been involved with the Collaborative for Accountability, serving a term as chair of the Senior Advisory Group and now a member of the Best Practices Committee. She served as chair of the Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties and has held multiple educational leadership roles including: senior associate director of Graduate Medical Education, and president of the Society of University Otolaryngologists. She was one of BWH’s first woman division chiefs. She serves on the faculty of the Harvard Leadership Development for Physicians and Scientists where she teaches giving difficult feedback. She was a faculty member of the Department of Surgery at BWH for over 35 years; her surgical expertise was in treating adults with oropharyngeal dysphagia. She was named as a finalist for the Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver Award. In 2019, Harvard Medical School gave her the Shirley Driscoll Dean’s Award for the Enhancement of Women’s Careers.

Dr. Sibia has received training at the finest institutions. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry at the University of Miami. He received his medical degree from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Sibia completed his Ophthalmology residency at Michigan State University, followed by an oculoplastics fellowship at the Beraja Medical Insitute in Miami, Florida. As an accomplished surgeon, Dr. Sibia draws on his vast clinical experience along with his dedication to leading edge technology and advanced surgical techniques. He strives to provide the care that he would expect for himself and his family. Dr. Sibia educates his patients about their condition and creates a custom management plan in every case. For over fifteen years, Dr. Sibia has performed thousands of surgical eye procedures. Dr. Sibia has volunteered several times on mission trips to India where he provided much needed surgery and care for the less fortunate, as well as teaching the local ophthalmologists his surgical techniques. Dr. Sibia is a national speaker and gives lectures on multiple topics to his peers. He has served many years as a Board of Governor for the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and has held the offices of Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and is currently the President of the colleges. He has traveled many times to Washington, D.C. to meet with policy experts and Members of the U.S. Congress on healthcare issues. In his free time, Dr. Sibia enjoys spending time and traveling with his family.

Biography Leonid Skorin, Jr., DO, OD, MS, FAAO, FAOCO Dr. Skorin is glad you’re reading his biography. He is a Consultant in the Department of Surgery, Community Division of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, MN and is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Skorin completed his OD at the Illinois College of Optometry and his DO at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He did his osteopathic medical/surgical internship in Tulsa, OK and his ophthalmology residency at Michigan State University/Metropolitan Hospital. He did a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at the University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary. Dr. Skorin is a Past-President of the Minnesota Osteopathic Medical Society. He is a Costin Institute Scholar in osteopathic medical education and received the Presidential Achievement Certificate for his medical and surgical mission work in Ukraine from the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology. In 2006 he was awarded the Distinguished Clinician of the Year Award from the Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. In 2007 Dr. Skorin was named Distinguished Practitioner of the National Academies of Practice in the Osteopathic Medical Academy and had served as its Chair. In 2016 he was named Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences NP/PA Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program - Educator of the Year. In 2017 the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology awarded him the Governor's Achievement Certificate. Dr. Skorin completed the Mayo Clinic Leadership Development Program in 2010 and a Master of Science in Medical Education Leadership through the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2011. He completed the American Osteopathic Association Health Policy Fellowship in 2012. He enjoys cruising the country lanes in his 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible and is an amateur herpetologist specializing in chelonians.