Event Speakers/Presenters

Imagine a background that includes health and wellness studies & practices since your teens, leading passenger activities and teaching dance & fitness on cruise ships, on to sales trainer, then a successful 30-year career as a hospitality sales road warrior at Schneider Publishing/NorthStar Media & ASAE. That's Sandi's unique story, and it's this diverse experience—combined with over 40 years in health and wellness—that she brings to her work as an Internationally Accredited Nutrition Certified professional, coach, and speaker. Drawing on her deep roots in holistic health and leading her own company, “Life With Zest”, Sandi empowers busy professionals to prioritize their well-being by adopting sustainable lifestyle practices that seamlessly integrate into even the most demanding schedules. Her approach centers on simple, yet effective rituals and evidence-based wellness strategies that ensure health remains a cornerstone of success, whether at home, in a clinic, or on the road.

Solo Private practice owner Los Angeles, California. Fellowship trained in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and Board Certified Ophthalmologist. Wills Eye Hospital Fellowship, St John's Episcopal Hospital Residency

Shant Korkigian, DO attended undergraduate at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) where he received a Bachelor of Art in Political Science and Near Eastern Studies. He received his Doctor of Osteopathy from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (East Lansing, MI). He went onto complete his residency in Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery at Botsford Hospital in the Michigan State University Statewide Campus System (Farmington Hills, MI) and a fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction at St. Vincent Hospital (Indianapolis, IN). He is now a private practice otolaryngologist at ENT Specialists, PC (Novi, MI) and is currently a clinical associate professor at Michigan State University as faculty in both the Corewell and Henry Ford Health Systems’ Otolaryngology esidency programs.

Dr. Lackey is a graduate of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, and completed his dermatology residency training at the National Capital Consortium (Walter Reed Army Medical Center), Washington, DC. He completed a Mohs Micrographic Surgery fellowship with Donald Grande, MD, at Mystic Valley Dermatology Associates, Stoneham, MA. He is board certified in both Dermatology and Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery. Dr. Lackey served in the United States Army for 25 years, serving most recently as the Dermatology Consultant to the Office of the Surgeon General and as the Chief of the Dermatology Service, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD. While at Walter Reed, Dr. Lackey served as core faculty for the National Capital Consortium Dermatology Residency Program for 7 years. In 2013, he retired from active military service and relocated to New Orleans, LA. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Dermatology, Tulane University, where he oversees the Mohs Micrographic Surgery Service at both Tulane University and at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. His primary expertise is in the treatment of cutaneous malignancies via both surgical and non-invasive therapies. He is interested in the multi-disciplinary management of complex skin cancers, particularly in the setting of immunosuppression.

Kimberly D. Lomis, MD is Vice President for Medical Education Innovations at the American Medical Association. In that capacity, she guides the AMA ChangeMedEd® Initiative, partnering with medical schools, GME and CPD programs to impact over 30,000 medical learners across the United States. Themes of collaborative work and advocacy efforts among the institutions engaged in the initiative include competency-based medical education, training in health systems science across the continuum, value-added roles for learners, development of master adaptive learners, coaching for health professionals, promoting diversity of the physician workforce and inclusive environments, addressing learner & faculty wellbeing, advancing educational technology and AI in medical education, and change management. Dr. Lomis oversees AMA’s Precision Education portfolio of projects leveraging data and technology to personalized and enhance medical education across the continuum. Dr. Lomis previously served as Professor of Surgery and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she was charged with oversight of a major revision of the medical school curriculum and guided the implementation of a competency-based assessment program. Dr. Lomis also served the Association of American Medical Colleges as the Associate Project Director for the national pilot of the Core EPAs for Entering Residency and was active in the AAMC Group on Educational Affairs as chair of the Section on Undergraduate Medical Education and member of the GEA steering committee. A member of the International Competency-based Medical Education Collaborators, Dr. Lomis’ academic interests include competency-based medical education and assessment, complex systems and change management. She is invested in program evaluation and promoting the judicial use of educational resources. Dr. Lomis received her B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988 and her M.D. from the University Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1992. She trained in general surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 1992-1997. She holds a graduate certificate in the Business of Medicine from Johns Hopkins and is a Harvard Macy Institute Scholar.

Matthew Lowrance, DO, completed his undergraduate degree in Music performance from the University of North Georgia in 2001. He then completed his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia in 2008. Dr. Lowrance spent the next four years at Michigan State University and Hillsdale Community Health Center in residency training in ophthalmology. Following residency, he completed a medical retina fellowship at the world renown Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida. Dr. Lowrance has published numerous papers and articles in peer reviewed journals, given lectures at national meetings, and has multiple patents pending for ophthalmic surgery and other medical technology. He is a founding member of the Tidal Key Group, an innovations company focused on emerging medical devices and technology. Dr. Lowrance is also a medical director and advisor for Lumata Health, an organization focused on using data to better treat patients through a personalized approach to their care. Dr. Lowrance lives in Loudon with his wife and three children.

Dr. Adam Master, MS, MD, is a board-certified neurotologist and Senior Physician at Ochsner Medical Center with extensive expertise in otology, neurotology, and lateral skull base surgery. After earning his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine – Shreveport, he completed a distinguished fellowship in Neurotology, Otology, and Skull Base Surgery at the House Ear Clinic, University of California Los Angeles. Currently, Dr. Master serves as Section Head for Otology, Neurotology, and Lateral Skull Base Surgery at Ochsner Medical Center, co-directs the Temporal Bone Lab at Tulane University, and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Queensland, Ochsner School of Medicine.

Edward McCoul, MD, MPH, is Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he also serves as Research Medical Director for Surgical Specialties. He is a graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine where he also earned master’s degrees in epidemiology and pharmacology. He completed fellowship training in rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College—New York Presbyterian Hospital. He serves as associate editor or on the editorial board of several major journals. He is a fellow of the American Rhinologic Society, the American College of Surgeons and the Triological Society. His professional interests include diagnostic endoscopy, pharmacotherapy, patient-centered outcomes, decision making theory, and applications of artificial intelligence.

Dr. Claire Melancon is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon practicing in New Orleans, Louisiana. She owns Audubon Facial Plastic Surgery, her solo practice. Though her practice is nearly entirely focused on the breadth of aesthetic facial plastic surgery, she has a specific niche in revision rhinoplasty and septal perforation repair. She did medical school at LSU in New Orleans, ENT residency at Wake Forest in NC, and facial plastics fellowship in Houston, TX. She is a mom to 3 year old twins, and loves living in the beautiful, cultural city of New Orleans.

Dr Katie Melder is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans. She completed her Otolaryngology residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in Pittsburgh, PA. She then completed a fellowship in Rhinology & Skull Base Surgery at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OR.

Dr. Matt Migneron, MD, M.S is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate work at Vanderbilt University, prior to obtaining his Master's of Science in Physiology at Georgetown University. From here, he completed his medical education at the Louisiana Statue University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and his residency in Head and Neck Surgery at Tulane University. He recently completed a one year Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship with Dr. Brian Wong at the University of California, Irvine.

Ashli O’Rourke, M.S., M.D., is a Professor and Director of Laryngology at the Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice and Swallowing at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Dr. O’Rourke began her professional career as a speech-language pathologist, earning her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Florida State University. After more than seven years of clinical speech therapy practice at Emory University Hospital, she attended medical school at the Medical College of Georgia. She completed her residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and her fellowship in Laryngology – Voice and Swallowing disorders at the Medical College of Georgia. In her clinical practice, Dr. O’Rourke manages adult patients presenting with pathologies of the larynx, airway, and esophagus, including dysphonia, dysphagia, and airway stenosis. She has a particular interest in the diagnosis and management of swallowing disorders and laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. Dr. O’Rourke has made significant contributions to the scientific literature, including pioneering studies on the application of High-Resolution Pharyngeal Manometry (HRPM) in the diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia. Renowned for her expertise, she is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences, where she shares insights on HRPM and advances in dysphagia management. Dr. O'Rourke is board certified through the American Board of Otolaryngology and serves on the Board’s Exam Council. She is Treasurer and on the Executive Council of the Board of Directors for the Dysphagia Research Society and holds the Mark & Evelyn Trammell Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology.  

Dr. Anna M. Pou earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. She completed her residency training in general surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis followed by residency training in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Pou completed her fellowship in head and neck surgery and microvascular reconstruction at the Methodist Hospital of Indiana, Indiana University in Indianapolis. Dr. Pou is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Head and Neck Society and the Society of University Otolaryngologists. Her clinical interests include the treatment of patients with cancer of the head and neck, including skin cancer, endocrine tumors and the rehabilitation of the head and neck cancer patient.