PAULA BEGEL, BCTMB, LMT, PTA

Aromatherapist, West Palm Beach, FL
Paula Begel has over 40 years of experience in the Physical Medicine and Fitness industries. Degreed as a Physical Therapist Assistant, she then became a Licensed Massage Therapist and was nationally board certified. Paula is a Certified Holistic & Clinical Aromatherapist, a continuing education provider for massage therapists on the therapeutic uses of essential oils, and has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. A sixth degree black belt, Paula also provides personal training and aerobics instruction.

CHRISTY BEMRICH STOLZ, MD

Pediatric Hematologist, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Dr. Christy Bemrich-Stolz is a pediatric hematologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Children’s of Alabama, where she serves as Outpatient Medical Director for Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and as a physician in the Hemophilia Treatment Center. Her clinical practice focuses on caring for children and adolescents with bleeding and clotting disorders, including von Willebrand disease, hemophilia, thrombosis, and other hematologic conditions. She has particular expertise in the evaluation of heavy menstrual bleeding in adolescents and collaborates closely with multidisciplinary partners in adolescent medicine and gynecology to improve recognition and management of inherited bleeding disorders in young women.

Dr. Bemrich-Stolz is deeply engaged in clinical education and quality improvement within pediatric hematology. Her scholarly work includes research on clinician knowledge and confidence in evaluating heavy menstrual bleeding due to inherited bleeding disorders, as well as projects focused on improving care delivery and outcomes for patients with chronic hematologic diseases. In addition to her clinical and academic roles, she is passionate about patient education, family support, and partnering with advocacy organizations to improve awareness, timely diagnosis, and equitable care for individuals living with bleeding disorders.

MADELINE CANTINI, RN

Hematology Nurse (retired), Houston, TX
Madeline Cantini held the Senior Research Nurse position at the Gulf States Hemophilia and Thrombo-philia Center in Houston, TX from 1991 until 2022. She was responsible for coordinating the clinical research program for pediatric and adult patients with bleeding disorders and thrombophilia. She also worked on educational programs and patient retreats specific to patients with bleeding disorders, hepatitis, HIV, women with bleeding disorders and thrombophilia, adolescent transitioning and leadership training. Madeline served on a team involved with the center’s WFH Twinning Program in El Salvador, in which she assisted and supported the center and its staff in the care of their patients. She also made formal presentations to nurses, school teachers and parents on treating and caring for patients with bleeding disorders. She served as the Region VI Nursing Representative to the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Nursing Working Group for four years, has been invited as a speaker at national and international conferences, and received the National Hemophilia Nurse of the Year Award. She has presented at VWD Connect Conferences multiple years in both the Teen and Adult Tracks on dealing with the challenges of Menorrhagia, Infusion Techniques, and Living with VWD.

SABRINA FARINA, LMSW

Senior Social Worker, Gulf States Hemophilia and Thromophilia Center, Houston, TX
Sabrina Farina LMSW has over 20 years’ experience as a social worker. As a Senior Social Worker with Gulf States Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Center, at UT Health Houston, Sabrina serves patients and families with bleeding and clotting disorders, throughout their lifespan. She is the past recipient of the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work, Outstanding Field Instructor of the Year Award, selected by faculty.

Dartmouth Institute Microsystem Academy, (TDIMA), eCoach the Coach, Quality Improvement program, serving as a pioneer for the American Thrombosis Hemostasis Network, (ATHN), and helped coach another Hemophilia Treatment Center in understanding the concept of quality improvement. Co-Chair of the former National Hemophilia Foundation, Ethics Committee with Dr. Ostash. Recipient of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, (formerly National Hemophilia Foundation), Social Work Excellence Fellowship Award for 2018. Recipient of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, (formerly National Hemophilia Foundation), Social Worker of the Year Award in 2019. American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network, ATHN, National Hemophilia Program Coordinating Center, (NHPCC): Social Worker CoP Advisory Council and Transitioning Advisory Council. Foundation for Women and Girls with Bleeding Disorders (FWGBD),WGBD LAN Education and Advocacy Subcommittee, presenter and moderator. Elected Officer for the Executive Committee, Hemophilia Alliance Foundation (HAF) Board of Directors.National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, consumer presenter. Texas Bleeding Disorders Substance Use Mental Health Access Coalition, BD SUMAC, Texas Hemophilia Treatment Center partner.

VERONICA FLOOD, MD, PhD

Pediatric Hematologist / Researcher, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Veronica Flood is a pediatric hematologist and researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She currently serves as Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/ BMT and Cellular Therapy. Her clinical practice includes children with von Willebrand disease (VWD) and other bleeding and clotting disorders as well
as children admitted to the hematology service. Dr. Flood’s research interests include the diagnosis of VWD and the interaction of von Willebrand factor (VWF) with platelets and vascular collagens. Through the Zimmerman Program for the Molecular and Clinical Biology of VWD she has worked on assays of VWF function and the genetics of VWF. She also served as the Clinical Chair for the ASH ISTH NHF WFH Guideline on Management of VWD.

KENNETH FRIEDMAN, MD

Senior Medical Director, Versiti – Blood Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Kenneth D. Friedman, MD is trained in adult hematology and subsequently did a fellowship that included research under the direction of Dr. Robert Montgomery related to investigations in coagulation and von Willebrand disease. He serves as medical director for the Versiti Hemostasis Reference Library, and he participates in the medical care of patients with bleeding and clotting disorders as a member of the Comprehensive Center for Bleeding Disorders and the Hemophilia Outreach Center in Green Bay, WI. His professional and research interests include diagnostic evaluation of patients with bleeding disorders, the genetic mechanisms underlying von Willebrand disease, and the clinical utility of laboratory evaluation of patients with thrombotic microangiopathy.

CHRISTINE HAYS

CEO, Eastern Vibration, West Palm Beach, FL
Christine Hays is a spa and wellness director, and the CEO of Eastern Vibration, an international organization with a passion for healing with vibrations – or healing with sound. Christine worked in India for seven years as a corporate spa director, and came across these special hand hammered Tibetan bowls. Intrigued, she created a treatment with the bowls. She later studied how and why the Tibetan Monks used these bowls for meditation and found Sadhus (Hindu holy men) who were also using them. As Christine dug deeper in the small villages and found shamans using them for medicine, she knew she was on to something very profound.Christine loves sharing this modality with as many people as possible from all age groups and all walks of life and enjoys the educational part of her work along with creating protocols.

SHERRY HERMAN-HILKER, PT, MS

Physical Therapist, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Sherry Herman-Hilker is a physical therapist in the Hemophilia and Coagulation Disorders Program at the University of Michigan. She has worked at the HTC for more than 25 years and she loves the challenge of the ever-changing world of care for people with bleeding disorders. Sherry strives to continually advance her understanding of the best way to support individuals living with and managing the consequences of musculo-skeletal bleeding. Her approach is patient priority centered and collaborative. As part of the comprehensive, multidisciplinary team she supports four adult hematologists and four pediatric hematologists providing consultation and education to both children and adults and their families. Sherry is actively involved in the greater hemophilia community locally, regionally and nationally.

JULIE JAFFRAY, MD

Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, UC San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, CA
Dr. Julie Jaffray is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at UC San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA. She undertook her pediatric residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and she completed her pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at the combined Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell program in New York. After completing her fellowship, she spent an additional two years undertaking an advanced fellowship in pediatric hemostasis and thrombosis at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

Dr. Jaffray is passionate about diagnosing and treating girls and adolescents with heavy periods and bleeding disorders. She is a strong advocate for the combined Hematology/Adolescent Medicine clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital and has raised money for her patients affected by Period Poverty. She also loves to impower her patients to seek the best treatment options. Her clinical research interests are focused on identifying better treatment options for adolescents and women with heavy menstrual bleeding.

ELLEN KACHALSKY, LMSW, ACSW

Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
Ellen has her Masters of Social Work degree from Adelphi University in New York, but then moved to Michigan, with her husband. She has two adult children.

Ellen has worked at Henry Ford Hospital for over 28 years, including Bone Marrow Transplant and Hem-Onc, as well as Multi-Disciplinary Clinics. She loves her work in the Adult Hemophilia Treatment Center, which she joined in1999, after getting to know a number of the clients regularly seen in the clinic.

She has prior experience in multiple areas including Family Practice, ICU and Step-Down units at other hospitals in the metropolitan Detroit area. She also worked for three years as the Resident Service Coordinator at HUD-subsidized Senior congregate living, where she helped residents maintain their independence by linking them with community resources and providing support, counseling, and programs.

ED KUEBLER, MSW

Board Member, VWD Connect Foundation
A graduate of the University of Houston, Master of Social Work Graduate Program, Ed Kuebler is the founder and director for Step Up Reach Out (SURO) – An International Leadership Program, and the Latin America (LatAm) SURO Program. He is co-founder, program coordinator and faculty for the international AFFIRM Program (A Fellowship For Integrating Responsible Mentors). Ed presented at the World Federation Hemophilia (WFH) 2006 through 2020. He has presented at National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) Annual Conferences for the last 20 years, published several articles in HemAware Magazine, US and co-authored the children’s von Willebrand book Rafting Rescue: An Adventure at Camp Cascade. Ed received the National Hemophilia Foundation’s 2007 Social Worker of the Year Award, and is a past Chair of the World Federation of Hemophilia Psychosocial Committee. Ed is the co-founder and Board President for Global Blood Disorder Foundation Inc. (GBDF), and co-founder and Board member with VWD Connect Foundation.

LUCAS LOPEZ, MMSc, LCGC

Genetic Counselor, Comprehensive Bleeding Disorders Center, Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Lucas Lopez, MMSc, LCGC is the pediatric bleeding disorders genetic counselor at the
Comprehensive Bleeding Disorders Center of Emory University & Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta. It’s a mouthful, but that basically means he specializes in the various genetic conditions that come through his bleeding clinics. He educates families on how conditions like severe VWD are passed from generation to generation and he coordinates genetic testing for patients and
family members. He graduated from Emory School of Medicine in 2023 and has been working with his fabulous team for over a year, doing whatever he can to learn from and interact with his patients both inside the clinic and outside at events like VWD Connect.

ROBERT MONTGOMERY, MD

Pediatric Hematology, Versiti Blood Research Institute, Milwaukee, WI
Dr. Montgomery’s research is focused on hereditary bleeding disorders (hemophilia and von Willebrand Disease) and includes gene therapy of hemophilia and a large USA-wide study of the molecular and clinical biology of von Willebrand disease. He is also a Professor of Pediatric Hematology and Population Health and Epidemiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

ALFREDO NARVAEZ, JR., LMSW

Medical Social Worker, Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders, New Orleans, LA
Alfredo Narvaez Jr is one of the two social workers that provide service to the patients at the Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders. He has been with the Center since 2016. Alfredo has taken part in a number of training and social events for his HTC including leading Parents Empowering Parents trainings, assisting in Chapter Summer Camps and the HTC’s annual Transition Teen Retreats. Alfredo is originally from Nicaragua and is fluent in both English and Spanish, which allows him to help both hemophilia patients as well as the patients with other bleeding disorders for which his Center provides care.

SONIA NASR, PhD

President, GLOVAL, Bloomfield, CO
Sonia Nasr, PhD, founded GLOVAL in 2004, with a vision for providing strategy, clinical, and medical communications consulting in the area of chronic disease management and education. GLOVAL has since served multiple stakeholders in healthcare across the world, speciﬁcally in rare coagulation disorders. Clients included HTCs, biopharmaceutical manufacturers, patient advocacy organizations, database aggregators, digital hematology leaders, and other education providers. Sonia is a passionate trainer on Motivational Interviewing as an evidence-based intervention to improve clinical outcomes in patients with inheritable blood disorders.

A seasoned entrepreneur, prior to GLOVAL, Dr. Nasr served at McKinsey & Co where she worked extensively in the areas of strategy and operations consulting. Prior to McKinsey, Dr. Nasr was Senior Global Manager at Baxter and an Assistant Professor of Biology at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, her country of origin. Sonia is committed to education and has been an integral member of the establishment of the Partners Physician Academy in 2022.

Dr. Nasr received her PhD in Molecular Biology from Purdue University. She has received numerous teaching, service, leadership, and research awards and was selected as one of the ﬁrst group of 10 Outstanding Women in Science by the United Nations Educational, Scientiﬁc, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She was recently honored by Purdue University as Distinguished Science Alumna. She is an avid supporter of the severe VWD patients and the VWD Connect Foundation that serves them.

KRISTIN PAULYSON NUNEZ, MS, CGC

Senior Genetic Counselor, Duke Health System, Durham, NC
Board-certified Genetic Counselor (CGC) and Senior Genetic Counselor with more than 30 years of experience at Duke University Health System proving clinical expertise in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and Adult Hematology. Kristin has developed a particular expertise and passion for hematologic conditions, specializing in genetic testing, prenatal diagnosis, fertility, preimplantation genetic testing, and perinatal bereavement support.

Kristin serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Women & Girls with Blood Disorders and previously served as Director and President of the American Board of Genetic Counseling.

LUCY RAMIREZ, MSW, LCSW

Clinical Social Worker, Rush University Medical Center HTC, Chicago, IL
Lucy Ramirez, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker at the Rush Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Treatment Center in Chicago. Her practice focuses on counseling and educating individuals with bleeding disorders, alongside their families and caregivers.

An active provider participant in the national bleeding disorders community, Lucy chairs the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) Social Work Working Group and is a core member of the Bleeding Disorder Substance Use and Mental Health Access Coalition. She frequently serves as a guest speaker and facilitator for consumer advocacy organizations, including the VWD Connect Foundation, the Coalition for Hemophilia B, and the Bleeding Disorder Alliance of Illinois.

PASSANT SHAKER, CGC

Genetic Counselor, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Passant Shaker is a certified genetic counselor in the Hematology department at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Passant has immersed herself in the world of genetics and hematology, advocating for improved access to genetic testing, raising awareness about rare hematologic disorders, and empowering patients to understand their care and condition. Collaborating with multidisciplinary healthcare teams in the pediatric setting, Passant is committed to ensuring that patients receive comprehensive and compassionate care tailored to their unique needs. Her primary focus in hemostasis clinic is supporting patients with bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia A/B and von Willebrand disease, and patients with various clotting disorders.

CONSTANCE B THIBODEAUX,
MSW, LCSW, BACS

Hemophilia Social Work Coordinator, Tulane University School of Medicine, Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders, New Orleans, LA
Constance “Connie” Thibodeaux is a licensed clinical social worker and board approved clinical supervisor. She has over 30 years of social work experience with the last 13 years working at the Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders at Tulane University School of Medicine. Ms. Thibodeaux has presented at the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Annual Meeting and Inhibitor Summits as well as the vWD von Willebrand Connect Conferences. Ms. Thibodeaux served on the Social Work Working Group for the National Hemophilia Foundation and worked on the NHF project defining the “Gold Standard of Care for Hemophilia Treatment Centers” now NBDF. Ms. Thibodeaux is currently on the NHF Pain Initiative Committee. She enjoys listening to live music, and everything outdoors including hiking with her dog "Cracklin".

NATALIE THOMPSON, RN

Nurse, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Natalie has been a nurse for more than 40 years. She began her career at St. Mary’s Hospital in London prior to coming to the U.S. in 1988. After a year in hospital neonatology, she then embarked upon 24 years of Home Infusion Nursing, including servicing many bleeding disorder patients. For the last 10 years she has focused in Rheumatology and currently works at Arthritis Associates of South Florida.

Co-Principal Investigator Christopher Walsh MD

CHRISTOPHER WALSH, MD, PhD

Director, Hemophilia Program, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
Christopher E. Walsh is Associate Professor and Director of the Hemophilia Program in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He received his PhD in Biochemistry from Wake Forest School of Medicine and his MD from Tulane University School of Medicine. He then completed an internship and a residency in Internal Medicine at North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill and a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Hematology at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Board-certified in Hematology and Internal Medicine, Dr. Walsh is the Regional Director of ATHN funded HTCs in New England. He sits on the boards of NHF MASAC, American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN), Hemophilia Federation of America and Hemophilia of New York. His basic research focuses on gene therapy of blood diseases. He pioneered the research into Adeno-associated virus and its first use as a gene therapy vector. He is actively developing gene therapies for hemophilia A and B, von Willebrand disease, and other disorders.

TUNG WYNN, MD

Pediatric Hematologist, Hemophilia Treatment Center, UF Shands Children’s Hospital, Gainesville, FL
Tung Wynn attended Northeastern Ohio Medical University Medical School and completed his residency training at Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron. He completed his fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Wynn became an attending physician in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital of Tampa in 2003. He joined the University of Florida faculty in 2012 and is an associate professor in the division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. He is the director of the UF Pediatric Hemostasis Treatment Center and the UF Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Program. Dr. Wynn currently holds professional memberships with the American Society of Hematology, the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society, the Florida Medical Association, the Children’s Oncology Group, the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

ADRIENNE ZHAN, NP

Nurse Practitioner, Hemophilia Treatment Center, Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
Adrienne Zhan is a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner at the Mount Sinai Hemophilia Treatment Center. She specializes in the management of rare bleeding disorders and is dedicated to improving access to care and raising awareness for patients with severe von Willebrand disease.

2026 Conference Faculty