2026 PEW Speakers
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2026 PEW Breakout Session Leader bios follow
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.
JEANETTE CESTA
Executive Director, VWD Connect Foundation
Jeanette Cesta is the Executive Director of VWD Connect Foundation, a U.S. based national non-profit organization serving severe von Willebrand disease patients. Jeanette has been an educational consultant for the bleeding disorder community, focusing on von Willebrand disease and women with bleeding disorders, for over 20 years. She speaks nationally and internationally at medical conventions and patient organization events. Jeanette has co-authored multiple abstracts and research posters presented at both national and international medical conferences. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology Roadmap to Improve DEI in Hematology Clinical Trials Committee, was a member of the NHF VWD Task Force, chaired the Women with VWD working group for the ATHN National Hemophilia Program Coordinating Center, and has designed and implemented more than 25 conferences/workshops for medical providers and patients on von Willebrand disease. Jeanette received her Bachelor of Science from Suffolk University, Boston, MA.
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.
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.
PARVATHI MYER, MD
Associate Professor, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Dr. Parvathi (Aarthi) Myer is an Associate Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She specializes in the care of hereditary gastrointestinal cancers, and her research focus is on health disparities and the genomics of colorectal cancer. She completed her medical degree at the University of California, San Diego and her Internal Medicine Residency and Gastroenterology Fellowship at Stanford University. She also has a Masters of Health Science from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Myer is involved in medical education via curriculum development and didactic and clinical teaching of the medical students and gastroenterology fellows at her institution. She has been grant funded by the National Cancer Institute of the NIH, and has been a scholar at the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities.
KELLY PARKER, DO
OB/GYN, Section Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, OH
Dr. Kelly Parker, DO, FACOG, is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and the Director of Labor and Delivery and Section Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, where she also serves as lead OB hospitalist and core residency faculty. A committed advocate for reproductive justice and health equity, she is dedicated to ensuring every patient receives safe, dignified, evidence-based care. Her clinical interests include obstetric critical care, the management of perinatal trauma, reproductive justice, and data-informed, equitable quality improvement in obstetrics.
Her commitment to equity took root early. In the early 2000s, she worked as a housing advocate for families facing homelessness and, through Boston Health Care for the Homeless' Healthy Start Initiative, worked to reduce infant mortality in the Black community while researching postpartum depression among patients with multiple barriers to care. Since 2017, she has served on Ohio's Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR), helping study and prevent maternal deaths statewide.
Her advocacy is also deeply personal. After the birth of her youngest daughter in 2023, she survived a near-fatal delayed postpartum hemorrhage, an experience that now informs her work at the intersection of personal perinatal trauma and the vicarious trauma clinicians carry.
She also serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Toledo and is founder and executive director of PAWS New England, a nonprofit dog rescue she started in 2005 that places nearly a thousand dogs a year. Dr. Parker lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, their three children, and dog.
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.
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.
2026 PEW Breakout Leaders
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MADELINE CANTINI, BSN, RN
Hematology Nurse (retired)
Madeline Cantini served as the Senior Research Nurse at the Gulf States Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Center in Houston, Texas. She held this position from 1991 until 2022. She was responsible for coordinating the clinical research program for pediatric and adult patients with bleeding disorders and thrombophilia. In addition to this role, she was involved with other members of the multidisciplinary team in the coordination and implementation of various educational programs and patient retreats. These programs were specific to those patients with Bleeding Disorders, Hepatitis, HIV, Women with Bleeding Disorders and Thrombophilia, Adolescent Transitioning and Leadership Training. She served as a member of a multidisciplinary team involved with the center’s WFH Twinning Program in San Salvador, El Salvador. As a part of this project, she had the opportunity to assist and support the center and their staff in the care of their patients. She was part of the team making formal presentations to nurses, school teachers, and parents on treating and caring for patients with bleeding disorders. In addition, she was part of a team in training the team for implementation of a bleeding disorders camp. She served as the Region VI Nursing Representative to the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Nursing Working Group for 4 years. She has been invited as a speaker at national and international conferences and has received the National Hemophilia Nurse of the Year Award for her service to the bleeding disorders community.
SABRINA FARINA, LMSW
Senior Social Worker, Gulf States HTC / UT Health Houston, 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.
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.
LAUREL PENNICK, LCSW
Clinical Social Worker (retired)
Laurel Pennick has been a social worker for 35 years. She has worked many areas of medical SW including Emergency and Critical Care, Trauma, Hospice, Geriatrics and 15 yrs as the clinical Social Worker at the Arizona Hemophilia Treatment Center at the University of Arizona. During her time at the treatment center she was involved in Education, Research, Patient Care and Public Speaking. She was a representative and chair of the National Hemophilia Foundation Social Work working group and participated with many state and national bleeding disorder organizations. Laurel retired in 2021. She keeps busy playing tennis, pickle ball, hiking, biking traveling, volunteering and reading. She also plays a mean game of Mahjong and is perfecting the art of Sourdough. Just ask.
NATALIE THOMPSON, RN
Infusion Nurse
Natalie Thompson has been a nurse for 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.
DENA WINCHESTER, LCGC
Genetic Counselor, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Dena Winchester is a certified genetic counselor living at Emory University. After obtaining her master’s degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, she moved to Atlanta to begin her career in hematology genetic counseling. She works at the Multidisciplinary Bleeding Disorders Clinic at Emory University. Dena is passionate about rare disease and patient advocacy.