Pinnacle Conference 2024

MAY 17-19, 2024 | FOUR SEASONS | AUSTIN, TEXAS

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Meet The Pinnacle
2024 Speakers

staci
tanouye md

Making Medicine
Work For You

  • Dr. Staci Tanouye, MD is a board-certified ObGyn in private practice in Jacksonville Beach, FL. On social media, she is known as Dr. Staci T.

    Prior to entering the world of medical media education, she did her residency training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where she was also on faculty after graduation. She later moved with her husband to sunny Florida to explore warmer opportunities.

    When life and family started to throw curveballs, Dr. Tanouye made a big pivot in her career, changing practices and switching to a focus in gynecologic care. In doing so, she opened Instagram, thinking she would market herself to patients. Through lots of trial and error, she developed her voice as a fierce advocate for empowering all people with vulvas to learn and love their bodies – reaching a much broader audience than she ever imagined.

    She has a true passion for gynecologic health and feels that anyone with a vagina deserves to understand their body because, let’s be honest, vaginas rock. All her social media accounts clearly demonstrate why.

    Although social media has brought many exciting opportunities, her biggest accomplishment is her three crazy kids: Niam, Kiran, and Amaya.

Betsy grunch MD

Nurturing a Positive Practice Culture

  • Dr. Betsy Grunch is a board-certified neurosurgeon from Gainesville, Georgia. She attended the University of Georgia where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

    Following that, she went to the Medical College of Georgia, and then matched in neurological surgery at Duke University Medical Center. At Duke, she earned the Synthes Spine Fellowship from 2010-2011. In 2013, Dr. Grunch returned to her hometown of Gainesville to join The Longstreet Clinic, where she still works today.

    Her main professional interests are minimally invasive spine techniques and advancing the field of neurotrauma. She lives with her husband, Ray, two children, Riley and Beatrice, and her two dogs, Pancake and Butters, in Gainesville, Georgia. They enjoy spending time on the lake

    (wake surfing and boarding, jet skiing and swimming). Dr. Grunch is also known for her love of football games, concerts and cars. In the past few years, she’s been using her creative talents as a content creator on various social media platforms. Her hope is to educate the public about the field of neurosurgery and to inspire young healthcare professionals.

    She has been named to several Top Doctors and 40 under 40 lists over the years and was recently honored as one of Atlanta Magazine’s Women Making a Mark in 2023.

Nicole
basa md

The Art of Running a Thriving Medical Practice

  • Dr. Nicole Basa is a fellowship trained Bariatric and General Surgeon in Austin, TX. She started her private practice with her husband Dr. Alan Abando in the Austin area since 2007. After 12 years of practice in 2019 they built a medical office building- B+A Medical Center which houses both practices they founded B+A Surgeons (formerly known as Cedar Park Surgeons) and B+A Medical Aesthetics.

    The B+A Surgeons Suite is a surgical office that is focused on bariatric and general surgery. Their bariatric surgical patients undergo a full multidisciplinary program to include medical weight loss, psychological counseling by registered, registered dietitians, a health coach and support groups. B+A medical aesthetics is a separate practice that was created by Drs. Basa and Abando to contain multiple modalities for face and body rejuvenation and skin tightening. It also focused on wellness to include IV vitamins and antioxidants. Since 2007 Dr. Basa has also served as the medical director and founder of the bariatric surgery program at Cedar Park Regional, a Comprehensive Center of Excellence accredited by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

    Dr. Basa is a board-certified general surgeon by the American Board of Surgery. She completed her general surgery training at the University of Southern California (USC) where she graduated at the top of her class for her outstanding patient care and excellent surgical skills. She then completed a fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she also served as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Surgery.

    Due to her background in the sciences with a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology with an emphasis in genetics from the University of California at Berkeley, she has conducted research at both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland and UCLA Cure: Digestive Diseases Research Center, with a special interest in the control of appetite. She has presented her work on ghrelin (an appetite hormone) at national meetings throughout the country.

    Dr. Basa also enjoys teaching and has received numerous teaching awards from medical students at both USC and UCLA. She currently serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor in Surgery with the Texas A&M Medical school as well as educates other surgeons on performing robotic surgery by proctoring and teaching at the Intuitive training lab in Houston, TX. Her practice includes advanced robotic bariatric procedures for morbid obesity to include the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Sleeve gastrectomy and the modified Duodenal Switch. She also performs general robotic and minimally invasive surgeries. Dr. Basa is a member of the following organizations: American College of Surgeons, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and the Texas Medical Association.

Renee
paro md

Get Your Seat At The Table:
Leadership Strategies & Beyond

  • Dr. Renee Rodriguez Paro is a board certified Pediatric Cardiologist who specializes in general pediatric cardiology as well as fetal and preventative cardiology. She works in a large multispecialty private group practice in the Bay Area called the Palo Alto Medical Foundation with an office located in Dublin, California. She is the Department Chair of Pediatric Cardiology, Pulmonology and Lipidology as well as a Geographic Wellness Leader and Chair of the Exercise Sub Group of the medical group’s Health and Well Being Committee.

    Dr. Rodriguez Paro was born and raised in Southeastern Arizona. She received her Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry from Arizona State University and medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. She completed her pediatric residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at Stanford Children’s Hospital. In her final year of fellowship she served as a chief. Dr. Rodriguez Paro is of Mexican descent and is the first of her family to become a physician. In her active presence on Instagram she seeks to empower women who look like her to go after their professional goals.

    She is married to Dr. John Paro who is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon in same medical group as and the two of them host a podcast entitled “Reconciling Medicine” that seeks to discuss the balance of medicine and life. The two also co-founded the non-profit, Doctor Vegetable, whose long term vision is a community where thoughtful food choices learned in childhood help lead to a future without acquired heart disease. They have two children and are active in their chosen community of Pleasanton California in the amazing East Bay Area. In her free time Renee runs marathons, participates in triathlons and is a lover of all things active.

Sonal
haerter md

Making The Most of The
Pinnacle Experience

  • Dr. Sonal Haerter is a Double board certified in Internal medicine and obesity medicine. She is the Associate Program Director, Dept of Internal Medicine at Creighton Alliance at Dignity Health ( Largest Internal medicine program in the state of AZ)

    Dr. Haerter is the Vice chair of wellness for the department of internal Medicine, Clinical Skills Director, Creighton school of Medicine and Clerkship Director Outpatient IM, Creighton School of Medicine Currently enrolled in culinary medicine fellowship.

    She is passionate about burnout prevention and wellness in medicine, undergraduate and graduate education. She is also a huge advocate for humanizing medicine -her social media emphasizes that message.

Laura
heffern Fnp

Making The Most of The
Pinnacle Experience

  • Dr. Heffern is a Family Nurse Practitioner practicing in Denver, Colorado. She grew up 30 minutes up the road from here in Round Rock, TX. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Texas Christian University and started her career as an Emergency Department Nurse at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth, TX. The mountains were calling, and in 2018 she and her husband moved to Denver, Colorado, where she completed her Masters of Science in Nursing and her Doctorate in Nursing Practice at the University of Colorado – Anschutz Medical Campus. While in graduate school, she continued working as a pediatric nurse this time in the pediatric intensive care unit at Colorado Children’s.

    She joined pinnacle right around the time she completed her Master’s Degree, in 2020. She joined the remote group and got to know the Power of this group of women. In 2021, she attended the 2nd annual Pinnacle Conference and loved it.

    Since graduating with her masters and joining Pinnacle, she’s been busy. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice focusing on quality improvement in primary care. She has been a primary care provider for 3 years in 2 different clinics in Denver. She started her own medspa business, Needles & Tox, which has grown to much more than a side gig. She has bought, sold, and managed rental properties. She does contract work for the VA. And, she had her first baby, a boy named Breck, who is now 1.5 years old.

    She’s a proud nurse, a doctorate-prepared clinician, entrepreneur, wife, sister, and mom.

Brooke
stubbs md

Making The Most of The
Pinnacle Experience

  • Dr. Brooke Stubbs is a double board-certified Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine physician, with a masters of science degree in Nutrition from Columbia University.

    Dr. Stubbs is both a practicing physician and successful entrepreneur. She franchised a sauna studio in 2018, created a plant-based nutrition app in 2020, developed an online wellness course, Rooted Being, in 2022, founded her concierge lifestyle medicine practice, Rooted Femme, in 2021, and is in the process of building a lifestyle health club in Austin, TX.

    She hosts her own weekly podcast, That Rooted Feeling, where she has interviewed a number of high-profile guests. She has been featured and consulted for her medical expertise in several publications including Austin Monthly, Women of Austin Podcast, Tribeza, and The Ladygang Podcast.

Marsheila
devan MBA

Powerful Persuasion:
Pitch and Negotiation
Strategies Workshop

  • Marsheila DeVan has over thirty years of training experience and is the Founder of MD Communications Consulting. Her expertise includes work within university systems as well as the pharmaceutical and medical industries, concentrating on professional speaker development, interpersonal skills improvement, meeting moderation, media training, curriculum development, sales training, leadership and one-to-one coaching.

    Marsheila holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine with a concentration in Organizational Behavior and Strategic Planning.

    Her international experience includes teaching to multiple nationalities and specialties around the world. Her demeanor, humor and approach to training create an open and comfortable learning environment that results in a high level of interaction and learning.

HOPE
BENNETT JD

Powerful Persuasion:
Pitch and Negotiation
Strategies Workshop

  • Hope Bennett is a former labor and employment attorney, having earned her J.D from Stanford Law School and her B.A. from Yale College. She now works as a mediator, helping parties negotiate agreements in matters ranging from civil rights violations to landlord-tenant disputes.

    As a parent to three children and a first generation college graduate, Hope is passionate about supporting women working toward economic security. She serves as Chair of the Honolulu County Commission on the Status of Women, and is president of AAUW Honolulu, where she conducts salary negotiation seminars aimed at closing the gender wage gap.

taryn
rose md

Behind The Scenes

  • Dr. Taryn Rose is an orthopedic surgeon turned shoe designer, who married fashion and function in 1998 and changed the footwear industry forever. A formally trained surgeon, Dr. Rose witnessed the serious foot problems caused by fashionable footwear and saw a need to combine her knowledge of foot biomechanics with her passion for fashion to spread ease to women everywhere.

    Dr. Rose has been recognized with numerous honors in the business and entrepreneurship arena. Her shoes were featured in the Smithsonian museum in 2007 and she was invited to meet First Lady Laura Bush at the White House. Dr. Rose has been covered on a variety of television programs, newspapers, and magazines including Oprah, CNN, Today Show, New York Times, People magazine, Entrepreneur, In Style, Elle, and countless more.

Mona
amin do

Voices in Medicine: Sharing Knowledge
and Amplifying Impact
Through Community

  • Dr. Mona Amin is a Board Certified General Pediatrician, Parenting coach, and mother. She has been featured on Parents.com, The New York Times, Good Morning America, ABC Nightly News, Romper, CondeNast Traveler, VeryWell Family, and NBC News.

    She works in private practice and her passions include: early childhood development, focusing on the impact of healthy sleep, a healthy relationship with food, and healthy coping skills in the first five years of a child's life.

    On her Instagram account (@pedsdoctalk), her podcast (The PedsDocTalk Podcast), and YouTube channel (PedsDocTalk TV), she shares educational information on parent's most common concerns including current events. Through her brand PedsDocTalk, her goal is to provide relatable and easy-to-digest education for the modern parent regarding the health, safety, and wellness of their child. She has parenting and how-to-courses to guide parents from birth to 4 years.

    Her platform aims to guide parents in a mindful way to be the best version of themselves for their children.

Brooke
Rogers

Becoming the On-Air
Medical Expert Workshop

  • Brooke is an award-winning news reporter with CBS News Texas and the Vice President of Coaching and Storytelling for Shelly Slater Strategies. In the news world, she covers crime, politics, health, education, human interest stories, and more. Her passion for writing and storytelling also led her to Shelly Slater Strategies, where she provides coaching in the art of public speaking and executive presentation training. She has more than 20 years of experience, working for television news affiliates in upstate New York, San Antonio, Denver, and Dallas. Brooke holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a Master of Science degree from Columbia Journalism School. She lives in Dallas with her husband and two sons.

anITA PATEL MD

Fertility Fireside Chat and Meditation

  • Anita K Patel MD is a double board-certified Pediatrician and Pediatric Critical Care Attending at Children’s National Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is currently a K23 NIH-NICHD funded researcher specializing in big data driven predictive analytics with a content expertise in pain, sedation and delirium management in critically-ill children. Outside of her traditional job, she is also a 500-hour registered yoga teacher, and helped develop a set of meditations for women going through IVF with the Expectful App. She is a working mother to her 2 children and has built a strong and supportive community of women on social media by sharing her academic physician-mother life and IVF journey on Instagram. She has also developed an avid interest in pediatric pandemic education and science communication, with media features including, but not limited to, The Washington Post, The Today Show Huffington Post, PEW research, CTV, Romper and The 19th.

    She is an expert in gender-affirming care. In addition to her advocacy work, she is known for having founded, directed, and provided care for a gender care program for a 1500+ clinician medical group. As well, she has been widely praised for expanding gender-affirming care across multiple health systems within Minnesota, for providing training to hundreds of medical and behavioral health colleagues and trainees, and for speaking publicly at international events to educate physicians.

Kristina
collins md

Physician Entrepreneurship and
the Start Up Life: Private Practice
& Product Development

  • Kristina Collins MD FAAD is a Harvard-trained and nationally renowned leader in dermatology, published author of dermatology literature, and international invited speaker on topics related to her expertise in dermatologic surgery, cosmetic dermatology, women’s empowerment, mindfulness, and career motivation. Dr. Collins is double board certified in Dermatology and Mohs Micrographic Surgery and has been named a Castle Connolly “Top Doc” in 2020, 2021, and 2022, as well as the “top dermatologist in Austin” by public vote. She founded her multi-location practice, Austin Skin, to provide an elevated standard of dermatologic care to patients in Central Texas and beyond.

anna larson do

Advocating for Inclusion

  • Dr. Larson (she/any) is a physician and consultant with over 15 years' experience in LGBTQ+ leadership, advocacy, and gender-affirming care. Her mission is to support medical organizations in creating affirming and inclusive cultures, policies, practices, and communities that affirm, attract, and retain queer and trans patients and employees.

    She is an expert in gender-affirming care. In addition to her advocacy work, she is known for having founded, directed, and provided care for a gender care program for a 1500+ clinician medical group. As well, she has been widely praised for expanding gender-affirming care across multiple health systems within Minnesota, for providing training to hundreds of medical and behavioral health colleagues and trainees, and for speaking publicly at international events to educate physicians.

Michelle Rockwell MD

Emcee

  • Dr. Shelly Rockwell, MD, is double board certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine.

    Born and raised in New York, she embarked on her academic journey at New York University, earning a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. Inspired by a passion for healing, she transitioned to the field of medicine, obtaining her postbaccalaureate pre-medical degree from Columbia University.

    Completing her medical education at the University of Michigan, Dr. Rockwell went on to pursue residency and fellowship training at the University of Utah, solidifying her expertise in both primary care and sports-related injuries.

    Previously serving as Head Team Physician at Virginia Tech, Dr. Rockwell now practices telehealth in Oklahoma, where she balances her many professional endeavors with the joys of raising her two boys and embracing life's adventures.

    Dr. Rockwell's commitment to medicine is paralleled by her dedication to fostering a supportive community for women. In 2017, while expecting her first child, she launched the influential social media platform @doctormommymd. Through this platform, she empowers and educates new mothers, demonstrating that a fulfilling career in medicine can harmonize with personal passions and family life.

    Her expertise and advocacy have garnered recognition from esteemed publications and media outlets such as Women’s Health Magazine, PopSugar, Romper, and Vice News.

    Dr. Rockwell's dedication to peripartum women’s health and early child development led her to create the transformative online course "Thriving in Motherhood," empowering new mothers to navigate the challenges of parenthood with confidence.

    Beyond her medical pursuits, Dr. Rockwell is renowned for her zest for life and for indulging in her many passions, such as travel, live music, and reading spicy novels.

    With a compassionate spirit and unwavering commitment to excellence, Dr. Shelly Rockwell inspires and uplifts both patients and peers alike.

Natalie
Crawford MD

Social Media Marketing Panel

  • Dr. Crawford is co-founder of Fora Fertility, a boutique fertility practice in Austin, Texas is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. She promotes fertility awareness and education through social media on Instagram, with over 110K followers, her blog, and her wildly successful podcast “As a Woman” podcast, with over 1 million downloads, and on her YouTube channel.

Pamela
Mehta MD

Social Media Marketing Panel

  • Dr. Pamela Mehta is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon practicing in Northern California. Dr. Mehta has been in practice for over 10 years and started her own solo concierge private practice called Resilience Orthopaedics in 2016. She focuses on surgery of the shoulders, knees, hips and hands and has a passion for getting her patients back to their active lifestyles. In addition to her clinical practice she advises several medical companies and startups. She is passionate about women designing a life on their own terms when it comes to career and family. She shares her life as a practice owner and mom to 3 on her social media platforms @dr.pamelamehta.

Rupa
Wong MD

Social Media Marketing Panel

  • Dr. Rupa Wong is a wife, mom to 3 kids, entrepreneur, and the managing partner of Honolulu Eye Clinic for the past 13 years. In addition to building a successful practice on Oahu (she's been featured as a Best Doctor since 2010 and was even featured on the cover of Honolulu magazine). Dr. Wong is active on Instagram, her blog and YouTube channel where she discusses harmonizing work and life, as well as the gaps in business knowledge that medical school does not address.

Pinnacle Conference 2024 Agenda

FRIDAY

Welcome Cocktail Reception 

SATURDAY
Pinnacle Run Event and Breakfast

Welcome  

Staci Tanouye MD, Welcome Address Making Medicine Work For You

Betsy Grunch MD, Nurturing a Positive Practice Culture

Nicole Basa MD, The Art of Running a Thriving Medical Practice

Renee Paro MD, Get Your Seat At The Table: Leadership Strategies & Beyond

Sonal Haerter MD, Laura Heffern FNP, Brooke Stubbs MD
Making The Most Of The Pinnacle Experience

Mona Amin DO, Voices in Medicine: Sharing Knowledge and Amplifying Impact Through Community

Kristina Collins MD, Clinician Entrepreneurship and the Start Up Life: Private Practice & Product Development

Anna Larson DO, Advocating for Inclusion

Anita Patel MD, Meditation

Taryn Rose MD, Gala Speaker-Behind The Scenes

SUNDAY

Brooke Rogers, Becoming The On-Air Medical Expert Workshop

Hope Bennett JD & Marsheila DeVan MBA Pitch and Negotiation Strategies Workshop

Natalie Crawford MD, Pamela Mehta MD, and Rupa Wong MD, Social Media Marketing Panel