Medicine and Health Mentors

Brian Emmert

Contact: bemmert@villanova.edu or bemmer1@pride.hofstra.edu; (516) 242-7478
Title: Medical Student, Hofstra North-Shore LIJ School of Medicine

I was a biology/psychology double major with a hope of becoming a geriatric and palliative care physician. I have worked with Alzheimer’s patients for 6 years at the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation and then moved to researching in the North Shore-LIJ Health System in the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Care Medicine. There, I have been working on Advanced Illness, decision making capacity assessments, and Elder Orphans, which are a group of over 65 people who are aging alone without a support system. At Villanova, I was involved in tutoring in Learning Support Services, teaching a Gen Bio Study Group and running Chemistry Homework Help. I also was involved in researching in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory Lab under Irene P. Kan, Ph.D.

Back to Top

Ken Koncilja, M.D.

Contact: kkonci01@gmail.com; (440) 655-8164
Title: Internal Medicine Resident at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Area of expertise/interest: Geriatrics, Preventative Care, and Organized Medicine

While at Villanova, I received my B.S. in Electrical Engineering and minors in Theology and Biomedical Engineering (Biomedical Signal Processing Tract).  After my amazing experience at Villanova, I moved back to Ohio to pursue my M.D. at The University of Toledo College of Medicine.  Using the values and background instilled in my Augustinian honors education at Villanova, I developed an interest in Geriatrics and End-of-Life Care.  This led to involvement in the American Medical Association.  I am now an internal medicine resident at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.  I look forward to helping anyone interested in making the jump from a non-traditional pre-med degree to medical school!

Back to Top

Elizabeth Long

Contact: Elizabeth.long@uphs.upenn.edu and 860-816-9567 (cell)
Title: Clinical Nurse II, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania-Emergency Department

Area of expertise/interest: critical care management, human trafficking, victims of violence, healthcare policy

I'm currently a nurse working in a busy, urban Emergency Department caring for adults. These patients have multiple co-morbidities and often are critically ill which makes them a challenging and exciting population to care for. During my time at Villanova, I was involved in the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) at the local, state and national level. I served as the Vice President for the state SNAP and also for the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). Additionally, I was a Davis Scholar in the College of Nursing which allowed me to conduct a qualitative study during the summer of 2014 examining nurses' perceptions of human trafficking victims in the Emergency Department. I took my research to the NSNA Annual Convention and as a Falvey Scholar in 2015. I am passionate about being involved within the health system, and I serve as a member on the steering committee for Patient Centered Nursing Report. I also serve as the Research Chair on the ED Unit Council and am currently working with a nurse scientist at the hospital on a nurse-driven study.

Back to Top

Vaishnavi Mangeshkumar

Contact: vmangeshkumar@gmail.com
Title: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO Class of 2015)

Areas of expertise/interest: Osteopathic Medicine

I graduated from Villanova in 2008. I did a pre-med post-bac program at the University of Pennsylvania while working at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I also worked at Lancaster Pediatric Associates and volunteered at Water Street Ministries and Schreiber Pediatrics. I am currently attending the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and will begin my second year this fall.

Back to Top

Ailene McGuirk

Contact: ailene.mcg@gmail.com; 201-679-6273
Title: Territory Manager, Actelion Pharmaceuticals

Areas of Interest/Expertise: My areas of interest include health care reform, politics, and music.

I graduated with a degree in Philosophy in 1998. After a brief (one semester) stint in graduate school for Philosophy, I entered the world of Pharmaceuticals, working for Johnson & Johnson.  I spent seven years in Hospital Sales with J&J, and departed in 2006 to join Novartis Pharmaceuticals.  At Novartis I marketed Xolair, a monoclonal antibody for allergic asthma, to major medical centers in New York and New Jersey.

I recently accepted a position with Europe's largest biotechnology company, Actelion Pharmaceuticals as a territory manager in the Newark, NJ area.

Back to Top

Lisa Tomaszewski, PhD

Contact: lisa_tomaszewski@yahoo.com
Title: Director of Medical Communications at HMP Communications

Areas of expertise/interest: Medical publishing, marketing, project management, editing, writing, travel writing

Although I began my career pursuing a professorship in Brit Lit, my winding path has led me to some interesting places. As I was working on my PhD dissertation I took a job at a medical publishing company and really enjoyed the work. I switched my dissertation topic from a theatrical bent to a medical humanities focus to match my career path. (It became Shakespeare's Doctors.) I have progressed from editing and writing to developing marketing projects. Along the way I have had the opportunity to work on topics beyond clinical medicine including personal finance and travel. I have gathered enough travel writing experience to gain membership in the Society of American Travel Writers and I work on Convention City Guides in my current position (in addition to clinical projects).

Back to Top

Jenna Troup, M. Sc.

Contact: jennatroup@gmail.com
Title: Public Health Analyst, RTI International

I am a 2011 graduate of CLAS, where I studied Global Interdisciplinary Studies and French. After a brief stint in Research and Development at Pfizer, I earned a Master of Science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. While in grad school, I pursued internships and coursework focused on healthcare policy and finance, information technology and innovation, chronic disease, and social determinants of health, with a strong focus on strategy and program development. I am now a Public Health Analyst at RTI International, a research and consulting organization which works largely on Federal Government contracts. I am currently part of a team working to implement parts of the Affordable Care Act focused on hospital finance and healthcare quality.

Back to Top