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Graduates of NYIT'sCollege of OsteopathicMedicine offer solutions thatinclude their own healing touches

Robert Corona (D.O. '86) leads a 30-member team at medical devicemanufacturer Welch Allyn in Skaneateles Falls, N.Y.

By Kathryn Stroppel

Breakthrough technologies and innovationare at the heart of Robert Corona's (D.O. '86) work. As vicepresident of clinical, medical, and scientific affairs and chiefmedical officer of Skaneateles Falls, N.Y.-based Welch Allyn, heoversees the manufacture of medical devices used by health careproviders around the world. Yet, it comes as a surprise thatCorona doesn't think the most important thing in the modernmedical office is the latest diagnostic equipment. He says it is ahealing environment-something Corona sees as lacking today.

A board certified and practicing neuropathologist, Corona isamong the thousands of NYIT INYCOM graduates who pro-vide health solutions by merging medical know-how, technology,and a passion for helping others. Corona says he first realizedthe value of osteopathic medicine as an undergraduate, when hewas diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. After seeking a secondopinion from an osteopathic physician that ruled out Hodgkin's,he says he was "totally enamored with this kind of medicine."

After graduating from NYIT's College of OsteopathicMedicine, Corona completed his residency and fellowship atSUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., and theArmed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C.During his time at SUNY, where he served as physician directorof medical informatics, laboratory informatics, and telemedi-cine, he was asked to join Welch Allyn. He had presented high-lights of a case involving a telepathology consultation of a braintumor and was garnering national attention from business lead-ers. They included Welch Allyn chairman Bill Allyn, who wanted

to parlay Corona's technical and medical skills to the businessworld and help the company transition from what Corona calls"optical-mechanical" to a more technical, digital, and computer-based operation.

Fourteen years later, Corona leads a 30-member team respon-sible not only for innovation and new product development butalso for employee and occupational health, clinical testing,patient safety, quality and regulatory affairs, new business devel-opment, biostatistics, and providing general medical expertise tomanagement and sales representatives.

Corona says he is passionate about the educational aspect ofhis job. A nationally recognized speaker with numerous teachinghonors, he is a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine,emergency medicine, internal medicine, and family medicine atSUNY. He also holds faculty appointments at Albany MedicalCollege and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton, and is a neuropathology consultant for the CentralNew York Region's Forensic Sciences Center in Syracuse.

At Welch Allyn, he educates the sales staff on new productsand helps international physicians make the most of the com-pany's technology. "Welch Allyn sees health care as a global issueand is organized around answers to practical issues all over theworld," he says.

Corona also serves as Welch Allyn's corporate spokesperson,writing "Dr. Bob's Biz Blog" and tweeting as Drbrainstorm onhealth care reform, the need for more primary care physicians,technology, and ideas for making health care better for patients.

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In fact, his posts and tweets reflect notonly a technological innovator, but alsohis roots as a compassionate D.O.

He someday would like to be moreinvolved with osteopathic education, butsays he has no plans to leave his currentposition, which provides a near perfectblend of his talents. "It's a wonderfuljob," he says. "I'm able to balance busi-ness, science, medicine, and engineeringall together. It's pretty neat."

One question guides Christina Stasiuk(D.O. '85) in her role as senior medicaldirector at CIGNA: What can I do todayto make sure I'm healthy tomorrow?

"Health is something people don'tthink about until they don't have it anymore," says Stasiuk, who no longerworks with patients one-on-one as she

did as a primary care internist. Today,she is responsible for thousands of indi-viduals, including those covered by Taft-Hartley Trust Funds, which oversee thehealth care benefits provided to thosewith multiple employers, such as unionconstruction workers and companiesthat have branches located throughoutthe United States.

Stasiuk joined CIGNA, a global healthservices company headquartered inPhiladelphia, in 2003 after closing herprivate practice and moving to a medicalmanagement company that was later pur-chased by CIGNA. Her work, she says, isclosely aligned with and focused on pre-ventive health and health literacy.

"I still have a doctor's hat on," saysStasiuk, who uses her medical know-ledge to diagnose patients and translate

20 • nyit.edu • NVIT MAGAZINE. Winter 2011

complicated medical issues into actionplans. Case in point: pregnancy. Sheworks to ensure that clients institutematernity programs so women arehealthy when they become pregnant,understand pregnancy risks, and engagewith their physician early on. She alsohelps identify women who may be at riskfor pre-term deliveries.

By looking at composite data from agroup of insured individuals, she can iden-tify health issues an employer may havethe opportunity to address-such as thephysical effects of smoking. "I can look atthe data, go to the employer, and explainwhat's happening nationally and with itspopulation of employees, and developservices to help them understand howlifestyle choices are impacting health," shesays. From there, she creates educational

"1 learned thathealth care istoo complicatedfor a singlesolution. Youneed to look ata problem fromdifferent sidesand try newsolutions. "

-Cbristina Stasiuk (D.O. '85)

interventions to address each issue.Her goal is to reduce health care costs

as well as make individuals more produc-tive-more alert, healthier, and with agreater quality of life. "It's nice to seepeople change their lives and becomehealthier," she says. "Health is not justabout physical health, it's about beingengaged in life. It's a general sense ofwell-being and where we fit into society,and we need to use all resources availableto improve health."

Stasiuk credits NYCOM for giving hera solid foundation of ways to improvehealth on which she has built a passionfor the sciences and helping others. She

also learned to analyze data, become flex-ible in order to maximize health careopportunities, and listen to what's impor-tant to patients.

"I learned that health care is too compli-cated for a single solution," says Stasiuk."You need to look at a problem from dif-ferent sides and try new solutions."

oper Jeffrey Midgley, RPA-C, is in its sec-ond year. Already, its apps have beendownloaded more than 50,000 times.

The company was a natural fit foranother NYIT alumnus, Sal Docimo(D.O. '09), who joined the company in2009 as head of marketing. For Docimo,who holds an undergraduate marketingdegree, JAMB meshes his desire to helpothers with his interests in technologyand business. "To bring it all togetherand mold traditional, textbook knowl-edge with the technology we've beenexposed to in this era is very exciting andrewarding," he says. "To treat and savesomeone's life with something you

Fusing technology and medicine is a natu-ral culmination of interests for AdamBitterman (D.O. '10), who launched amobile medical applications venture as asecond-year medical student. JAMBInnovations, which he started with formerroommate-turned-COO and chief devel-

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1felt it was my responsibility as aphysician to always be prepared."

-Maurizio Miglietta (D.O. '96)

helped develop is incredible as well."The idea of merging technology and

medicine bloomed when Bitterman com-plained to Midgley about the need toquickly access medical formulas andfactoids, then available only on PDAs or inpaper reference materials. Their bulk,weight, and questionable accuracy madethe pair think there had to be a better way.The rest, as they say, is history.

Within days, Midgley devoured hun-dreds of pages of iPhone software devel-opment manuals and coding to maketheir idea of developing mobile medicalapplications a reality. Midgley took on therole of developer and COO, Bittermanbecame CEO and editor. Then Docimowas added to marketing, and two otheremployees later joined the business. Oneapplication, uBurn, which calculates thepercentage of a body burned and providesimportant information on thermal burns,was the first to be released over the AppleiTunes App Store. The free "lite" versionwas downloaded more than 10,000 timesin six weeks, and based on that success,the team continued to develop a broadersuite of products.

Soon to follow was i911, an emergencydialer; uPregnant, which offers prenatalinformation; uFebrile, a resource for fever-lowering medications for children;uRabies, a rabies dosing and schedulingguide; and uSober, a blood alcohol contentcalculator. All medical reference apps areavailable for use on Apple's iPhone, iPodTouch, and iPad, and all are designed tomake medical clinical practice more effi-cient, and ultimately improve patient out-comes and satisfaction.

The Manhattan-based JAMB now offers10 applications ranging from $1.99 to free.Each has taken from six weeks to sixmonths to develop, and all have been devel-oped in house at minimal cost (always goodnews for a start-up). Though designed formedical professionals, Bitterman says theapps can be used by anyone and encouragesthose in the learning stages of their careerto try them.

"What makes us unique," he says, "is

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that we're medical professionals creatingand designing our own medical apps. Weare the doctors, and we are putting in thetime to create apps that our own col-leagues are going to use."

"We understand the challenges facingthe medical community," says Docimo,"and we are in a unique position to createthese products, which not only providedata but allow users to interact with it."

The challenge in producing these apps,besides limited funds, is time. Bitterman isan orthopaedic surgery resident at Penin-sula Hospital Orthopedic Consortium onLong Island; Docimo is a second-year sur-gical resident at Lutheran Medical Centerin Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Midgley is a prac-ticing physician assistant.

"It's difficult to balance, but I have a greatsupport system and lots of people helping,"says Bitterman. "But you're still staying uplate and answering e-mails when you have afree moment to make sure you're not miss-ing a deadline or meeting. It's tough, but it'sbeen going well so far."

JAMB has scores of products in devel-opment, he says, but "because of timeand financial constraints, we've only beenable to put out a small percentage ofeverything we want. With time, financialgrowth, and help from others, we're hop-ing to expand significantly."

The company is in the process ofworking with a third party to launch awebsite that will help it develop moresophisticated applications. "We're alwayslooking for ideas, and we're in theprocess of transitioning to bigger andbetter things, so it's very exciting,"Bitterman says.

Part of the excitement stems from otherdoctors taking an interest in his company'sapplications. After uBurn was released, hesaw a colleague using the app. WhenBitterman explained that he had helpeddevelop uBurn, he says his friend "wasshocked ... and I was shocked to see some-one I knew actually using my application."

Networking with others is just one les-son he's learned since creating JAMB. Hehas also familiarized himself with the

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iPhone's iOS programming language andlearned how to run a business-all thewhile enjoying the experience.

"It's absolutely fun," says Docimo. "It'sexciting to see an idea come to life. Andit all stems from the question: How do Ibetter treat my patients?"

Maurizio Miglietta (D.O. '96) knowsall too well how split-second decisionscan make the difference between life anddeath. Having survived a jetliner crash,being run over by a car, and escaping agas explosion all by the age of 10, the 41-year-old physician, entrepreneur, andfather of three has spent his career think-ing one step ahead.

Miglietta recently left his position aschief of acute care surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia Univer-sity Medical Center to spend more timewith his family in New Jersey and developseveral business ventures centered ontrauma and emergency care.

In 2004, Miglietta founded theHomeland Security Mobile Trauma Unit(MTU), which provides immediate surgi-cal and mobile operating room capabilitiesand medical support to law enforcementagencies, including the U.S. Secret Serviceand Department of State DiplomaticSecurity Service. With more than 50 spe-cialized volunteers trained in the use ofbiological, chemical, and nuclear protec-tive equipment, the MTU has beenemployed during national security eventssuch as the Papal visit to New York City,U.S. presidential travels, and the annualUnited Nations General Assembly.

Miglietta also serves as police surgeonfor the Secret Service's New York fieldoffice, which became the impetus for hisfirst for-profit enterprise, TacticalMedical Packs, founded in 2007. A SecretService agent approached Miglietta todevelop a medical kit he could carry inhis suit pocket for use in worst-case sce-narios, and Miglietta, understanding thevalue of immediate medical attention,responded by creating a prototype ofwhat would become the TAC-PACK-complete with a CPR micro-shield,bandages, gauze, tape, abdominal pad,respirator mask, occlusive dressing, andlatex-free gloves. There are now six trau-ma packs available for groups rangingfrom military personnel to law enforce-ment agencies to outdoor sports enthusi-asts. The pocket-sized packs have beensold around the world, and sales last yearwere upwards of $2 million.

"My mind allows me to multi task prettysuccessfully," he says of his many ven-tures. "I like to keep it interesting andfresh and to have something differentand new every day."

With unflagging energy, Miglietta alsolectures to medical and non-medical pro-fessionals, serves on speakers' bureaus andadvisory boards for various pharmaceuti-cal companies, and is the new director ofmedical education at Touro College ofOsteopathic Medicine for PalisadesMedical Center, Holy Name MedicalCenter, and Englewood Hospital MedicalCenter. He is also the author of more than30 peer-reviewed publications, is boardcertified in surgery and critical care, is the

"I felt it was my responsibility as aphysician to always be prepared," hesays. "If something happens in front ofme, everything I need to save someone'slife is in my pocket. There's no excusenot to carry it."

Another business Miglietta is devel-oping is Global Medical Guardians, afor-profit service offering full-serviceemergency care and risk managementsolutions, including international med-ical air transportation services, forclients across the globe. The company,which he launched in 2008, has providedmedical care to the New York Mets,dignitaries, celebrities, and other high-profile VIPs.

honorary police surgeon for the New YorkCity Police Department, has receivednational law enforcement awards, and in2008 was named one of Crain's Business'"Forty Under 40."

And it all began, he says, with hisNYCOM education. "I always felt on paror better than anyone else I ever trainedwith," he says. "It gave me everything Ineeded to succeed." •

Katbryn Stroppel is a writer and editorliving in north Missouri. She has worked forhealth care organizations and health sciencesuniversities for nearly 20 years and is agraduate of the University of MissouriSchool of Journalisnz.

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