Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force (VSSTF)

VSSTF – Co-Chairs

Nina Solenski, MD, FAHA

Dr. Solenski is a graduate of Jefferson Medical College (Philadelphia, PA ’89). She received her Residency training at Dartmouth Mary-Hitchcock (Internal Medicine) and at University of Virginia (Neurology). Her Cerebrovascular Disease Fellowship training at UVA was completed in 1996 (clinical and basic research), and she is currently double APBN boarded in General and Vascular Neurology.

Dr. Solenski has been asked to serve as a member of the STAIR Committee (Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable), and has participated or led over 30 clinical stroke trials, focusing on acute stroke neuroprotective therapy. As an active member of the American Academy of Neurology since 1990, she is working with other members on the Stroke Education Committee as part of the overall Stroke and Vascular Neurology Strategic Plan. Dr. Solenski also served as Chair of the ASA-VDH Virginia Stroke Task Force from 2005-2007. She is currently Co-Chair of the JCHC Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force.

Dr. Solenski is an Associate Professor in Neurology subspecializing in Cerebrovascular Disease at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
As a member of the VAST (Virginia Acute Stroke Telehealth) network, she has dedicated her career to serving the needs of stroke patients and their families, particularly the underserved populations of Va.

Richard Zweifler, MD

Co-chair Dr. Zweifler holds an MD from Tulane University School of Medicine and completed an internal medicine internship at the Ochsner Foundation Hospital. He is board certified in vascular neurology and an elected fellow of the American Stroke Association.

Dr. Zweifler is chief of neurology for Sentara Healthcare and professor of neurology at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). Prior to his roles with Sentara and EVMS, Dr. Zweifler directed the University of South Alabama (USA) Stroke Center in Mobile for 13 years. While in Alabama, he served on the Alabama State Stroke Task Force and the Alabama Stroke Systems Operations Group. Dr. Zweifler joined USA in 1995 following a neurology residency and fellowship in cerebrovascular disease at the University of California, San Diego.

VSSTF - Members

John Agola, MD

Dr. John Agola is a member of the Stroke Team in the Sentara Healthcare System. Dr. Agola has practiced Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital since 1994, following fellowship training at New York University and Yale University. He is also an associate professor of Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and a partner in Medical Center Radiologists. Dr. Agola has served on the Virginia Stroke Systems leadership teams since 2007.

John (Jack) Cochran, MD, FACP

Dr. Cochran attended Pennsylvania State University and Thomas Jefferson University Medical School of Philadelphia. He trained in Internal Medicine and Neurology at Rush University in Chicago and is board-certified in each. He is also board-certified in Clinical Neurophysiology and Sleep. He has been on the medical staff of Inova Alexandria and Inova Fairfax Hospitals since 1978.

He has held a number of leadership positions in Inova including: President of the Medical Staff, Chair of Medicine, and Chair of Medical Ethics Committee Alexandria Hospital. He is currently Medical Director of Cerebrovascular Services and Medical Director of the Neurodiagnostic Laboratory at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Co-Chair of Operation Stroke for Northern Virginia, Medical Director of the 28 bed Inova Fairfax Hospital Stroke Unit, Board Member of the Capital Area American Heart/Stroke Association and member of the Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force. He is an Associate Professor of Neurology, VCU School of Medicine. He was a nominee for ‘Doctor of the Year’ at Inova Fairfax Hospital in 2007.

Dr. Cochran has spoken regionally and nationally on Stroke, Sleep Disorders and Pain. He has been Principal Investigator on over 75 studies in a variety of areas including stroke, headache, sleep, pain, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Danny DeBoer

Mr. DeBoer is a retired country club General Manager.   He had been in the private country club industry for 27 years before suffering a hemorrhagic stroke in November 2000, which left him partially paralyzed on his left side. Following his stroke, he returned to work for 3 years and subsequently retired in December 2003.  

He has since pursued his interest in teaching.  While he is interested in all facets of the Stroke Task Force’s work, he is most interested in stroke education & prevention for young people & rehabilitation from the damage done by stroke.

Hugh Donohue, MD, FACS

Dr. Donohue’s experience in stroke treatment began with his training in General Surgery at Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington, followed by a fellowship and staff assignment in Peripheral Vascular Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. He has spent over 30 years in clinical and administrative practice, to include serving as the Medical Director for Operating Room Services at VCU – MCV Hospitals in Richmond, as well as a surgeon in private practice in Farmville, VA.

Dr. Donohue spent over 20 years in the US Army, where his assignments provided him first-hand experience in the establishment, management and leadership of stratified patient- and casualty evacuation and treatment systems. His assignments included Ft. Bragg, NC; Central America, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He retired from the Army in 1992.

Dr. Donohue is the Lead Medical Director for CIGNA Healthcare of the Mid-Atlantic, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
He is also a student in the Executive MHA program at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. His concentration is the development and management of large public and private healthcare systems.

Leonard Edloe, MDiv, PharmD

Dr. Edloe served as the first chair of the Mid-Atlantic Affiliate of the American Heart Association’s Power to End Stroke Task Force. Additionally, Dr. Edloe is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of the Mid-Atlantic Affiliate of the American Heart Association. He also makes numerous presentations before community groups, and has done numerous radio, TV and newspaper interviews on stroke and other health issues. Dr. Edloe has served as chair of the Richmond City Health Department, and Vice-Chair of the National Kidney Foundation of the Virginia.

Dr. Edloe presently serves as Vice-Chair of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of the VCU Health Systems Authority. He is also the President & Pharmacist of Edloe's Prof. Pharmacies in Richmond, the Pastor of the Antioch Baptist Church in Susan, Va., and the Host of “What’s Going On,” a weekly radio show on WCLM 1450 AM in Richmond. Dr. Edloe holds faculty appointments at the Howard University College of Pharmacy, where he serves on their Board of Visitors, the Hampton University School of Pharmacy and the MCV-VCU School of Pharmacy.

Dr. Edloe’s work in health care has earned him the Bowl of Hygeia Award from the Virginia Pharmacists Association, the Cure, Care, Commitment Award from the American Diabetic Association, and the Power Award from the American Heart/Stroke Association.

Warren Felton III, MD

Dr Felton graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine and completed residency and fellowship training at VCU Medical Center, MCV Hospitals, where he served as Chief Resident in Neurology. Dr Felton is board certified in Neurology and Vascular Neurology.

Dr. Warren Felton is Professor of Neurology at VCU Medical Center and Medical Director of the VCU Stroke Program. As Medical Director of the VCU Stroke Program, Dr Felton coordinates the interdisciplinary efforts of physicians, nurses and other health care providers in the care of stroke patients, including the VCU Acute Stroke Treat and Transfer Program, providing 24 hour consultation to Virginia physicians for stroke patients.

The VCU Stroke Center provides medical, surgical, and endovascular interventional treatment options for patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. VCU Medical Center is certified by the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center and is recognized by Virginia Stroke Systems as a Level 1 Comprehensive Stroke Center. In addition, VCU Medical Center is an American Heart Association/American Stroke Association ‘Get With The Guidelines’ Stroke Participating Hospital.

Dr Felton has served as VCU Principal Investigator for over 20 NIH and industry-sponsored stroke clinical research trials and serves as VCU representative for the Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force.

Daniel Kim, MPH, CHES, CPH/HDSP Manager

Mr. Kim attended Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate and eventually earned his MPH degree in Community Health Education from UMass-Amherst School of Public Health in 1997.

Mr. Kim returned to Richmond and started his public health career by working for a community-based parent advocacy group. After spending some time at UVA, Daniel moved to California in 2001 to work in two county-level public health departments. He recently returned to Virginia for the opportunity to work for the state health department in Chronic Disease Prevention.

He is currently serving as the Manager for the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Project at VDH. His credentials include being a Certified Health Education Specialist and Certified in Public Health.

Carolyn (Reus) Kruza, MS, CCC/SLP

Ms. Kruza holds B.A. and M.S. degrees in Speech/Language Pathology from Loyola College in Baltimore Maryland. She also completed her Clinical Fellowship Year at the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center.

Ms. Kruza’s primary experience is with adult neurogenics, including language and swallowing disorders post stroke. Her primary focus is on evaluation of swallowing abilities using Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies (VFSS), a topic she has presented on at the national level. She is also a certified VitalStim provider for the treatment of dysphagia. Prior to coming to Virginia, Ms. Kruza worked at Duke University Medical Center and was published on the topics of prognosis of improvement of aphasia after stroke, as well as the effects of unilateral stroke on dysphagia.

Ms. Kruza, M.S., CCC/SLP is Director of Speech/Language Pathology Services for Valley Health in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Valley Health includes the Primary Stroke Center of Winchester Medical Center, as well as Winchester Rehabilitation Center, a 30-bed acute CARF accredited rehabilitation facility.

Her other interests include spending time together as a family and traveling with her husband and 2 children.

Beth Linville, M.A., CCC-SLP

Ms. Linville holds a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. She developed a strong clinical interest in stroke early in her career, which resulted in a concentration on motor speech and swallowing disorders.

Ms. Linville later widened her scope to include management of programs focusing on seamless patient transitions between acute care rehabilitation, comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient therapy and Rehabilitation Physician/Psychiatry practices within medium to larger hospital systems. Her commitment to process improvement, interdisciplinary team approaches, staff development and quality care initiatives lead to measurable improvements in practice and patient outcomes. This body of work also contributed to successful re-accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for at least five inpatient rehabilitation facility teams.

As a Senior Director of Operations for Carilion Clinic, Ms. Linville’s current responsibilities include facilitating development of integrated patient care models, practice management and acute and post–acute stroke care systems at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and within the Carilion Clinic Office of Professional Staff.

Bruce Lo, MD, FACEP

Dr. Lo is Chief of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine. He sits on the stroke committee at Norfolk General and has been instrumental in creating new stroke protocols for the hospital. Norfolk General is the only comprehensive stroke center in the area with interventional capabilities.

Dr. Lo is active in research and teaching in the areas of cardiovascular care. He is a member on the board of the Virginia American College of Emergency Physicians. As an assistant professor in emergency medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School and core academic faculty, he is an integral part of educating both residents and medical students. Dr. Lo is also an active member with the Tidewater EMS council, helping with education of prehospital providers.

Rev. Andrea Lomboy
Community Education and Web Manager

Rev. Lomboy holds a Bachelor of Religious Arts from Logos Christian College, an Associate of Arts from Santa Fe Community College, and certification as an Evangelical Training Association Approved Teacher Advancing High Standards of Church Ministries. She is an active Ambassador for the American Heart Association.

Rev. Lomboy has over 15 years of diverse leadership and management experience in healthcare. Her professional experience ranges from hands-on clinical and research programs to healthcare policy, healthcare consulting, and the emerging field of congregational health.

Rev. Lomboy has worked in a variety of healthcare venues, including an academic medical center, a military hospital, a range of inpatient and outpatient clinics, and a global healthcare consulting firm. She worked also in a clinical research trial for the Veteran’s Administration and for 15 years, served as a U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Reservist.

A credentialed, licensed minister and chaplain, Rev. Lomboy is the founder and president of Congregational Health ReSource, LLC (CHR). CHR is dedicated to uniting the best practices of public health and faith-based principles to increase access to community health resources and expand service delivery to rural communities.

Delilah Long, MPH

Ms. Long has a B.S. degree in Biology from Emory and Henry College and a Master’s Degree from Old Dominion University.

Ms. Long is active in her community where she volunteers as a National Registered EMT-Paramedic with the local rescue squad and is a life member of the squad having served as a paramedic for over twenty years. She also teaches numerous classes within the community. She is an, BTLS (ITLS), PALS, Pediatric BTLS, PHTLS, NRP, First Aid/CPR, and EMT Instructor. She serves on numerous boards including the Southwest Virginia EMS Council, Red Cross, and Annie’s House for Children.

Ms. Long is the District Epidemiologist with the Lenowisco Health District. She has been employed with the Virginia Department of Health since January 10, 2003 in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs. She began working at the Health Department as the District Emergency Planner where she assisted with Epidemiology for the Health Department. She later applied for the epidemiologist position and was the successful candidate.

In addition to her work and volunteer activities, Ms. Long is the mother to one son and two daughters and just recently became a grandmother for the first time!

Sidney Mallenbaum, MD

Dr. Mallenbaum is a board certified neurologist who completed his residency training at The Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He entered private practice in Virginia Beach, VA, in 1990 and after arriving there, developed an interest in acute stroke treatment and intervention. This interest resulted in the development of an extensive clinical research program in acute stroke that was centered at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital (SVBGH).

In 2004, Dr. Mallenbaum was appointed Medical Director of the SVBGH Stroke Center. In 2006, Dr. Mallenbaum helped SVBGH achieve designation as a primary stroke center hospital and in July, 2008, helped SVBGH receive recertification as a PSC hospital. Dr. Mallenbaum has been the principal investigator for clinical stroke trials since 1995 and has participated in over a dozen trials over that time frame. He served on the VSS Task Force in 2007 and has been reappointed to the VSS Task Force in 2008.

Dr. Mallenbaum currently serves as Medical Director of the Stroke Unit at Carilion Medical Center in Roanoke, Virginia and is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Virginia Tech Carilion School Of Medicine in Roanoke.

Mary Marshman, MSN, RN, CNRN

A large portion of Mary’s twenty-two years of professional service has been centered on providing education to both health care professionals as well as the community in relation to stroke risk assessment and prevention. In addition to the VSSTF appointment, Mary is also currently serving as a member of the Virginia Acute Stroke Telehealth Network.

Ms. Marshman currently manages an 18-bed neuroscience ICU and intermediate care unit at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital in Lynchburg, Virginia. In addition, she serves as the coordinator for Centra’s stroke services, a role where she leads multi-disciplinary teams that are focused on stroke center development and implementation of neurovascular stroke services.

Connie Purvis, NREMTP, VA EMT Instructor

Connie has experience collaborating with stakeholders in her community to develop stroke systems of care. She has worked actively with hospital committees to establish a Regional Stroke Protocol for pre–hospital agencies and a stroke protocol for 911 PSAPS (Public Safety Answering Points). She acts as part of a team with her local hospital providers to develop stroke training and education.

Ms. Purvis has been Director of the Blue Ridge EMS Council, since July of 1984. In her many years of involvement in the EMS system, Connie has trained, assisted, coordinated and dedicated her skills and knowledge to an ever-changing system.

Connie will be able to bring knowledge of EMS field experience and class room success to the project. She serves as the voice on the Virginia Stroke System Task Force for the eleven Virginia Regional EMS Councils across the state.

She is committed to forwarding the mission of the group, working to provide a standardized response to identification of the stroke patient and develop treatment protocols that all Virginia Regional Councils can adopt.

Anne Schroer-Lamont, PhD

Academic opportunities took Dr. Anne Schroer-Lamont to Ohio, Washington State, Colorado and France. Her first three degrees were awarded in foreign languages and her doctoral degree is in psychological counseling/university administration.

Dr. Schroer-Lamont is a native Pennsylvanian. She grew up in an academic family whose values centered on education, music, church and the outdoors. She dedicated 32 years to higher education counseling/administration, including 19 years at Washington and Lee University.

In 2006, shortly after retiring, Dr. Schroer-Lamont’s husband, Professor Lawrence Lamont, suffered a serious stroke in Lexington, VA. Today, her focus is on Larry’s recovery and on bringing rural EMS and small hospital Emergency Staff services to a higher level of response and treatment.

Anne is the mother to four children and 2 grandchildren.

Paul Speidell

Mr. Speidell has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from George Mason University and a Bachelor’s in English from the University of Virginia.

Before coming to VHHA, Mr. Speidell worked in health policy and government relations for about 10 years in Washington, DC. There he represented the American Medical Association and the Medical Group Management Association. Paul also worked for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal health financing agency, in their Office of Legislation.

Mr. Speidell has been with the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) since 2005, representing nearly all of the hospitals and health systems in the Commonwealth. He served as the VHHA member of the Virginia Joint Commission on Health Care’s stroke task force.

Janie Walker, RN

Ms. Walker began her affiliation with Johnson City Memorial Hospital in 1972 in Dietary. Her close affiliation with healthcare personnel inspired her to become an LPN so she could use her talents in a more direct way to care for others. Always seeking a pathway of improvement, Janie became an RN in 1995. She managed care on a progressive care unit for patients undergoing vascular and thoracic surgery and kidney/pancreas transplants. She assumed the role of Chairman of the Caring Council, guiding others in the journey of caring. She has served as Patient Education Coordinator, Transplant Coordinator, and House Supervisor.

While serving in the Adult Neuro Trauma unit, Ms. Walker found the care of patients with a life-changing neuro-related diagnosis to be most fulfilling. The role of Stroke Program Coordinator utilizes her years of experience and patient-centered focus to maximal use. She is warm, caring, and at ease in helping patients and families through the life changing diagnosis of stroke. She is willing to share this knowledge with all caregivers, patients, families, and in outreach opportunities that span EMS personnel to the kindergarten class in a local school. Janie serves as a role model and leader in stroke care management.