The Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute

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About Us

PNI Board of Directors

Dee Dee Ricks
Chair of the Board

Dee Dee Ricks is the founder of RICKS | Consulting Group, Inc., which serves and advises hedge funds. Ms. Ricks is also an activist and philanthropist who has generously supported the Ralph Lauren Cancer Center, among other cancer charities. She is working with The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute to help expand breast screening across the state via a Modular Mammography Program. She was honored at the 2008 kick-off of Livestrong Day in New York City for her work as a philanthropist and activist. Ms. Ricks currently serves on the Board of Directors for Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance, University of Arkansas Medical Center, The Group for the East End, and the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering. She is an Advisory Board member for Hearts of Gold, an organization that supports homeless mothers in NYC, and is very active in Robin Hood, a charity that serves the poor of New York. Ms. Ricks is the subject of an upcoming HBO documentary, "The Education of Dee Dee Ricks."

Brian Pinsker

Brian Pinsker is the CEO of 11:11 Capital, a healthcare-focused fund he founded in November 2008 and began investing in January 2009. Prior to this, Mr. Pinsker was a Managing Director and the head of the Proprietary Long/Short Team at JP Morgan, during which time he also had his own healthcare fund. Mr. Pinsker had previously held a variety of PM level roles for a number of top funds on the buy side. In previous roles, he was responsible for a worldwide diversified healthcare portfolio at Viking Global, he ran a sleeve of funds at Moore Capital, and served as a generalist at Putnam Investments. Mr. Pinsker began his professional career as a banker at Robert Baird and a sell side analyst at Vector Securities. Mr. Pinsker holds a Masters in Business Administration from Yale University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.

Emile Westergaard

Emile G. Westergaard, CFA, is a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Perella Weinberg Partners, which he joined in February 2010. Prior to this, Mr. Westergaard was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tkum Capital Management, LP. Hehas over 17 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Tkum, Mr. Westergaard was a Managing Director at Amaranth Group, where he managed a healthcare portfolio with significant assets. Before joining Amaranth, Mr. Westergaard was a Portfolio Manager with Pequot Capital, where he managed medical technology and life sciences investments. In addition, he previously held medical technology research positions at UBS and Bear Stearns, and was an editor at Westergaard Financial Publishing. Mr. Westergaard received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Chicago. He is a CFA charter holder.

Bryan J. Carey

Bryan J. Carey is a Managing Director in the Vestar Resources Group, where his focus is primarily on healthcare. He joined Vestar in 2000, after having been Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Managing Director/Europe of Aearo Corporation, a former portfolio company of Vestar. Mr. Carey began his career at Manufacturers Hanover Venture Capital, where he invested behind management buyouts. He then joined Cabot Corporation as Director of Strategic Planning. Mr. Carey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA, with distinction, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is originally from Brooklyn, New York, and now lives in Manhattan with his wife and two sons. Mr. Carey is a Director at Radiation Therapy Services, Inc., Sunrise Medical Inc., Devilbiss Healthcare LLC, and The Paul Robert Carey Shining Spirit Foundation.

TJ Kennedy

TJ Kennedy is AVP for the NYC office of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). SAIC is a FORTUNE 500® scientific, engineering, and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and the world in national security; energy and the environment; critical infrastructure; and health. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Kennedy was the Program Manager for the US ARMY's worldwide personnel system. He has international business experience gained through two years of leading the Athens, Greece office for SAIC as well as international work, consulting, and conferences related to the 2000-2012 Olympics programs. Prior to working on the Olympics full-time, Mr. Kennedy was the EMS Coordinator for the Utah Highway Patrol and also served in numerous sworn officer capacities within the Utah Department of Public Safety. Mr. Kennedy received a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Utah. He is a member of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute's International Permanent Observatory on Security during major events and is also on the National Center for Spectator Sports, Safety, and Security (NCS4) Lab Advisory Board.

Terrence Meck

Terrence Meck is President and Executive Director of The Palette Fund, a philanthropy that honors the legacy of Rand Harlan Skolnick through collaborative grant making and programs that value human rights and education. Mr. Meck received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Princeton University in 2000. He then worked in New York City in public relations and marketing in both the publishing and fashion industries, and helped launch Giving Opportunities to Others, a nonprofit organization dedicated to immersing youth in art and music while encouraging philanthropic awareness and leadership among young professionals. Over the next five years, Mr. Meck and his partner, Rand Harlan Skolnick, co-owned The Raven Resort Properties in New Hope, PA, providing a vibrant resource for the LGBT community and hosting dozens of noteworthy charity events. He was a board member of Fighting AIDS Continuously Together (FACT Bucks County) and currently serves on the NY Leadership Council of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). When Rand was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March of 2008 and passed away shortly thereafter, Mr. Meck made the decision to step away from the hospitality industry to start and run The Palette Fund in honor of Rand.

Lou Salkind

Lou Salkind serves as Vice Chairman and COO of D. E. Shaw & Co., a specialized investment firm with approximately $30 billion in aggregate capital. Dr. Salkind serves on the board of directors of Schrodinger, Inc., a computational chemistry company specializing in drug design software, and he is also the President of the Bright Horizon Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes social change through the dissemination of knowledge. Dr. Salkind is a recipient of the USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the NYU Distinguished Alumni award for his work in finance and technology. Dr. Salkind received his A.B. degree from Princeton University in 1978, where he studied mathematics and physics, and his Ph.D. from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University in 1990, where he studied computer science and robotics.

With funding support by:

Amgen Foundation

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