Board of Directors
Charles E. Cal., MS, MBA, R.N.,
Mr. Cal is the Assistant Director for Corporate Quality Management at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and Adjunct Professor at Adelphi University. He received his Nursing degree at Nassau Community College and pursued further studies in Nursing at Adelphi University. While at Adelphi University he received a master’s in Nursing Administration and another in Business Management. He has held numerous positions within the NS-LIJHS and at present is on various professional organizations within healthcare.
Ilene Corina is a nationally recognized advocate and community health speaker for patient safety. She is the president and co-founder of PULSE New York.
Her work was honored by Long Island’s Channel 12 News. She was named Long Island’s Person Who Made a Difference in 2000.
A member of the board of the National Patient Safety Foundation, Ms. Corina co-chaired the Patient and Family Advisory Council from 2002-2006. In 2002, she spearheaded the first Patient Safety Awareness Week.
A popular lecturer, Ms. Corina has spoken at many medical conferences, hospitals and healthcare organizations throughout the country. She helps doctors, nurses and hospital administrators to understand the patient’s role in patient safety. She also helps healthcare professionals understand the needs of patients and their families after a medical injury or death has occurred. Ms. Corina has produced and directed numerous videos and audio productions for patient safety education. She co-hosted and directed a series on enhancing patient safety called “Patient Safety 101” for a local Long Island radio station.
She worked as a researcher at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in Northport, Long Island. While there, she developed the Long Island Patient Safety Coalition that brought together medical professionals for the purpose of sharing best-practice information. Ms. Corina is a board member of the Joint Commission and serves on many committees including the Patient and Family Advisory Group of Joint Commission International. She was the winner of the 2006 Institute of Safe Medication Practices Cheers Award and was declared a Woman of Achievement by Long Island Press in 2007. Ms. Corina has appeared as a patient-safety expert on CNN, Fox News, and other television and radio news shows. She has been interviewed by newspapers and magazines including: Child Magazine, Health Magazine, Long Island Newsday, New York Daily News, Washington Post, American Medical News and Modern Healthcare. Her work has been published by the American Journal of Nursing and Perioperative Nursing Clinics.
Carlo Esposito, PhD,
Carlo Esposito, PhD, is currently the Associate Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management for the New York City Health & Hospital Corporation Generations+/Northern Manhattan Health Network. The Network is comprised of three acute care hospitals and a number of diagnostic & treatment centers and community clinics.
Dr. Esposito has served as the Director of Performance Improvement at the New York Organ Donor Network and was Patient Safety Officer and Director of Performance Improvement at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, NY. Prior to that, he held similar positions at Mount Vernon Hospital, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY.
Dr. Esposito was a founding partner and Vice President Health Care Consulting Services of Roth Consulting, LLP, New York, that provided strategic planning and regulatory standards compliance services to acute care and sub-acute care facilities Nationally. Most recently he hosted and directed a series on patient safety for local radio station and has been active in community outreach and patient safety education with PULSE.
Edmond Gold, BS, MS,
Mr. Gold graduated from Empire State College with a Bachelors of Science in psychology and received his Masters in Administration Education from City College. Mr. Gold spent over twenty years as a graphics arts and special education teacher in the Yonkers School District from which he is currently retired. He served for many years as a volunteer ombudsman and troubleshooter for the growing number of senior center assisted living and nursing home facilities on Long Island. Mr. Gold began the Work Release Program at the Nassau County Jail and is presently the volunteer lead chef at the Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN) Hempstead, New York. Ed Gold is a founding member of PULSE of NY.
Sandra Gold
Mrs. Gold has worked for over twenty years in the accounting department of a major hotel on Long Island. Currently retired, she has been a volunteer coordinator since 1999 at the Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN) Hempstead, New York. Mrs. Gold is the recording secretary for the Sisterhood of her temple, the In-Between-Club at the local Y, and is involved with numerous community organizations. Sandra Gold is a founding member of PULSE of NY.
Steven E. Goodstein, R.N., B.S., CPHQ,
Mr. Goodsten received his BS in Health Administration from St. Joseph’s College, a Certificate in Graduate Business Administration , from C.W .Post, L.I.U. and is presently pursuing his Masters in Public Administration. Mr. Goodstein rose to the position of Administrative Nursing Supervisor in Acute Care Hospital s while in his nursing career spanning 1979 – 1989. From 1989 until present Mr. Goodstein has worked at various medical equipment and pharmaceutical companies in sales, marketing and management . Presently he is National Account Manager-Community Liaison Division-HIV/Hepatitis for Gilead Sciences Inc. Steven Goodstein is a practicing mediator credentialed in multiple aspects of Mediation/ Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Sharada Jayagopal, M.D., M.B., B.S., DABR,
Dr. Jayagopal is a Board Certified radiologist. She received her post- graduate from New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Dr. Jayagopal is presently working as a radiologist at hospitals out patient facility in Long Island and Queens. She is currently a member of the American Association of University Women, Women on the Job and on the Community Advisory Board for WLIW21 a non-profit Public Service television station, She has been a long time volunteer for Helen Keller's services for the blind and a devotional coordinator at Sathya Sai organization of Flushing NY. Dr. Jayagopal has always been greatly interested in educating and establishing quality care with coworkers.
Andrew P. Nitkewicz, Esq.,
Mr. Nitkewicz is currently a partner with Avelino & Associates PC Attorneys at Law New York. Mr. Nitkewicz graduated from Hofstra University in 1994 with a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Finance. He graduated in 1998 from Touro Law School where he was Vice President of the Trial Advocacy and Compensation Board. Mr. Nitkewicz is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association (Hospital and Health Law Committee, Medical-Legal Law Committee), NY State Bar Association, American Bar Association, NY County Lawyers Association, NY State Trial Lawyers Association and Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Mr. Nitkewicz has done significant fund-raising and charitable work in the area of Autism & and related disorders at Stony Brook University.
Advisors to PULSE
Michael R. Cohen, R.Ph., M.S., Sc.D.
President, Institute for Safe Medication Practices
Gene DeSantis
Partner
Malkin & Ross
Yosef D. Dlugacz,PhD
Senior VP Quality
North Shore LIJ Health System
Rosemary Gibson
Author
Mark Graber, MD
Chief, Medical Service VAMC
Arthur A. Levin MPH
Director
Center for Medical Consumers
Chuck Neff
President, Executive Producer
Salt River Production Group
Don Parsons, MD FACS,
Colorado Patient Safety Coalition Board
Carson P. Porter, CEO
High Credibility Learning, LLC
Jeffrey L. Reynolds, MPA
VP, LIAAC & COO
BiasHELP
Marcia Rosen
M. Rosen Consulting
Joel Truppner
Duval P&V, Inc.
