Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP is proud to announce the promotion of five attorneys to their team of partners in the medical malpractice area. The firm has developed its reputation as New York’s premier medical malpractice defense law firm by defending the interests of healthcare professionals in malpractice suits for 100 years. The firm also successfully defends malpractice claims for nursing homes, physician group practices, healthcare organizations and other healthcare providers, including psychiatrists and psychologists.
Kathryn R. Baxter began her legal career at Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP as a law clerk. As a partner, she focuses on the defense of physicians, hospitals, healthcare systems and academic medical centers in medical malpractice matters. Baxter received her master’s degree in healthcare ethics from Creighton University in 2011 and her JD from New York Law School in 2014. During law school she worked as a legal intern for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and South Brooklyn Legal Services.
Gregory A. Cascino is a partner in the firm’s Appellate Practice Group with over 12 years of experience in appellate practice. He has briefed and argued appeals in all departments of the New York State Appellate Division on cases involving various substantive areas of New York law, including medical malpractice, commercial litigation, architectural malpractice, and Labor Law §§200, 240, and 241(6).
Jason F. Kaufman focuses his practice on the defense of medical malpractice matters, representing doctors, teaching hospitals, research university medical centers and nursing rehabilitation centers. Kaufman received his BA from Syracuse University in 2011 and his JD from New York Law School in 2014. Prior to joining MCB, he managed all aspects of civil litigation at a mid-sized firm specializing in defense of corporations, hospitals and healthcare professionals.
Amy E. Korn focuses her practice on physicians, hospitals, healthcare delivery systems and premier academic medical centers in medical malpractice matters. Korn received her JD from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2013. Prior to joining MCB, she represented lenders and financial institutions in residential and commercial real estate disputes.
Michael B. Manning focuses his practice on physicians and hospitals, including specialized children’s care hospitals and regional trauma centers, in medical malpractice matters. Prior to joining MCB, Manning was an associate attorney in the affirmative litigation department and the motions department of a litigation defense firm in Brooklyn, where he handled all aspects of medical malpractice defense. Manning received his JD from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2013.
Catholic Health has named Omar Khalique, MD, as Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Imaging for both the health system and St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center. Dr. Khalique was previously with Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he was an associate professor of medicine in radiology and served as the Director of Multimodality Cardiac Imaging at the Structural Heart and Valve Center.
Dr. Khalique is a recognized expert and thought leader in the fields of multimodality cardiovascular imaging and structural heart imaging. He has served on the Journal of the American College of Cardiology’s Cardiovascular Imaging expert panel on Imaging in Valvular Heart Disease and the American College of Cardiology’s Structural Heart Disease working group.
“Catholic Health and St. Francis are renowned leaders in cardiology, and I’m honored to join a team of experts who provide high quality, compassionate care for Long Islanders,” Dr. Khalique says. “St. Francis has a strong reputation in cardiovascular imaging, and I look forward to building from this foundation to further enhance the services we offer.”
Dr. Khalique earned his medical degree at Sydney Kimmel Medical College. He did his internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at New York Medical College. At Columbia University Medical Center, he underwent fellowship training in advanced echocardiography, cardiovascular computed tomography and interventional and valvular echocardiography. He also completed a fellowship in cardiac magnetic resonance at Weill Cornell Medical Center.
“Catholic Health’s cardiovascular imaging uses the most advanced technology to detect a heart condition early, allowing us to provide an accurate diagnosis and develop the most effective treatment for each patient,” says Richard Shlofmitz, MD, Chief of Cardiology at Catholic Health and St. Francis. “Dr. Khalique’s expertise will allow us to further enhance the services we provide to meet the growing demand from the communities we serve.”
“The cardiology team at St. Francis is known across the region and nationally for the life-saving care we provide our patients,” says St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center President Charles L. Lucore, MD, MBA. “We are thrilled to add Dr. Khalique to our team of renowned physicians.”
St. Francis is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in Cardiology & Heart Surgery and ranked as high-performing in aortic valve surgery, heart attack, heart bypass surgery, heart failure and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
Additionally, Catholic Health continues to increase access to the quality care provided by St. Francis cardiologists through the expansion of the St. Francis Heart Center. Current locations include Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre and St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown.
Mount Sinai South Nassau, an award-winning not-for-profit teaching hospital, has appointed George Xipoleas, MD, as its Director of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Xipoleas, a board-certified plastic surgeon, is a partner at Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, the largest and oldest private and academic plastic surgery practice in the United States.
“Dr. Xipoleas is recognized for his excellence in the treatment of conditions and deformities related to trauma, cancer, and a wide range of elective cosmetic procedures,” says Rajiv Datta, MD, Chair of the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai South Nassau. “We know that our patients who need his expertise will receive patient-focused, standard-setting surgical care that is instrumental in ensuring their physical and aesthetic quality of life.”
“I am honored to take on this new role,” Dr. Xipoleas says. “I believe wholeheartedly in Mount Sinai South Nassau’s mission to provide patients with quality and compassionate care. I am proud to be a part of a hospital that is so committed to providing the highest standards of health care.”
Dr. Xipoleas is recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, as well as a New York Super Doctor. He specializes in a wide range of reconstructive procedures including breast reconstruction (oncoplastic, implant-based and autologous tissue-based), lower extremity reconstruction, Mohs reconstruction and lymph node transfer for lymphedema. His areas of cosmetic expertise include breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, abdominoplasty, fat transfer, and nonsurgical and surgical facial rejuvenation.
A graduate of SUNY Stony Brook with a Bachelor of Science in biochemical sciences, Dr. Xipoleas earned his MD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine (now Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai). He completed his plastic surgery residency at The Mount Sinai Hospital and expanded his training as a fellow at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (now New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai), specializing in aesthetic surgery.
Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery specializes in the full range of surgical reconstruction techniques to correct and repair deformities, traumatic injuries such as burns and amputations, congenital defects, and cosmetic needs. Its board-certified plastic surgeons use the latest advances in surgical technologies, including microvascular and laparoscopic techniques, which result in minimal scarring and faster recovery times.
Catholic Health has named Joseph Lamantia as its Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer. In this newly created role, he will serve as a key advisor on clinical and business transformation. Lamantia will also provide administrative oversight of all clinical service lines, ambulatory centers, population health initiatives, shared risk relationships and business development.
“As the healthcare landscape evolves, it is vital to expand services and bring quality care closer to the communities we serve,” says Catholic Health President and CEO Patrick M. O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA. “We are excited to add Joe to our team to lead and facilitate the execution of strategies to further position Catholic Health as the preferred provider of health care across Long Island.”
An accomplished healthcare executive, Lamantia has more than 25 years of experience in population health, administration and financial operations. Most recently, he served as Northwell Health’s Senior Vice President for the health system’s eastern region. Previously, he held senior-level positions at Stony Brook Medicine and Mount Sinai South Nassau.
“The healthcare landscape is always evolving and Catholic Health is well-positioned to provide the new services patients demand,” Lamantia said. “I look forward to working with the system’s leadership team to execute the strategies that will further enhance the compassionate care offered to the communities we serve.”
Lamantia earned his master’s in health administration from Hofstra University and a bachelor’s in healthcare administration from SUNY Cortland.
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Source: MD News March 2022, Long Island Edition