The Healing Project

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 Organization
2 History
3 Staff
4 Research and Medical Advisory Board
5 Contact Information
6 External links

[edit] Organization

The Healing Project
Individuals with life threatening or chronic, debilitating illnesses face physical, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual, and financial challenges throughout their lives, from the moment of diagnosis. Ongoing support from family members, friends, and the community, and access to accurate and timely information about their illnesses, are essential to these individuals - for enhancing their quality of life and for helping them and their care givers to make informed decisions about treatment and post-treatment issues. The Healing Project is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to help by developing, and making widely available, the resources that address these needs. The Healing Project is dedicated to creating ways for individuals to find support and access to information and to mmitted to helping others confronted with life-changing illnesses. The Healing Project is dedicated to promoting the health and well being of individuals suffering from life-threatening illnesses and chronic diseases, developing resources to enhance the quality of life of such individuals, and assisting the family members and friends who care for them.

[edit] History

The Healing Project was founded in 2005 by Debra LaChance, a breast cancer survivor committed to helping others confronted with life-changing illnesses. The Healing Project is dedicated to promoting the health and well being of individuals suffering from life-threatening illnesses and chronic diseases, developing resources to enhance the quality of life of such individuals, and assisting the family members and friends who care for them.

[edit] Staff

Debra LaChance, Founder
Debra LaChance is a breast cancer survivor and the Organization’s founder. Ms. LaChance is a Vice President of the Corcoran Group and brings extensive knowledge of business operations and finance to her role as a director and officer. The Healing Project is business venture #4 for Ms. LaChance, who is also credited with the inception of Live On Line, an internet broadcast facility that was eventually sold to Digital Island; Style Industrie, a fashion trade show company that works to promote contemporary designers in the metropolitan area; and Lione & LaChance, a designer showroom that featured an eclectic mix of New York’s best contemporary designers.

Prior to her entrepreneurial business ventures, Ms. LaChance served as Director of New York Finance Operations at the CBS Television Network. Ms. LaChance received her MBA from New York University and her BA/BS from Boston College, Massachusetts. She is a member of Ladies Who Launch and the National Association for Female Executives.

Melissa Marr, President
Melissa Marr joined The Healing Project as president in April. 2006 to head day-to-day operations and strategic planning for the developing non-profit organization. Previous to The Healing Project, Ms. Marr began her involvement in the non-profit sector in 1993 when visual artist, Danny Simmons, began conceptualizing the business plan for the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation (RPAF). Through collaboration with Mr. Simmons, Ms. Marr helped develop strategic goals for the organization and assisted with the launch of RPAF in 1994, with the mission to provide disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts. Although Ms. Marr spent the next ten years immersed in the entertainment industry, she continued donating her time when possible to organizations like People Helping People, a group that mobilized in Bryant Park to procure items that were needed at Ground Zero, during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Prior to joining The Healing Project, Ms. Marr served as Chief Operating Officer of David Howell Design, Inc., an architectural design firm based in Union Square. She was also the co-founder of Elevation Filmworks, LLC, an independent feature film production company and has co-produced a number of films including Rebecca Miller’s The Ballad of Jack & Rose (Daniel Day-Lewis – an IFC Films release) and Matt Mulhern’s Duane Hopwood (David Schwimmer– an HBO Films release). Ms. Marr served as Director of Streaming Media Communications at Digital Island, Inc. where she was employed to integrate the New York-based media services division within the parent corporation. In addition to the successful implementation of new corporate policy and procedure, the renovation and reorganization of the NYC broadcast facility, and the solidification of partnership between Digital Island’s media services and network operations divisions, Ms. Marr supervised the deployment of media services production centers in Tokyo and Los Angeles. As Vice-President of Production at internet start-up, Live On Line, Ms. Marr worked to build and integrate a fully-functional production department that supported the streaming and rich media service offerings of the company.

Ms. Marr received her MBA from Columbia University, New York and her BA from Bennington College, Vermont. The Student Endowment for the Arts, a not-for-profit, student-run visual & performing arts organization was created by Ms. Marr at Bennington College to promote and produce original works of art on campus.

Ms. Marr is a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center and Save the Children.

Theresa Russell, Vice President of Development
Ms. Russell is responsible for community outreach, particularly with respect to fostering relationships with other organizations that share THP’s mission. Ms. Russell creates strategic alliances and develops collaborative programs designed to carry out THP’s charitable and educational purposes. Ms. Russell is also the manager of THP’s online resource center, which contains information on a variety of illnesses and treatment centers. A New York State Certified Social Worker, Ms. Russell received her Master of Social Work degree from the State University of New York at Stonybrook. Throughout her career, her interest and work experience as a LCSW has been focused in the health care arena and she has extensive experience working with individuals (and the families of individuals) facing life-changing illnesses.

Prior to joining The Healing Project, Ms. Russell worked as Director of Geriatric Services at Hospice Care Network where she was responsible for the outreach efforts of the marketing department, contract development for the nursing homes and residential group homes and the production of community interaction programs in underserved regions. Ms. Russell was the Director of Social Work Services at Port Jefferson Health Care where she supervised all social work services for sub acute and long term residents. She worked as a Social Worker at Gurwin Jewish Geriatric Center, United Presbyterian Residence and the Women’s Center of Huntington.

Ms. Russell received her BS from Boston University. She is a NYS Certified Social Worker and holds a NYS Insurance License in Accident & Health. Ms. Russell is a member of the National Association of Social Workers.

[edit] Research and Medical Advisory Board

Ron Alterman, M. D.
Dr. Alterman joined the department of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai in 2004. He is the Director of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery. He held previous academic positions at New York University School of Medicine (1995-1997), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (1997-1998), and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1998-2004) where he was Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at Beth Israel Medical Center. Dr. Alterman is well known for his work on deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease, torsion dystonia, and tremor. His clinical interests also include image-guided surgery for brain tumors and benign spine disease. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps.

Dr. Maria Torroella Carney, M.D.
Dr. Carney is an internist, geriatrician and hospice/palliative care physician practicing in Long Island, New York. She is an attending physician and voluntary staff member at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York and the Director of the Palliative Care Program at Glengariff Health Care Center in Glen Cove, New York. Dr. Carney is also the Medical Editor of Voices of Alzheimer’s.

April Roberts, Psy.D
Dr. Roberts is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioral and interpersonal therapy. Her work focuses on geriatrics, substance abuse, rehabilitation and end-of-life issues. Dr. Roberts works in central Florida with the Platka Health Care Center, Windsor Manor, the Health Care Center of Lake City and BAYA Pointe Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Roberts also provides evaluations for juveniles in detention.

Michael S. Wolfe, Ph.D.
Dr. Wolfe is Associate Professor of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School where his work has focused on understanding the molecular basis of Alzheimer’s disease and identifying therapeutic strategies. In January 2006 he founded the Laboratory for Experimental Alzheimer’s Drugs at Harvard Medical School, which is dedicated to developing promising molecules into drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.