Staff
Robert M. Hayes, an attorney, is President and General Counsel of the Medicare Rights Center. Mr. Hayes led the National and New York Coalitions for the Homeless from 1979 to 1989, and has practiced law with firms in New York and Maine, including Sullivan & Cromwell and O'Melveny & Myers. Mr. Hayes is a MacArthur Foundation fellow and has received honorary degrees from 10 colleges and universities. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and the New York University School of Law.
Pia Scarfó Allocca is the Medicare and Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) Director. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Ph.D. in Political Science and has almost a decade of experience in research, policy and field work in Latin America and Europe. Before joining MRC, she was an Assistant Professor at Pennsylvania State University, teaching International Relations and Latin American Politics. Dr. Scarfó Allocca was born in Italy, and now lives in New York City, where, along with her work at MRC, she volunteers as a Spanish teacher for immigrants in Spanish Harlem.
Carol Arnold, Operations Manager, joined the MRC staff after having spent two years as a volunteer, counseling clients who called the hotline, writing articles on Medicare issues and creating and maintaining MRC’s Communications department contact database. Ms. Arnold spent much of her career in the private sector, most recently as Vice President of Sales for a large designer fashion accessories company. She has worked as the Finance Director of a political campaign and has served on the boards of several community organizations. Ms. Arnold holds a B.S. and an M.P.A. from Baruch College.
Walter Bach, MRC Medicare Assistance Hotline Counselor, is a veritable Medicare dictionary. He began his 30 plus-year career in human services as the director of a rehabilitative residential home for men in Brooklyn, a facility of the Industrial Home for the Blind (IHB), where he oversaw 35 residents who were blind to deaf-blind. He worked at IHB (today called Helen Keller Services for the Blind) until 1991. Mr. Bach has a love for life and entertains MRC staff with colorful stories of his deep-sea fishing expeditions and his wonderful sense of humor.
Natalie Barragan, Case Worker, is a recent graduate of Boston University with a degree in International Relations and Public Health. While in college, she did research on nutrition and mental development as part of the Barbados Nutrition Study. During her summers, she worked with orphans affected by AIDS in Zambia and volunteered at a clinic in Colombia. Ms. Barragan is passionate about immigrant rights and expanding access to quality health care in the United States and abroad. She plans to pursue degrees in law and public health.
Heather Bates is the Director of Enrollment for low-income programs. Ms. Bates has 15 years of experience in the field of aging. Most recently she worked at the Health Assistance Partnership in Washington DC, a project of Families USA, as the Senior Education & Training Associate. Prior to working in Washington, she spent several years at the New York City Department for the Aging providing education and advocacy support for people with Medicare, Medicaid and private long-term care insurance. Ms. Bates obtained her B.A. from Ohio University and her MSW from Hunter College.
Sue Batkin is Director of Casework at MRC. Before joining MRC, Ms. Batkin worked as the Director of Social Work at the Urban Justice Center’s Mental Health Project, where she advocated for the rights of people with psychiatric disabilities. She received her master’s degree in Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work in 1991. Ms. Batkin is also a licensed acupuncturist.
Marcin Bednarz is MRC’s Information Technology Manager. Mr. Bednarz graduated from the College of Staten Island (CUNY) with a B.S. in Computer Science and previously worked as an administrative assistant and a web store administrator. Outside of work, he plays guitar in a band in his parish where he often volunteers. Mr. Bednarz was born and raised in Poland.
Rachel Bennett, Program Development Coordinator, joined MRC in 2003. Previously, she served as Assistant Director of Program and Development at the Youth Service Opportunities Project, where she began work in 2001 as an AmeriCorps*VISTA. In addition to MRC and YSOP, Ms. Bennett has written grants for the New York City Taxi Workers Alliance, the Blacksmith Institute, and Make A Ripple, an organization committed to raising environmental awareness. Ms. Bennett has studied literature and writing in Ireland and health and economics in Ecuador, where she also worked in a nursing home. She writes and publishes poetry, teaches poetry in New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and has a BA in English from Grinnell College.
Elana Berman, Director of Client Programs, completed a Masters in Public Health degree from Columbia University. Prior to joining MRC, Ms. Berman worked with the New York City Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (MCCAP), which advocates that all people in New York City have the access to health care to which they are entitled. Ms. Berman has also worked in a primary care setting as Director of Volunteer Initiatives at the Hudson River Community Health Center, and volunteered for the Peace Corps in Costa Rica as a community health volunteer. Outside of work, Ms. Berman enjoys teaching and studying yoga.
Delores Bowman is the Medicare Assistance Plan (MAP) Coordinator at the Medicare Rights Center. She is responsible for calls to the private MAP hotlines operated by MRC. She also coordinates the Professional Membership program. She retired from Chase Bank in 1999 after 30 years of service as a Certified Billing and Coding Specialist. She joined MRC as a volunteer in September 1999.
Flo Brodley, Deputy Director, Seniors Out Speaking on Medicare (SOS Medicare), began as a volunteer, then coordinator for senior center programs throughout northern Westchester County. Before retirement, she served at the New York City Board of Education as the Administrator of Health and Physical Education, Dance Education and Wellness Programs for 1200 schools. Earlier, she taught classes K-8 in the Bronx and Manhattan, and earned borough, city-wide and master's awards for her work with students and teachers. Ms. Brodley has a B.S. in Nutrition from Brooklyn College, a M.A. in Education from Hunter-Lehman College and a P.D. in Administration and Supervision from Fordham University.
Joan Winer Brown is Director of Development at MRC. Her background includes more than 10 years of fundraising and grants management for health, medical education and public interest organizations. She most recently served as Director of the Center for Research and Education at Beth Abraham Family of Health Services. Before coming to the nonprofit sector, Ms. Brown worked in the publishing industry, as a writer and editor of education products for college students. She is the author of a book that was selected by the Westchester Library Association for the 1997 Washington Irving Book Selection List.
Andrea Callow, a Health Advocacy Fellow, is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto with a double major in English and Religion. While in college, she volunteered at the University of Toronto sexual education center promoting sexual health and identity awareness. Prior to joining MRC, Andrea completed internships with the health care advocacy organization Families USA and a U.S. Senator. She plans to continue her dedication to health justice through a career in law.
Michealle Carpenter is Deputy Policy Director and Counsel for the Medicare Rights Center. She received her J.D. from Quinnipiac University School of Law and her B.S. in Rehabilitation Services from Springfield College. Before joining the Medicare Rights Center, Ms. Carpenter was a Health Policy Analyst for the American Public Health Association, where she researched public health care financing and health care reform. Prior to law school, Ms. Carpenter was a Constituent Services Representative for United States Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and worked on a variety of health and human services issues, including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance.
Iris Chandler, a Health Advocacy Fellow, graduated from Rice University with a degree in Art History. While at Rice, she volunteered as an on-campus Emergency Medical Technician. She also studied at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, where she researched the effects of the transition to democracy on the Czech health care system. Ms. Chandler plans to attend medical school and pursue a career in public health.
Jorge Civico is an Enrollment Specialist for both the Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs. He joined the Medicare Rights Center in February 2007 after employment with Bank of America in New York City for nearly 30 years. Born and raised in Spain, he brings with him experience and the New Yorker way of life.
Scott Dershowitz, Enrollment Coordinator, joined Medicare Rights Center in June 2007. Prior to working at MRC, he was the Enriched Housing Director of Arthur B. Brown & William Brown Gardens, a New York State Department of Health-sponsored housing facility for low-income seniors operated by the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens. Mr. Dershowitz obtained his M.S.W. from the Columbia University School of Social Work and his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Vermont. He has been working with senior citizens since 2001.
Deborah Dinkelacker, Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for the overall management of the internal operations at the Medicare Rights Center. During her 25-year career, she has held senior roles in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. A graduate of Yale University and the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration, she has been an active volunteer throughout her life, and currently is a member of the Board of Directors of VolunteerMatch, where she served as President from 2003 to 2006.
Jill Donnelly is the Volunteer Program Manager at the Medicare Rights Center. She manages the Seniors Out Speaking on Medicare (SOS Medicare) program in Westchester County and the LINCS program in New York City. She attended Oberlin College, where she studied Theatre and Neuroscience. While in school, she worked with the Student Global AIDS Campaign and interned with Representative Barney Frank.
Betty Duggan is the Director of Community Programs at the Medicare Rights Center. Prior to joining MRC, she was a case worker with older adults at the Heights and Hill Community Council, and a case worker with disabled persons for Catholic Charities. Ms. Duggan was also the Early Childhood Coordinator for the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment. As a volunteer, Ms. Duggan has fought for the rights of learning disabled students to appropriate educational placements. Most recently she has been the president of the Churchill School Parents Association, and has represented parents on the Churchill School Board of Trustees. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from St. Joseph's College.
Kim Glaun is Senior Policy Counsel and heads the Baltimore office of the Medicare Rights Center. She works to ensure that the voice of the health care consumer is heard by the various branches of the federal government, concentrating her efforts on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid. Prior to joining MRC, she served as an attorney with the National Senior Citizens Law Center, where she specialized in health care issues. Ms. Glaun has also practiced law with the Legal Services to the Elderly Program of the Baltimore Bar Association. Ms. Glaun is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Maryland School of Law.
Denise Grant is the Administrative Associate and Special Events Coordinator at the Medicare Rights Center. She was formerly the Administrative Assistant/Educational Coordinator in the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she organized and coordinated the fourth-year medical student program.
Amy Hecht, Volunteer Coordinator and a Health Advocacy Fellow, graduated from Syracuse University with degrees in Policy Studies and Political Science. While in college, she interned for the New York State Attorney General and at the United Way of Central New York. She also researched regional employment trends on behalf of the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse, NY. Ms. Hecht's passion for promoting ethical health care practices comes from her time spent volunteering at AIDS Community Resources and caring for her 93-year-old grandmother.
Rachel Hughes, a Health Advocacy fellow, recently graduated from Denison University in central Ohio with a dual degree in Sociology and Anthropology. She also attended the University of Amsterdam’s Gender and Sexuality Program in the Netherlands, completing research on the interactions between Islamic immigrants and the Dutch gay community. As an undergraduate, she interned with a drug and alcohol addiction recovery group and became interested in public health policy, preventative care and other issues affecting low-income or disadvantaged populations. Ms. Hughes plans to pursue a master's degree in Social Work with a focus on geriatric or addiction counseling.
Alison Kanosky, Education Fellow, graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in American Studies. She focused her undergraduate studies on the development of governmental social programs in the U.S. and how these programs differ in rural and urban areas. Ms. Kanosky volunteered throughout her college years with National Student Partnerships, which exposed her to the interconnected obstacles restricting many low-income individuals from self-sufficiency, including education, access to good health care and affordable housing. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in Social Policy.
Joshua Klein, Education Associate, graduated in 2005 from New York University with a B.A. in Gender & Sexuality Studies, Cultural Anthropology, and Classical Civilizations. While in college, Mr. Klein worked to expand NYU's anti-discrimination policy to include gender identity and expression, began his ongoing education in HTML and web design, and interned at the Gay Men's Health Crisis in their Health Policy department, where he researched the potential impact of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act on people with HIV/AIDS. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.
Dana Krohn, a Health Advocacy Fellow, graduated from Tufts University with a double B.A. in Psychology and Community Health. As an undergraduate, Ms. Krohn interned at a suicide hotline and at the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund. She also worked as a research assistant studying the role of labor unions on tobacco legislation and spent a semester studying Spanish in Spain. Ms. Krohn plans to pursue a career in public health and a master’s degree in that field.
Susana Lavayen, Case Worker, graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in Psychology. Currently, Ms. Lavayen provides face-to-face counseling in Washington Heights and East Harlem senior centers, as part of the Medicare and Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP). Prior to joining MRC, she served as a bilingual interviewer in a community-based research study entitled “Growing Up Healthy in East Harlem," which focused on environmental factors contributing to childhood obesity. Ms. Lavayen plans to pursue social work with specialization in gerontology.
Cathy McElroy is the Director of Operations at the Medicare Rights Center. Previous to this position, she ran an exchange program for Irish students in the United States through the Irish Student Travel organization-USIT. She has also worked for John Bauer's music production company.
Will McLean, a Health Advocacy Fellow, graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in History. He joined MRC as a result of a long-standing interest in medicine and health care as a whole. While in college, Mr. McLean had the opportunity to attend the University of Virginia Medical School’s Program in Leadership—resulting in a study and paper examining how a changing financial environment in medicine affected physicians’ views on professionalism. He also enjoyed volunteering in the nearby Martha Jefferson Hospital as an orderly.
Chinwe Nwosu, a Health Advocacy Fellow, is a recent graduate of Harvard University with a B.A. in Biological Anthropology. She has joined the Medicare Rights Center as part of a fellowship offered by Harvard’s Center for Public Interest Careers (CPIC). In the summer of 2007, she worked as a research assistant at the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine. In college she worked in Harvard Law School’s alumni office and volunteered at local Head Start programs. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health.
Hannah Oakland, a Health Advocay Fellow, graduated from Yale University with a degree in Religious Studies. She joins the Medicare Rights Center because of her passion for finding solutions to the fiscal problems that face low-income Americans and her interest in medicine and its administration. In the summer of 2007, she worked at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research and advocacy organization that studies fiscal policy and financial programs that affect low-income families and individuals. At Yale, she was also a varsity sailor and freshman counselor.
Rebecca Porper, Appeals Counselor, began volunteering at the Medicare Rights Center in 2006 while still working as a union activist. She is passionate about the need for universal health care and immigrant rights, and believes that change can come through citizens working together.
Paul Precht, Director for Policy and Communications, is based in MRC's Washington, D.C. office. Before joining MRC, he served as editor of Inside CMS, an independent policy newsletter covering Medicare and Medicaid policy. Mr. Precht has been a journalist for 13 years. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Frederic Riccardi joins MRC as a Caseworker for the Medicare and Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP). Prior to joining MRC, he worked for SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) and as a volunteer hotline counselor for Gay Men's Health Crisis. In 2007, he will be studying part-time to earn a Master’s in Social Work from Fordham University with a specialization in Gerontology.
Sailendra Nath Sarker has been an Administrative Assistant at the Medicare Rights Center since December 1997. Prior to this position he worked for Asiatic American Technologies for one year as an administrative assistant and worked as a designer and news composer for a newspaper for three years. He graduated from Monroe College with a B.B.A. in Computer Information Systems. Mr. Sarker is originally from Bangladesh.
Rachel Shiffrin is the Policy Associate for the Medicare Rights Center. She works from the DC office, where she manages the Consumer Action Board (CAB), and helps to organize people with Medicare throughout the country to speak up about their health care. She is a recent graduate of the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, where her concentration was policy issues affecting older adults. While working on this degree, Ms. Shiffrin presented testimony at the Massachusetts State House to advocate for older adults' rights.
Ariella Slovin, a Health Advocacy Fellow, is joining MRC after graduating from Barnard College with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior. She has joined MRC as part of AVODAH, a year-long service program focused on issues of social justice. Partly inspired by volunteer work in Peru, Ms. Slovin is passionate about providing health care to all and plans to pursue a career in medicine and public health.
Lois Steinberg is the Westchester Program Director for the Medicare Rights Center. She conducts the award-winning Seniors Out Speaking on Medicare (SOS Medicare) program. She recently earned a M.P.S. from the Health Advocacy Program at Sarah Lawrence College. Dr. Steinberg also holds two degrees in sociology, an M.A. from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from Fordham University. Prior to becoming a health advocate, her experience included research on the impact of educational advocacy organizations and marketing research. For her pioneering work in health advocacy, she was named a 2006 Purpose Prize Fellow by Civic Ventures, as part of its national initiative to recognize Americans over 60 who are leading a new age of social innovation and tackling the toughest problems in their own communities.
Akiko Takano, Deputy Director of Communications, worked for many years in book publishing and was a managing editor at several houses. Since leaving the industry, she has been a project manager of art exhibitions and has organized programs for journalists on various genetics-related issues. She also served as an associate editor at a magazine for cancer patients and their caregivers. Before coming to MRC, Ms. Takano worked on program development and health advocacy projects. Outside of work, she volunteers with a literacy organization. Ms. Takano has a bachelor’s degree in English from Amherst College and a master’s in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Molly Touger, Director of Education, has been working in the fields of communications and journalism for the past eight years. She spent two years as a Research Assistant at The Washington Post, edited a newspaper for American expatriates in London, and managed a team of youth journalists doing news stories for The New York Post online. She has also created communications materials for Newsweek magazine, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and Doctors Without Borders. Ms. Touger holds a B.A. in Sociology from Cornell University.
Scarlet Watts, Director of Marketing, has a B.S. in Biology from Hofstra University. She is committed to working toward health care access for all, and passionate about protecting the natural beauty and wildlife on the planet. Ms. Watts currently volunteers with several marine conservation groups, and is a board member of The Found Project, a New York nonprofit that holds fundraiser events for a wide variety of charities.
Norman Weintraub is an Enrollment Specialist for both the Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs. He joined the Medicare Rights Center in December 2005 after employment with the Department for the Aging in New York City. Born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx, he is a true native New Yorker.
Dina Wizmur, an attorney and former Health Advocacy Fellow, returned to MRC as Deputy General Counsel after graduating from Rutgers University School of Law in Camden. While at Rutgers, she worked in the Elder Law Project at Community Legal Services and interned for the Honorable Marjorie Rendell on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She also received several awards, including the Mary Philbrook Public Interest Award and the National Association of Women Lawyer’s Award. Ms. Wizmur received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, while also working at the National Liberty Museum and interning in the Charitable Services Department of Goldman Sachs.
Natalie Yuravlivker, Health Advocate/Bilingual Caseworker, is a graduate of McGill University. Before settling in New York, she lived in Washington DC, Montreal, Querétaro, Edinburgh, Ann Arbor and Montevideo. Previously, she worked at a hotel at the University of Michigan Hospital that catered exclusively to patients and visitors of patients in the ICU or surgery. She is passionate about improving health care services in the United States and is very excited to contribute to the work of the Medicare Rights Center.
Alma Zeno is the Administrative Assistant at the Medicare Rights Center. Prior to working at MRC she was a Peer Educator at the AIDS Center of Queens County, where she helped coordinate a program to educate and counsel teenagers in the community about the dangers of HIV. She also volunteered at the Cobble Hill Nursing Home. Ms. Zeno graduated from the New York Institute of Technology with a B.A. in Communications.