Career – July 17
(PIX) Hospice executive Barbara Ivanko has been named President and CEO Family Hospice and Palliative Care. She will begin her duties on Aug. 1.
Ivanko has more than 20 years of experience in the hospice and healthcare industry and was most recently Chief Operating Officer for Spectrum Health, Inc., the parent organization of the Hospice of Palm Beach County, Fla., where she also served as COO.
A social worker by background, Ivanko has been involved in the hospice industry since 2000 and has held executive positions in patient care, clinical services and overall operations. In addition, she consulted with numerous hospice organizations throughout the United States and presented best practice programs at state and national levels on growth, regulatory compliance, access and documentation.
Ivanko has been an active member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Also, she has been an active member of the National Hospice Work Group’s Chief Clinical Officer’s Forum, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Education Committee and the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Quality and Compliance Committee.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in social work from Stony Brook University in New York; she also earned a post-graduate certificate in Eastern Psychology.
“We are delighted that Barbara Ivanko is the new leader for Family Hospice and Palliative Care,” said Robert Butter, Family Hospice Board Chair. “Barbara joins us at time when Western Pennsylvania hospitals, clinicians, nursing homes and families are relying on our hospice and palliative care services more than ever. She is a nationally recognized leader in hospice care and has the experience, vision and drive to continue building this community resource dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with life-limiting illness and their families. We are grateful to interim CEO Franco Insana for his leadership during this search process. He will now resume his primary role as Chief Financial Officer.”
Commenting on her appointment, Ivanko said, “I’m honored to be selected to lead Family Hospice as it is one of the most well-regarded hospice organizations in the country. I am very excited about the future of Family Hospice and Palliative Care and the opportunity to work collaboratively with so many partners in the continuum of healthcare delivery throughout Western Pennsylvania. I look forward to serving this region and to making Pittsburgh my new home.”
(PIX) Shivani Duggal, D.O. has joined the surgical and medical staff at Canonsburg General Hospital.
Dr. Duggal is a fellowship-trained dedicated breast oncology surgeon, specializing in breast conserving surgery, or lumpectomy, sentinel lymph node surgery, and radiation balloon catheter surgery.
She received her medical degree from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio. She completed her residency in general surgery at Summa Health Systems in Akron, Ohio, and continued her fellowship training in breast surgery oncology, sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, at Allegheny General Hospital.
An active researcher, Dr. Duggal serves as a fellow for the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project and is currently involved in clinical trials that focus on the future treatment of breast cancer.
Russell J. Ober Jr., an attorney for the Pittsburgh law firm Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, has been named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list of the top attorneys in Pennsylvania for 2013.
Ober is chair of the Business & Tort Litigation Practice Group. For nearly 40 years, he has focused his practice on the litigation of business and commercial disputes, construction litigation, and the defense of product liability, errors and omissions, and other casualty claims. Ober is a Fellow of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County and has served on its Board of Governors and as chair of the Federal Practice Committee. He is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Mt. Lebanon.