Medical Directors

Kelly Berchou, MD is a Medical Director for the Safety Net Line of Business with a focus on Duals at the Health Plan.

Dr. Kelly Berchou is board certified in Internal Medicine. She graduated from Canisius College and then obtained her medical degree at the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine where she was valedictorian. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Chief Residency at the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital.

After completing residency, Dr. Berchou worked in New York City as an academic hospitalist and then returned to Buffalo, her hometown, to work as a hospitalist and continue her academic career as the Associate Program Director of the University at Buffalo Internal Medicine Program. Her academic career, focused on teaching clinical skills at the bedside to enhance patient care. During the pandemic, she transitioned to a career in Occupational Medicine before joining the Excellus Health Plan in the Fall of 2022.

Dr. Berchou resides in the city of Buffalo with her Husband and two, young children. She is an avid sports fan and looks forward to cheering on the Buffalo Bills this fall.

Mark Brown, MD is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management at the Health Plan.

Dr. Mark Brown is a graduate of Brown University and Cornell University College of Medicine where he earned his MD. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Rochester/Highland family medicine program. For a decade he worked in the Southwest Sector of Rochester, serving as Medical Director at the Westside Health Services a Federally Qualified Health Center.

In 2004, Dr. Brown and his family moved to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they started a medical and dental clinic for underserved inhabitants of the island. In 2009, he returned to Rochester where he continued to work at a private practice in the city’s Southwest sector for over a decade. He serves on the board of the Black Physicians Network and has been active with the church in outreach efforts in the city.

He enjoys fitness activities, reading, gardening and spectator sports. He is married and has 3 grown children.

Matt Capuano, MD is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management at the Health Plan.

Dr. Capuano grew up in the Rochester area and completed his undergraduate studies at Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. Capuano graduated from Ross University School of Medicine and the University of Rochester Medical Center Residency for Family Medicine. He began his medical career in private practice in Greece, NY and subsequently returned to the University of Rochester Medical Center and completed Fellowship training in Sports Medicine. Soon after graduation from fellowship Dr. Capuano became a medical director for Urgent Care division at Jupiter Medical Center, Jupiter, FL. Dr. Capuano returned to the Rochester area to become the Medical Director for Urgent Care at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Capuano has worked as Medical Director in the Health Plan Industry and specialized in Product Performance Management for the Commercial Line of Business.

Dr. Capuano resides in the Rochester area with his lovely wife Meaghan, three young children, four dogs (two Mastiffs, two chihuahua), and a cat. Dr. Capuano enjoys exercising, fishing, hiking, and spending quality time with his family and four legged friends

Stephen H. Cohen, M.D., is a Senior Vice President and Advisor to the Chief Medical Officer at the Health Plan.  
 

Over the past eight years, Dr. Cohen has served the Lifetime Healthcare Companies as President of Lifetime Health Medical Group and Lifetime Care Home Health Care and Hospice, and Senior VP and Chief Medical Officer of Excellus Health Plan.  Dr. Cohen now supports Lisa Harris, MD, Sr. VP and Corporate Medical Director, and is a coach and mentor to the entire Medical Services Leadership team.
 

With almost 30 years of Physician Executive experience, Steve is a primary care physician and lifelong resident of Rochester, NY., and is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Certifying Commission in Medical Management.  He is also a member of the Monroe County Medical Society.
 

After graduating from Albany Medical College, Dr. Cohen completed his residency in primary care internal medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center and held leadership roles at Highland Hospital and the University of Rochester Center for Primary Care.
 

Steve and his wife, Stephanie, are proud to be the parents of three children and five grandchildren. He enjoys travel, photography, reading, and spending time in the Finger Lakes.

Erin Conway-Habes, MD is a Senior Medical Director for Government Programs with a focus on Quality at the Health Plan.

Dr. Conway is Board Certified in Pediatrics as well as Internal Medicine. She graduated from the University of Rochester and then obtained her medical degree at the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine where she was class valedictorian. She completed her Med/Peds residency at University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

After working as an academic Med-Peds hospitalist and gaining additional training in Quality Improvement at the James M. Anderson Center in Cincinnati, Dr. Conway returned to Buffalo as a hospitalist at Oishei Children’s Hospital and Buffalo General Medical Center. Her clinical work has focused on adults with pediatric and congenital diseases, complex pediatric care, and transition medicine. She has worked extensively in medical education and taught quality improvement and patient safety courses to physician trainees. She was also a Physician Advisor prior to joining the Excellus Health Plan in 2022.

Dr. Conway lives in Buffalo, NY with her husband and three children.

Steven Dina, MD is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management and Inter-relater Consistency Audit at the Health Plan.

He is a graduate of St. Louis University School of Medicine. He completed residency training at Ghent Family Medicine, part of Eastern Virginia Medical School, and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. Dina has clinic practice experience, including, solo and group practice. Dr. Dina was also the medical director at the Community Health Center of Buffalo, and primary care medicine at the Veterans’ Administration of Western New York.

Dr. Dina enjoys gardening, home remodeling, and tennis. Dr. Dina is a proud father of three children.

Corporate areas of accountability: Utilization Management, Inter-rater Consistency Audit. As a Certified Professional Coder, his other specific areas of focus include medical coding, pricing, and clinical editing.

Joseph A. DiPoala Jr., MD, FACP is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management at the Health Plan.

He a second-generation Internist who is a Rochester native, having graduated from Brighton High School. He attended Colgate University and graduated from Penn State University College of Medicine He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Rochester after which he practiced in Irondequoit for 30 years.

He is dedicated to improving the health of the Rochester community having served as multiple committees and boards at the Finger Lakes Health System Agency (now Common Ground Health), Monroe County Medical Society (former president) and Excellus. He is a member of Medical Society of the State of New York and served as an alternate delegate to the American Medical Association. He belongs to Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. DiPoala in the Rochester area with his wife, Sally and at least 3 dogs at any one time. He has three grown children and a granddaughter. 
 

Stacey Elliott, DO is a Medical Director in Behavioral Health for the Safety Net Line of Business with a focus on HARP at the Health Plan. 

Dr. Elliott is an ABPN board-certified adult psychiatrist and ABPM board-certified addiction medicine physician. A native of the Finger Lakes, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and medical degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine before completing an Adult Psychiatry residency at SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, NY.

Following residency, Dr. Elliott took a position as an attending psychiatrist at the Syracuse VA Medical Center and served as the lead psychiatrist for the Substance Treatment Services. She worked to formalize the Syracuse VAMC’s Medication Assisted Treatment program for opioid use disorder and in that capacity influenced a 15-fold increase in Suboxone-waivered providers within the local system. She is a certified buprenorphine-waiver trainer and remains passionate about expanding access to services for marginalized and vulnerable psychiatric populations.

Dr. Elliott retains a clinical appointment at the Syracuse VAMC and continues to support the ongoing MAT efforts. She also provides clinical supervision to Psychiatry residents from SUNY Upstate, where she is a voluntary faculty member. 

Dr. Elliott currently lives in Liverpool, NY with her husband, young daughter and three dogs. She enjoys long distance running, reading, meditation and interior design.

JP Ervoes, MD is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management for the Health Plan.

Dr. Ervoes is board certified in Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Dr. Ervoes is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. His clinical experience spans both inpatient and outpatient pediatrics. Most recently, he was a pediatric hospitalist attending and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the SUNY Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. Previously, he has been a pediatric hospitalist attending at NYU Langone Medical Center, Albany Medical Center, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. He has also been a general pediatrician and urgent care pediatrician at Northwest Permanente in Portland, Oregon. Aside from enjoying his challenging clinical work as a pediatric hospitalist, he was also active in medical education, quality improvement, and mentoring medical students and pediatric residents. He particularly enjoyed teaching medical students, pediatric residents, and family medicine residents and mentoring fourth year medical students who were pursuing pediatric residency training.

Dr. Ervoes completed his bachelor’s degree in biology at New York University in 2004. He went on to earn his medical degree in 2009 at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago of Northwestern University in 2012.

Dr. Ervoes loves traveling with his friends, watching and playing tennis, hiking and exploring nature, reading, and learning new languages and about different cultures.

Lorna K. Fitzpatrick, MD is Vice President, Medical Affairs for the Safety Net Line of Business at the Health Plan with a focus on Medically Fragile Children.

Dr. Fitzpatrick is Board Certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. She obtained her medical degree at Jacobs School of Medicine, Buffalo and continued on to Residency in Pediatrics at St. Louis Children’s Hospital/Washington University St. Louis. She then completed Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. While there, she participated in the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Fitzpatrick returned to Buffalo, where for 20 years she focused on caring for pediatric patients with brain tumors. As Medical Director or the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program, she developed a comprehensive multi-disciplinary team approach to care for these patients and their families. Her passion and expertise in caring for children with complex medical and developmental needs led her to also develop a comprehensive care model and program for patients with Neurofibromatosis, and this Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis and Neurocutaneuos Disorders Program obtained national accreditation. She also served as Chief, Division of Pediatric Medical Education and led the pediatric residency training program in Buffalo for many years.

In addition to her passion for developing comprehensive care models for medically and developmentally complex children, Dr. Fitzpatrick has a special interest in global health, and has been instrumental in developing a Pediatric Oncology program in Kenya.

Dr. Fitzpatrick lives in Buffalo, NY with her husband and four children

David Flint, MD is a Medical Director with the Safety Net Line of Business at the Health Plan.
 

Dr. Flint completed his undergraduate education at Cornell University. He received his medical degree with research honors from the University at Buffalo. He completed a Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency through the State University of New York at Buffalo Graduate Medical Consortium where he was recognized with an Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine and Excellence in Teaching Award.
 

After graduating from residency, Dr. Flint moved to Northern New York to practice acute care medicine. He practiced hospital medicine and led a program until transitioning fully to emergency medicine in 2018. He held many leadership roles, including the Department of Medicine Chair. During his tenure in the North Country he has acted as a clinical professor for medical students and residents, as well as physician assistant and nurse practitioner students during their hospitalist and emergency medicine rotations. Dr. Flint is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
 

Apart from teaching, his clinical interests include acute and critical care, access to care, care delivery systems and behavioral health care, especially as it applies to the rural and under-served setting. Dr. Flint continues to serve on community boards to support these interests.
 

Dr. Flint lives in Northern New York with his wife and children. They enjoy spending time on the St. Lawrence River and in the Adirondacks.

Dr. Ankit Garg, MD is Vice President, Medical Affairs Retail Markets at the Health Plan. 

His responsibilities include planning, managing and executing strategic priorities for Retail Markets (including but not limited to Medicare Advantage).  

Ankit began his career in 2010 at Cone Health in Greensboro, North Carolina. Dr. Garg joined in June 2022.  Previously, he served as Medicare Product Performance Medical Director at MVP, Medical Director of Patient Experience and Customer Relations at Rochester Regional Health and Lead Hospitalist and Physician Advisor at Johns Hopkins.

Serving the Rochester community, Ankit volunteers at St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center and People’s Pantry and is affiliated with the American College of Healthcare Executives and American College of Physicians.

Dr. Garg earned a Master’s in Healthcare Administration degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MD from University of Delhi and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine by ABIM. 

Dr. Garg and his wife reside in Pittsford, New York, and have 2 children.

Lisa Y. Harris, M.D. is the Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Excellus Health Plan.  
 

In her current role, Dr. Harris leads the Medical Services Division responsible for all aspects of member care management, clinical operations, quality and plan accreditation, and the medical director team for all lines of business.  In this role, Dr. Harris is committed to driving engagement, innovation, clinical quality, equitable access, and affordability, in addition to working to enable efficiency and satisfaction among our provider partners.

In her previous role as Vice President – Medical Affairs for the Commercial Line of Business where she was closely aligned with the sales team serving as a clinical liaison for the commercial side of business and leading the clinical affordability strategy.  Since Dr. Harris joined us in 2018, she maintained a focus on the larger strategy of improving health care for all as she collaborated on innovating solutions, including a clinical query system allowing key stakeholders to receive a coordinated response to clinical questions within 24 hours.  She worked with a team to develop a high-cost claimant team – a multifunctional team designed to engage case managers earlier on in the member experience.

Dr. Harris is a certified Physician Executive through the American College of Physician Executives, a member of the Monroe County Medical Society and a fellow with both the American College of Physicians and the Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Harris attended the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA and completed a combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.  Dr. Harris has served as the president of the Southern Tier district of the American College of Physicians, Vice President – Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for Our Lady of Lourdes in Binghamton, Medical Staff President at Highland Hospital in addition to numerous boards in the Rochester and Southern Tier community and extensive involvement in medical education.

Dr. Harris and her husband are the proud parents of two adult children.  In her spare time, she enjoys time with family, sewing and a variety of outdoor activities.

Geoffrey Hopkins, MD is a Medical Director for Behavior Health at the Health Plan.

Dr. Hopkins is board certified in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Adult psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is a member of the Onondaga County Medical Society.

He has previously served as the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry for St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, NY. He maintains a private practice which provides administrative supports and training for staff of not for profit integrated health systems.

Dr. Hopkins graduated from State University of New York Upstate Medical University (SUNY UMU). He completed his residency in General Psychiatry at SUNY UMU in 2004. He completed his fellowship training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at SUNY UMU in 2006. He has a passion for expanding access to mental health services and advancing public health policy.

Dr. Hopkins enjoys spending time with his family, learning new things and spending time out of doors.

Brian Justice, DC, is a Medical Director with a focus on Pathway Development and Spine Programs at the Health Plan.

He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr. Justice attended graduate school at National Chiropractic College in Chicago, IL. He spent 28 years in a spine-focused chiropractic practice in a variety of private, industry and hospital settings. He has also been an executive wellness coach. Dr. Justice has published articles in peer review journals, served on national spine care guideline development committees and presented nationally on value driven health care, quality improvement, pathway development, optimal interdisciplinary spine care, wellness and holistic health.

Dr. Justice was also honored with the Rochester 2015 Health Care Innovation Award.

Anna Kanaley, MD is a Senior Medical Director with a focus on the Commercial Line of Business at the Health Plan.

Dr. Kanaley completed her undergraduate education at Canisius College. She received her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, PA where she was honored with the 2005 LECOM College of Medicine Dedication to Primary Care Award in Pediatrics. She moved back to Buffalo to complete a Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency through The State University of New York at Buffalo Graduate Medical Consortium working primarily at Buffalo General Hospital and the former Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (now known as Oishei Children’s Hospital).

After graduating from residency, Dr. Kanaley went on to work in private practice in Orchard Park, NY caring for patients from age 0 to 99. In the Spring of 2021, Dr. Kanaley joined the medical director staff at the Excellus Health Plan.

Dr. Kanaley is board certified in both Internal Medicine and in Pediatrics. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and also a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Kanaley resides in Buffalo, NY where she spends most of her free time corralling her 3 children and husband, watching a lot of little league baseball, shivering in youth hockey rinks, traveling to beautiful beaches, reading, and attending theater performances (when she can sneak out of the house without her kids noticing).

Angel L. Kerney, MD, FACOG is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management at the Health Plan.
 

Dr. Kerney attended The Canisius College of Buffalo, NY where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology.  She then received a Doctorate in Medicine from the State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse.  She completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.  She is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a Fellow of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
 

Dr. Kerney has been in clinical practice for 30 years.   She was employed as an OBGYN Attending Physician & Clinical Instructor with the University of Rochester Medical Center.  Subsequently, she became owner and CEO of Angel L. Kerney, M.D., LLC which was an OBGYN Solo Private Practice.   Dr. Kerney served as the Great Lakes Chairperson for Health for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. where she presented annual Health Lectures to over 3,800 women from Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Western New York, and Western Pennsylvania.  She served as a Physician Consultant, Certified Trainer, and Lecturer for three Pharmaceutical Companies lecturing throughout the Northeastern United States for over 6 years.  For the last 11 years, Dr. Kerney has been employed as an OBGYN Hospitalist Physician where one of her many clinical responsibilities included managing the Obstetrical Emergency Department.  Dr. Kerney also serves as an Expert Legal Witness.  Dr. Kerney is a Medical Director focusing on Utilization Management for the Excellus Health Plan.
 

Dr. Kerney resides in Pittsford, New York.  She is the proud parent of two Toy Poodles.  Her absolute passion is Global Travel, and she has extensively traveled the world for the last 28 years.  Her hobbies include enjoying nature, interior decorating, music, photography, reading, and “ALL THINGS POODLE”.

Marjorie Ketzak, DO, CMD is a Medical Director that jointed the Health Plan in Jan 2024.
 

Dr. Ketzak is board certified in Family Medicine by American Board of Family Medicine and a Certified Medical Director as conferred by the American Board of Post Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.  She completed her undergraduate degree at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY, medical school at Des Moines University in Iowa, and Family Medicine residency training at United Health Services - Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City, NY.
 

Dr. Ketzak is a native of the Southern Tier of NY and has worked for the past 22 years in a variety of facility based and outpatient settings including community-based family medicine, teaching, and leadership positions.  This has allowed her a wide variety of experiences to draw from.  Dr. Ketzak has enjoyed the broad scope of family medicine, but has special interest in geriatrics, public health, and mental health.
 

Dr. Ketzak serves on the Professional Advisory Committee for Chenango County and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the American Medical Director’s Association (AMDA).
 

Dr. Ketzak grew up and lives in Greene, NY with her husband who is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and son and daughter and who are both working toward careers in health care.  In their free time they enjoy sailing Lake Ontario.

Nicholas Massa, MD, CPC is the Vice President, Medical Affairs for the Commercial Line of Business at the Health Plan.

Currently, Dr. Massa provides clinical leadership and expertise to specific areas of focus including commercial products, affordability initiatives, clinical partnerships & joint ventures, and serves as the lead medical director for our coding and clinical editing teams.

Previously, Dr. Massa served as Vice President Medical Affairs for Clinical Services, where he focused on support of utilization management, value-based payment partnerships and affordability initiatives, as well as oversight of our Medical Director team. He had also served as the Chair of the Health Plan’s Corporate Medical Policy Committee from 2016-2021. 

Dr. Massa was also engaged in medical policy development and medical coding issues on a national level, serving as a member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s Medical Policy Panel, its Executive Committee, and the Association’s CPT Advisory Panel. He currently continues his engagement with coding issues nationally, having been appointed by the AMA to serve on the CPT Assistant Editorial Board. 

Dr. Massa is a graduate of SUNY Upstate Medical University and completed residency at the same institution. Board certified in Pediatrics, he practiced general pediatrics in Central New York for nearly 20 years, including some limited clinical practice during his time at Excellus. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Massa is also a member of the Advisory Council for the Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse and the American Medical Association.

Deanna McDonald, MD is a Medical Director for the Safety Net Line of Business at the Health Plan.

Dr. McDonald completed her undergraduate education at Nazareth College in Rochester where she earned her bachelor’s degree.  She received her medical degree from the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine.  Following medical school, she completed her pediatric residency at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (now known as Oishei Children’s Hospital), which also included an additional year as chief resident. 

After completing her year as chief resident at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, Dr. McDonald went on to work at a busy private pediatric practice in Tonawanda, NY.   For the past decade and a half, she has cared for thousands of children.  During her time in practice, she was awarded “Best Practice, Best-in-Class,” which recognized her efforts and clinical excellence in the delivery of quality and efficient care.  She is board certified in Pediatrics.  Dr. McDonald joined the medical director staff at the Excellus Health Plan in Fall of 2022.    

Dr. McDonald currently resides in Orchard Park NY with her husband, 3 children, and her miniature golden doodle.  She spends her free time traveling, watching her children compete in a variety of sporting events, relaxing on her boat in Lake Erie in the summer, and cheering on her hometown team, the Buffalo Bills in the fall and winter.   

Annemarie Mikowski, DO is a Medical Director in Behavioral Health for the Safety Net Line of Business.
 

Dr. Mikowski is an Adult Psychiatrist board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. A Western York native, she attended Canisius University in Buffalo for her undergraduate education prior to obtaining a medical degree at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Iowa. She returned home to complete a Psychiatry residency program at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University at Buffalo, serving as Chief Resident.
 

Dr. Mikowski continued with SUNY Buffalo as UBMD faculty, teaching numerous didactics for medical students and residents, and providing clinical and psychotherapy supervision for general psychiatry residents at the Erie County Medical Center Behavioral Health Clinic. She became Medical Director for the ECMC OCD subspecialty clinic in 2014, with an additional interest in psychosurgical interventions. Additionally, Dr. Mikowski worked at the Center for Advanced Psychiatry, the UBMD Psychiatry private practice in Amherst, NY, where she was recognized as a regional Top Doctor in Psychiatry by Buffalo Spree Magazine multiple years. She spearheaded incorporation of telemedicine for the practice during the COVID-emergency and was named Assistant Medical Director in 2022.
 

Dr. Mikowski continues as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, providing clinical supervision and teaching cognitive behavioral therapy curriculum to psychiatry residents as volunteer faculty. 
 

Dr. Mikowski currently lives in Orchard Park, NY with her husband and three children, where she hears cheers from the Bills NFL stadium on gamedays.  In addition to being a sports fan, she enjoys reading, travel, and leading a Girl Scout troop through many adventures.

Beth Nicholas, MD, CPC is the Senior Medical Director of Clinical Services with a focus on clinical editing at the Health Plan. She is trained and certified in medical coding.

Dr. Nicholas attended Cornell University. She received her medical degree from Upstate Medical University and completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Dr. Nicholas is board certified in Emergency Medicine and fellowship trained in in point-of-care ultrasound.

Dr. Nicholas has worked in a variety of clinical settings including level 1 trauma centers, stroke centers, as well as resource limited rural settings. She also has experience with medical student education, sports medicine and event medicine.  She has been with Excellus since June of 2021.  Dr. Nicholas enjoys spending time with her husband and three children. She especially enjoys hiking, paddleboarding, wakeboarding and snowboarding.

Michelle Penque, MD is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management at the Health Plan. She obtained her medical degree at Jacobs School of Medicine, Buffalo where she completed her residency and continues as a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics.
 

Prior to joining Health Plan in 2023, she spent 25 years caring for pediatric patients in the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. There she served as Medical Director, working with hospital leadership to enhance processes and patient care by collaborating with providers and other staff throughout the Kaleida Health system. She also served as Director of Quality for the Emergency Department, the Associate Chair of Hospital Operations for UBMD Pediatrics and has authored several publications.
 

Because of her passion for patients and the teaching, she continues to care for patients and provide clinical instruction to medical students, residents and fellows at the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital Emergency Department every month.  She also continues her work on the Medical Executive Committee of Kaleida Health where she is currently Treasurer and on the Credentials Committee. She is a member of the Buffalo Pediatric Society.
 

Dr. Penque lives in Buffalo, NY with her husband, one of her three children (the other 2 have flown the coop!) and her dog, a corgi named Stuart.  She loves having fun spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, puzzles, a good book and football…. Go Bills!

Tamara Prull, M.D. is a Medical Director that joined the Health Plan in June 2023.

Dr. Prull is board certified in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. A native of Canandaigua, she has been practicing in Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Centers throughout the Rochester and Finger Lakes Region for the past 21 years. Dr. Prull completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University and medical school at SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, NY. She completed her internship and residency training at Saint Vincents Hospital and Medical Center in Manhattan.

She maintains clinical appointments at both Rochester Regional Urgent Care and Finger Lakes Health as she really enjoys bedside medicine and loves the opportunity to provide direct patient care. 

Dr. Prull lives in Canandaigua with her husband and their two daughters. She enjoys reading, downhill skiing, travelling, and lake life.

Dr. Robischon is the Vice President of Medical Affairs for Clinical Services for the Health Plan.

Dr. Robischon provides clinical leadership and expertise to several area of focus within Excellus including in Affordability and Program Development, Utilization Management and Quality Programs. Dr. Robischon serves as the Co-Chair of the Health Plan’s Corporate Medical Policy Committee and is engaged in medical policy development. Dr. Robischon is also engaged nationally with the Medical Policy Panel and Medical Policy Operations forum at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
 

Dr. Robischon attended Colgate University, where she played Division I soccer and softball. She received her medical degree from UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at URMC Strong Memorial Hospital and is Board Certified in OB/GYN. Dr. Robischon was in private OB/GYN practice in Rochester NY for 22 years.
 

Dr. Robischon lives in Pittsford, NY with her husband and her three boys. They love to travel, play pickle ball, biking and downhill skiing.
 

Corporate areas of accountability: Affordability, Value Based Payment, Utilization Management, Medical Director Team Operations, Quality programs, Dental Strategy and Women’s and Maternal Health Equity Projects.

Rebecca Schaeffer, MD is a Medical Director in Behavioral Health for the Safety Net Line of Business at the Health Plan.

Dr. Schaeffer is board certified in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She remains on the faculty at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University at Buffalo as a volunteer clinical assistant professor.

Dr. Schaeffer is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Most recently, she was an inpatient adolescent psychiatry attending at Erie County Medical Center and did outpatient work in private practice for children and adults. Previously she provided psychiatric care for college students at Buffalo State College, and adolescents and young adults in residential rehab at Renaissance House (now Kids Escaping Drugs). Some of her favorite work was school consultation with Erie 1 BOCES and at Buffalo Hearing and Speech. In addition to clinical work, Dr. Schaeffer has spent a lot of time teaching medical students, psychiatry residents, and child psychiatry fellows clinically on the inpatient unit, in outpatient settings, and doing individual psychotherapy supervision.

Dr. Schaeffer studied anthropology at Barnard College (1999) and then spent some time working with children with serious emotional disturbances in New Hampshire and Boston with Wediko Children’s Services. She went on to earn her medical degree (2008) and to complete residency and fellowship (2013) in Buffalo at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University at Buffalo.

Dr. Schaeffer loves traveling with her husband (an internist working in post-acute care), two young adult daughters, and her very active elementary aged son. Aside from traveling she enjoys gardening, hiking with her yellow lab Winnie, and cooking for the family.

Randy Snow, DO is a Senior Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management and Medical Policy at the Health Plan.

Board-certified in family practice, hospice palliative care, and addiction medicine Dr. Snow has been in clinical practice since 2008. He attended medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a residency in family practice at Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Utica, New York. He has worked extensively in medical education and curriculum development for multiple medical schools. Dr. Snow is a member of ACOFP, AAHPM, ABAM, ASAM as well as the medical society of New York.

Corporate areas of accountability: Utilization Management and is Co-Chair of Corporate Medical Policy

Rick Vienne, DO is a Medical Director with a focus on Utilization Management at the Health Plan.

Dr. Vienne joined in April 2001. Dr. Vienne began his career in primary care internal medicine in 1993 at Health Care Plan in West Seneca, New York. Through the years he practiced at the Lifetime Health Medical Group’s Amherst Medical Center, Kaleida Health’s Hertel-Elmwood Internal Medicine Center (an Academic Medical Practice), as well serving as the Medical Director for the Alden Medical Center which was part of the Catholic Health System. Dr. Vienne returned to WNY after serving as the VP for Medical and Clinical Operations at Priority Health, a health insurance company in Michigan.

Serving the Western New York Community, Dr. Vienne has been a member of the Board of Directors for Jericho Road Ministries, the Health Sciences Charter School, and the Greater Niagara Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He has also served as a merit badge counselor, Committeeman and Eagle Scout Chairman for Troop 457 of the Boy Scouts of America as well as being as Eagle Scout himself. He has served as the President of the Board for the Greater Niagara Frontier Council Boy Scouts of America for 2 years. He is also a Past President of the Medical Society of the County of Erie, previous Delegate to the Medical Society State of New York House of Delegates and a previous alternate Delegate to the American Medical Association House of Delegates from New York.

Dr. Vienne completed his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Health Sciences (now known as the Kansas City University) in Kansas City, Missouri and attended Houghton College as an undergraduate. Dr. Vienne is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Internal Medicine residency program where he also served as Chief Resident at Buffalo General Hospital. He maintains Board Certification in Internal Medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Vienne resides in Orchard Park, New York and has three children, Kaitlin, Alex and Andrew. Dr. Vienne is a golfer and skier.

Corporate areas of accountability: Corporate Credentials, Corporate P&T, Healthcare Employer Group clinical reviews, Palliative Care Pilot, Clinical program development, UM, Grievance and Appeals, SIU reviews