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Patient & Family Council

Patient & Family Council

The purpose of the Patient & Family Council is to be a resource for Yale Health in matters pertaining to the relationship between patients, patients’ families, and Yale Health staff and operations. The council members work together, at the request of Yale Health leadership, to promote, review, and advise on operational processes and programs that address the needs of patients and families.

The council also facilitates discussion regarding healthcare services within the context of Yale Health and the greater healthcare environment. Patients and family members also have an advisory role in providing feedback on relevant projects undertaken by Yale Health.

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Tim Bertaccini

Business Yale alumnus and current Manager of Finance, Research Administration, Business Operations and Audit

Tim has worked at Yale for over 36 years after graduating from Yale in 1977 with a BA in English. His experience with Yale Health began as an undergrad.

He has worked in a variety of roles since returning to New Haven in 1983, most recently in Business Operations/Finance. Outside of Yale he is the volunteer Treasurer for the Yale Club of New Haven, Yale Track Association, Yale GALA, United Church on the Green, United Church of Christ New Haven Association, and head of the Investment Committee for the United Church of Christ Connecticut Conference. Interests include spending time with his friends, reading, traveling, hiking, running and anything that takes him outdoors. He enjoys walking to work which he has done for his entire 36 yrs at Yale. One of his particular interests is what happens with your health care upon retirement from Yale.

Yale Health Member since 1973.

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Elizabeth Bolster

Wardrobe Supervisor at the Yale Reparatory Theater

Elizabeth has been the Wardrobe Supervisor at the Yale Reparatory Theater since 2002 where she enjoys working backstage and training student work study crews. Outside of her job at Yale she is a Costume and Scenic designer who’s work has been seen at Elm Shakespeare Company, Yale Baroque Opera Project, and Trinity College Hartford. In what little free time she has Elizabeth enjoys exploring different mediums of visual and fiber arts as well as DIY home projects. Professional training: MFA in Costume Design from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film at SUNY Purchase, and a BFA in Performance Production from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA.

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Kristin Champagne

Spouse of Yale University employee

Kristin’s interest in the Patient & Family Council is closely tied to her previous career in market research, and her more recent focus on supporting quality improvement efforts in a human service non-profit agency in Hartford. She has witnessed how important and impactful consumer and client voices can be across a wide variety of businesses and organizations, and she is happy to now be contributing her voice as a patient to the council.

In her free time, Kristin enjoys getting outdoors to go on walks, and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Yale Health Member since 2010.

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Robin Mooring

Manager, Finance & Administration, Yale University Library

Robin has worked at Yale for over 26 years in various departments and in a variety of roles. She is the recipient of a New Haven Public School education. Robin has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and dual Masters’ degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration from the University of New Haven.

Currently, Robin volunteers for her children’s school PTO, her daughter’s Girl School troop, her son’s Boy Scout troop and is recording secretary for her church.

Robin enjoys spending time with her husband, children and extended family, as well as reading, walking, and crocheting.

Yale Health Member since 1993.

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Leah Phinney

Director of Admissions, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; Yale College alumna

Prior to joining the Graduate School in 2017, Leah worked for nearly ten years in undergraduate admissions in Yale, where she served as Associate Director of Admission and an admissions committee chair. While in undergraduate admissions, she developed expertise in international admissions, project management, and technology implementation. Leah graduated with a B.A. from Yale College and received an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut. Leah was a four-year letter winner on the Varsity Softball team as a Yale undergraduate. She and her husband are in the midst of raising two bright and exuberant toddlers with special needs. Leah is most interested in pediatrics, preventive healthcare, access to urgent care, customer service, and building trust through strong patient-provider relationships.

Yale Health Member since 2000.

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Colleen Stankewich

Spouse of Yale University employee

Colleen has been a Yale Health member since her husband began work in the Pathology Department in September 1997. In addition to being a wife and a mother of three children, all of whom have been raised in the Yale Health System, she is a speech and language pathologist in North Branford Public Schools.  She is grateful for the services and resources afforded to her as a member of Yale Health, and is excited to be a member of the Patient & Family Council. In her free time, she enjoys being with her family, cycling, reading, and being outdoors.

Yale Health Member since 1997.

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Sandy Storck

Clinical Site Coordinator for the School of Nursing

Sandy has been at Yale for 10 years, all of them spent at the school of nursing. In her current role, her focus is on clinical affiliation agreements as well as ensuring compliance of students during their clinical experiences. Sandy has a bachelor’s in Education and a master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She has always had an interest in improving processes and systems and hopes her experience will be an asset to the council. Sandy enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters who keep her busy with flag football, swimming and drama. She also enjoys cooking and trying new recipes.

Yale Health Member since 2008.

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Marquita Taylor

Manager of Leadership Programs and Evaluation, School of Public Health

Marquita is the manager of Leadership Programs and Evaluations at the Yale School of Public Health, Chronic Diseases.

Yale Health Member since 2018.

Tim Brown - Director of Communications, Yale Health

Tim Brown

Director of Communications, Yale Health

Education: Western Connecticut State University, BA

Tim joined Yale Health following a 28-year career that spanned multiple segments of healthcare in several marketing, communications, public relations, and recruitment roles.  When away from the Yale Health Center, Tim enjoys spending his free time with his wife and son and hiking with his dog.

At Yale Health Since 2022

Briana Cuomo

Briana Cuomo

Manager, Staff Relations, Yale Health

Education: Southern Connecticut State University, BS

Briana has been at Yale Health for eight years, both as an employee and a member. Cuomo started as a senior administrative assistant in the Director’s Office, then became its assistant manager of Administrative Services, and is now Yale Health's Staff Relations Manager. Briana has a passion for event planning and loves seeing the Yale Health staff participating and enjoying in the events she has organized. 

Briana enjoys spending her free time with her two young children ages 2 and 7 years old. 

Briana has supported the Patient & Family Council since its inception in 2016.

Yale Health Member since 2016.

Catherine Kelly

Catherine (Katie) Kelly

Assistant Director, Member Services & Health Information Management, Yale Health

Education: BA: Southern Connecticut State University, 1996

Katie has spent all of her time at Yale Health in the Member Services Department and is a specialist in benefits, coverage, eligibility, and enrollment for employees and students. 

She enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, as well as hiking, skiing, and the beach. 

At Yale Health since 1998.

Slawomir Mejnartowicz

Slawomir Mejnartowicz, MD

Internist, Yale Health

MD: K. Marcinkowski Medical School, Poznan-Poland, 1993

Intern: Internal Medicine, Strus Hospital
Intern: Columbia University Primary Care Internal Medicine Program
Resident: St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York

Fellowship: Geriatrics, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York University

Yale Health Member since 2006.

Pete-Steere

Peter Steere, RPh, MBA

Chief Operating Officer, Yale Health

Education: BS, Pharmacy Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 1986

MBA: Healthcare Administration/Marketing, Western New England College, 1995

Pete's scope of responsible for Yale Health includes its pharmacy program, Human Resources, Member Services department, Building Services, and Communications. In each area is the need to hear and respond to the needs of the Yale community. This process has led to service innovations and improvements. Pete's commitment to the experience of Yale Health's patients is revealed in many things he leads, such as the organization’s diversity initiatives as well as other projects outside his formal role, including The Heather Smith Arts at Yale Health.

At Yale Health since 2005.