Herschel Lessin MD

CURRICULUM VITAE

Herschel Robert Lessin, M.D.
28 Kingwood Drive
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601


EDUCATION


1995-96 CMCE (Certified Managed Care Executive). Graduate of a year-long Executive Leadership Program of the American Association of Health Plans. Via mentoring, site visits,didactic sessions and hands on experience, the CMCE isimmersed and trained in the cutting edge of managed care.

1980-82 Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Resident, Pediatrics

1979-80 Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Intern, Pediatrics

1975-79 Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA; Doctor of Medicine

1971-75 Union College, Schenectady, NY; Bachelor of Science--Summa Cum Laude


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2004- Director of Clinical Research, The Children's Medical Group, PLLC. Responsible for over-seeing all clinical research activities at the group, supervising study co-ordinators and staff, interfacing with study sponsors.


2000- Medical Director, The Children’s Medical Group, PLLC. Responsible, as chairman of the group’s medical committee, for developing Quality Improvement processes and clinical protocols and research. Also conducts audits and supervises in house CME for physicians and other clinical staff.


1997- The Children's Medical Group, PLLC. A founding partner of this large group practice that resulted from the merger of Pediatric and Adolescent Associates (est. 1932) and the Hudson Valley Pediatric Group (est. 1954). Through planned growth and expansion, the group now has 19 pediatricians, and 1 pediatric nurse practitioner providing care for nearly 40,000 children in six Hudson Valley offices with two additional offices in the planning stage. The group sees almost 115,000 patient visits per year and is one of the largest single specialty Pediatric groups in the USA.

1988-2000 Chairman, Board of Directors, Taconic Independent Practice Association. TIPA contracts with managed care organizations to provide physician services to the contracted plan’s subscribers. With over 1800 physician members, TIPA is one of the largest IPA’s in the United States and provides care for over 130,000 patients.

1982-1997 Hudson Valley Pediatric Group, PC, Poughkeepsie, NY. Served as partner and Vice-President of this six physician, two physician assistant private Pediatric practice. In addition to patient care, management responsibilities included billing, coding, HMO negotiation, cooperative bulk vaccine buying program, and financial and statistical analysis of the practice.


MEMBERSHIPS

2002,2004 Re-certifed Pediatric Advanced Life Supoort

2001 Re-certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics (voluntary)

2000,2004 Re-certified as a Certifed Managed Care Executive, American Association of Health Plans

1997- National Association of Medical Communicators

1994-2000 American College of Physician Executives

1994- Section of Administration and Practice Management, American Academy of Pediatrics

1987- Section of Pediatric Dermatology, American Academy of Pediatrics

1986- Taconic Independent Practice Association

1984- Diplomate, American Board of Pediatrics

1984- Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics

1983- Medical Society of the State of New York

1983- Dutchess County Medical Society

1982- Mid-Hudson Pediatric Society

1979-84 Junior Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics

1974- Phi Beta Kappa, Union College, Schenectady, NY


APPOINTMENTS

2004- Director of Clinical Research, The Children's Medical Group, PLLC.

2004- Member, Clinical specialists Advisory Board, MedImmune Inc. The board advises the company on clinical aspects of their pharmaceutical products.

2003- Chairman, Nominating Committee, Section on Administration and Practice Management, American Academy of Pediatrics.

2003- Member, Process Improvement Committee, Department of Pediatrics, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, NY.

2002- Member, Peer Review Committee, Taconic IPA. The committee reviews medical quality issues and complaints involving IPA physicians.

2001-2002 Member, Professional Relations/Medical Management Committee, Taconic IPA. The committee oversees communication and relationships with member physicians as well as reviews and makes recommendations about medical utilization management within the IPA.

2001- Board of Directors, MVP Health Plan, a NYS Article 44 company which, with its subsidiary corporations operates a diverse array of health insurance products including HMO, PPO, POS and indemnity. The company has over 10,000 participating physicians, over 500,000 covered lives and over $750,000,000 in premium revenue.

2000- Medical Director, The Children’s Medical Group, PLLC.

1999- Board of Directors, MVP Health Insurance Company, a NYS Article 42 company which provides health care via a Preferred Provider Network of physicians.

1999 Honorary Chairperson, Vassar Brothers Hospital Mothers’ Club, Festival of Trees: an annual fundraising event raising money to benefit the Maternal/Child Health units of the hospital.

1998-2000 Attending Physician, St. Francis Hospital Family Practice Residency Program. Responsible for inpatient and outpatient teaching of Pediatrics to residents, both clinical and didactic.

1997- Vice-president and member Executive Committee, Children’s Medical Group, PLLC. I am involved in all executive decisions and strategic planning for the group.

1997- Attending Pediatrician, St. Francis Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY

1995- Media spokesman for the “Adopt an Angel” fund raising campaign, Make-a- Wish Foundation, Hudson Valley Chapter. Make-a-Wish is a non-profit group that grants wishes for terminally ill children. This campaign raises nearly the entire wish granting budget for the chapter. I record TV commercials as well as news media interviews on behalf of the organization.

1995-98 Board of Directors, MVP Corporate Care. The board provided policy and planning for the corporation’s offering of Worker’s Compensation Case Management services and Occupational Health services to employers.

1995- Vice-Chairman, MVP Select Care Board of Directors--provides policy and planning for corporation’s offering of third party administration services to self-funded employer groups in New York State and Vermont.

1994-98 Associate Medical Director, MVP Health Plan--responsible for IPA development, physician recruiting and liaison, and public relations.

1994-2000 Board of Directors, American Cancer Society, Hudson Valley Unit.

1993 Member, Global Budgeting Grant Writing Committee. At the request of the NYS DOH, local hospital officials and physicians formed a group to prepare a grant proposal to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation requesting funding for a study of the feasibility of Global Budgeting of all health care services in Dutchess County. This was the first proposal of its type in New York State that included physician and other out-patient services within the budget. The committee drafted a grant application that forged consensus among its disparate members and interests in designing a plan to meet the needs of a rapidly changing health care environment. Funding of $1,000,000 per year was sought from the Foundation, New York State, and other sources.

1993- Certified, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, American Heart Association.

1993 Strategic Service Unit on Managed Care, Mid-Hudson Medical Center-involved in planning the future of the new medical center vis-a-vis its’ relationship to and involvement in managed care systems.

1993- Board of Directors, MVP Health Services Corporation--provides policy and planning for the offering of point of service HMO and indemnity products to employers in a 32 county NYS service area and the entire state of Vermont.

1992-93 Board of Directors, March of Dimes, Mid Hudson region--responsible for planning and execution of fund raisers, service projects, and distribution of funds. Guest speaker at “Baby and You” educational seminars offered to area employer groups.

1991 Attendee, NYS Department of Health Immunization Retreat. I was one of six private pediatricians invited to attend a two day retreat with state officials to examine immunization policy in reference to the state supplying free vaccine to physician offices throughout the state in order to improve immunization rates.

1990-95 Member, PPAC Advisory Committee to New York State Medicaid Program. Advised in the design and implementation of the Preferred Physician and Children’s Program (PPAC). This PPO program, implemented statewide on October 1, 1990, revised the fee structure and coding requirements for the NYS Medicaid program in order to involve more quality physicians and to insure indigent children access to private practice care in the state.

1989 Community Publications Committee, American Academy of Pediatrics, District II, Chapter 3, New York. Served as a liaison between the Academy and local media with the goal of disseminating information relevant to the health care of children.

1989 Board of Trustees, St. George’s School, Poughkeepsie, NY.

1989 Chairman, Committee on Practice, American Academy of Pediatrics, District II, Chapter 3, New York.

1988-2000 Chairman, Taconic Independent Practice Association. TIPA is a group of over 1700 physicians that contracts with HMOs to deliver health care services to their insured members. As of 2001, we served over 130,000 patients. As chairman,I coordinated all IPA activities, sit on several major committees, and chair the IPA Board of Directors.

1987-88 Executive Committee, American Academy of Pediatrics, District II, Chapter 3, New York.

1987-88 Secretary, Taconic Independent Practice Association.

1986-2000 Founding member, Board of Directors, Taconic Independent Practice Association.

1986-87 Executive Committee, Dutchess County Medical Society.

1985-87 Director, Special Care Nursery, Vassar Brothers Hospital.

1984-86 President, Mid-Hudson Pediatric Society.
1982-84 Vice-President, Mid-Hudson Pediatric Society.

1982-84 Education Director, Department of Pediatrics, Vassar Brothers Hospital.

1982- Attending Physician, Vassar Brothers Hospital.


LICENSURE

1984-1995 Massachusetts

1982- New York

1981-82 Connecticut


PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS

General Pediatrics

Asthma/Allergy

Behavioral Pediatrics

Pediatric Dermatology

Health Care Finance and Politics

Practice Management

Managed Care

Medical Liability Issues

Patient Education via the Media and Internet


PUBLICATIONS

2001 School Problems” in Primary Care Pediatrics, Carol Green-Hernandez, Joann K. Singleton, & Daniel Z.Aronzon,MD eds. Lippincott, Philadelphia.

2001 “Acute Dermatologic Complaints”in Primary Care Pediatrics, Carol Green-Hernandez, Joann K. Singleton, & Daniel Z.Aronzon,MD eds. Lippincott, Philadelphia.


CLINICAL RESEARCH

2004-2005 Principal site Investigator, "Flustar 2004" and epidemiological influenza surveillance study sponsored by Roche Laboratories.

2004-2005 Principal site Investigator, " A pivotal phase III study of MEDI-524 (Numax) an enhanced potency humanized Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) monoclonal antibody, for the prophylaxis of serious RSV disease in high risk children”, sponsored by MedImmune Corporation.

2004-2005 Principal Site Investigator, “A prospective, double blind, randomized trial of to demonstrate equivalent immunogenicity of CAIV-T and Flumist in healthy participants ages 5-49 years”, a phase III study sponsored by MedImmune Corporation.

2004- Principal Site Investigator, “A 1 year, randomized, double blind, parallel-group,placebo-controlled, multicenter evaluation of eficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of omalizumab in children (6-<12 years) with moderate-severe, persistent, inadequately controlled allergic asthma.”, a phase III study sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

2004- Principal site Investigator, “An investigation of the safety and efficacy of Elidel 1% cream in atopic disease modification, assessed in a 3-year randomized double-bline vheicle controlled phase to evaluate effects onatopic dermatitis in infants, and a 2-3 year open-label pahse to evauate the effect of early interventions versus delayed intervention with Elidel on the incidence of asthma in children”, a phase four study sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals

2004- Principle site Investigator, “RSV Alert” (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), an epidemiologic study sponsored by MedImmune Corporation and the Centers for Disease Control.

2003-Investigator, "A Randomized, double-blind Trial of Prophylactic Iron to Prevent Iron Deficiency and elevated Lead Levels in Children During the Second Year of Life", a pilot phase study sponsored by Proctor & Gamble Pharmaceuticals.

2003-Principal site investigator, “Rates of Seroconversion Following Varicella Vaccination of Asthmatic Children Between the Ages of One and Eight YearsTreated with Pulmicort Respules versus Non-Steroidal Conventional AsthmaTherapy”, a non-blinded non-randomized multi-site Phase 4 study sponsored by Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals.

2003-Principal site investigator, “ A Randomized, Double-blind, Double Dummy, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Group, Multi-Center clinical Trial of Four Weeks Treatment with Serevent Inahalation Aerosol, 25 micrograms BID and Placebo administered via a Valved Holding Chamber with Facemask in Subjects with Asthma Age 6 to 23 Months”, a Phase 4 study sponsored by GlaxosmithKline.


PRESENTATIONS

2004 “Implementing ADHD Practice Guidelines: A Practical System for the Busy Pediatric Office’. Presented to the Section on Administration and Practice Management, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Conference, October 9. 2004.

2004 “Emergency Treatment of Asthma in Children”, presented to the Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, NY June 17, 2004.

2003 "Hot Topics in Pediatrics". Panel discussion moderator. Presented to the Section on Administration and Practice Management, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Conference, November 1, 2003. 2003 "Implementing Asthma Guidelines: A Practical System for the Busy Pediatric Office", Presented to the Section on Administration and Practice Management, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Conference, November 1, 2003.

2003- “Practical Asthma-Physiologic Basis of Treatment”. Presented for the regional chapter of the Americal Lung Association Educational meeting for nurses.

2003-“Treatment of ADHD in the Busy Pediatric Office”. Presented to groups of physicians in our region. Sponsored by Novartis Speakers Bureau.

2002-2003 -“Applying Asthma Treatment Guidelines in an Office Setting”. Presented to groups of physicians in our region. Sponsored by GlaxosmithKline Speakers Bureau and Sepracor Speakers Bureau.

2000- “Pneumococcal Vaccination in an Era of Bacterial Resistance”. Presented to groups of physicians in our region. Sponsored by Wyeth Speakers Bureau.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

2003 Medical Mission volunteer, Honduras. Travelled with my son to provide free medical care to the Mayan Chorti trive in the villages near the Copan ruins on the Guatemalan border.

2002 Medical Mission volunteer, Jamaica. Provided Pediatric care to several small vilages in rural Jamica.

2002 Medical Mission volunteer, Constanza, Dominican Republic. Provided Pediatric care to this small village in the central mountains of the Dominican Republic.

2001- Editorial Director, Healthology.com. Responsible for defining the scope and content of the Pediatric section of the website. Review all content and update same. Provide input and direction for development of the section on the site.

2000- Coulumnist, “Pediatrician On Call”, Poughkeepsie Journal. A biweekly column answering common pediatric questions.

2000 Medical Mission Volunteer,Honduras--Travelled with my daughter to a smalljungle village on the North Coast as part of a volunteer medical/dental team.

1999 Medical Mission Volunteer, Republic of Vietnam--Provided Pediatric care to indigent patients at Long Dat Medical Clinic and Ham Tan Medical Center, two small rural clinics located 100 and 200km respectively outside of Ho Chi Minh City. Met with Consulate General of the United States to help procure support for further medical mission work.

1999 Medical Mission Volunteer, Constanza, Dominican Republic-Provided Pediatric care to this small village in the central mountains of the Dominican Republic.

1999-2000 Child Health Focus Editor, Healthology, com. Healthology is an internet start-up company devoted to providing medical information content delivered to the general public and distributed to other web-sites, portals, and publications. I am responsible for the development and maintenance of the Children’s Health area of the site, recruiting faculty and reviewing submitted articles.

1999- Contributor, Children’s Health Focus, Healthology.com. I provide content posted on the web site and also participate in live streaming “webcasts”, which are panel discussions with physicians on a topic of interest that are later archived for future download. In addition, I act as moderator for webcasts involving physician of various specialties in both adult and pediatric medicine.

1999- Editorial Board, Medweb of the Hudson Valley. Medweb is a regional web site dedicated to the dissemination of medical information to the general public. I post Pediatric content and provide answers to Pediatric questions posted on the bulletin board at www.hvmedweb.com.

1998- Responsible for planning, design, and maintenance for the web site for The Children’s Medical Group, www.hvmedweb.com/cmg.

1998-99 Host of “The Medical Minute” segment for RNN-TV (Regional News Network).This segment is an informational look at medical topics of general interest.

1998- Medical Speaker. I deliver CME lectures, with the support of Pfizer, Pasteur Merieux Connaught and Astra-Zeneca, to medical professionals around the region.

1996-97 Host of “Kids Korner” segment for RNN-TV Morning Show. Appeared several times monthly live on the morning news talk show to speak about various pediatric topics and to respond to live phone calls.

1996 Keynote Speaker and Honoree, Annual “Breakfast of Champions”, Tobacco Free Action Coalition.

1995- Member, International Jugglers Association. I use juggling in my pediatric practice to entertain and distract my young patients. I also use these skills, when appropriate, in my speaking engagements, as well as my groups appearances at trade shows.

1994- Member, Tobacco Free Action Coalition. Active in smoking cessation programs for children and adults. I do public service radio announcements and make personal appearances at area schools on behalf of the organization.

1993- Guest speaker, Health Care Reform and IPA Formation. I speak to physicians and medical organizations on managed care and IPA activities.

1990 Panel Member, Poughkeepsie Journal panel on Parenting. I took phone calls and authored an article for a special section of the newspaper on Parenting.

1990- Author and Host of “Kidstuff”, a parenting program on local radio. The show is aired 10 times monthly. Each day a topic of interest to parents is discussed. The main focus is on practical parenting advice in all areas of Pediatrics, both medical and behavioral. In addition, I periodically appear as a guest on hour long call-in shows which feature live questions and answers about Pediatric issues.

1982- Frequent lecturer at area schools and community groups on topics of interest to parents. This service is provided at no cost through The Children’s Medical Group and Vassar Brothers Hospital Speakers Bureau.


**Last updated 3/01/05