Lisa M. Dzitko, RN
Executive Director

Lisa brings a wealth of experience to SeniorBridge from Patient Care, Inc., where she was previously Branch Director/Administrator responsible for the development and execution of financial, operational, and clinical goals for this large home care agency, and before that, its Director of Clinical Services and Director of Nursing Operations. She has also served as Nursing Supervisor at the Bayonne Visiting Nurse Association, ensuring appropriate care to its elderly Medicare and hospice clients. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Molloy College in Rockville Center and Nurse Case Manager certification from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. She has been a Certified Case Manager since 1983.

Kristi Catallo, RN, CMC
Associate Executive Director

Kristi Catallo joined SeniorBridge in May 2004. Before SeniorBridge, she spent 13 years with Patient Care, Inc. in Essex County, most recently as Vice President of Risk Management. Her responsibilities in this position included infection control and safety program development, as well as insurance oversight and claims management. Previous clinical experience included over 10 years in obstetric, emergency room, surgical and infectious disease nursing. Ms. Catallo holds licenses as a Registered Nurse in New York and New Jersey and is a member of the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management. She is an active member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Ms. Catallo is a graduate of the State University of New York at Alfred.

Odalis Cortes, RN
Director of Client Services

Odalis is a Registered Nurse who most recently worked in Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Acute Care for the Elderly Unit, where she managed an inpatient geriatric unit that implemented the Hartford Institute’s “Best Practices in Care for Older Adults” guidelines. She was also previously a Home Care Nurse at Mount Sinai’s Home Health Agency, assessing the comprehensive needs of adult and geriatric patients and at Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Services, providing case management for both geriatric and pediatric/maternal health patients. As well as earning an Associate Degree in Nursing from Orange County Community College, Odalis obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at Lehman College School of Nursing. She gathered data on the prevention of pressure ulcers for a Mount Sinai Hospital study and presented findings on the importance of mouth care in the elderly population at a Mount Sinai geriatric conference.

Michelle K. Schroeder, RN
Director of Client Services

Michelle has over 30 years' of nursing experience in a variety of healthcare settings. Over 20 years of her experience has been in the home care setting, working for Certified and Non Certified Home Care Agencies. During her 20 years in home care she has worked as a Visiting Nurse, Staff Educator and Clinical Supervisor as well as teaching CHHA classes. Other experience includes Discharge Planning, Case Management and Supervision in the hospital setting. Michelle has worked with all ages from neonate to the geriatric population and her primary focus is quality patient/client care. She received her RN diploma at the Beth Israel School of Nursing in New York.

Marsha Flowers, MSW
Director of Professional Relations

That Marsha Flowers' unique career path took her to the doors of SeniorBridge was perfect. Her professional background integrates social work and sales and marketing. She is a psychiatric social worker with extensive, diverse experience that encompasses safe hospital discharge planning, family counseling on effective communication with relatives with dementia, and leading story-telling groups with Alzheimer's patients. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Marsha held the position of Sub-Acute Social Worker at Jewish Home and Hospital. She was a Geriatric Social Worker at Schulman and Schachne Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and held the position of Senior Account Manager for Wilson Learning Company, where she was responsible for selling and managing major training and development projects. She graduated from the University of Texas and earned her Masters in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis.

Barbara E. Katz, MA
Director of Professional Relations

Barbara joined SeniorBridge in 2006 as the Director of Recruitment and is now Director of Professional Relations. Before joining us, she was a Recruiter of clinical and nonclinical staff at the Hospital for Special Surgery and clinical staff at St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in New York City. In her diverse career, Barbara has also been Placement Manager for an IT company, Training Manager for a graphic arts/advertising company, and Manager of Education and Training at Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Previously, Barbara taught third grade at The Dalton School. Barbara obtained her BS in Psychology/Communications from Montclair University and an MA in Curriculum Design from Long Island University.

Rebecca Rosenzweig, MBA
Director of Professional Relations

Rebecca has over ten years of experience in the field of eldercare. For the past five years, she worked as Community Relations Director at Carnegie East House, an assisted living community, where she was responsible for educating prospects and their families about eldercare issues and housing options. In addition she worked with geriatric organizations to be able to service the community as a whole. She has been on the board of the East Side Council for The Aging for over six years, is currently the Vice Chair, and has served as Treasurer. She went to college at the University of Massachutes at Amherst, and has a degree in Psychology. She is currently completing her MBA in healthcare from the University of Phoenix.

Sharon Levi, CMC
Care Manager Supervisor

Sharon was previously Director of Community Relations and Acting Director of Sales for Marriott Senior Living Services in Bergen and Rockland Counties. She also served as the Director of Admissions at Northfield Manor Nursing Home in Essex County and Leasing Director and Community Relations Representative at Atria Assisted Living in Westchester and Rockland Counties. She sold Prudential Health Care's Medicare insurance and GE Capital's Long-Term Care insurance to New York seniors. Before that, Sharon ran her own business, The Learning Continuum Corp, which provided training resources to organizations. She was also a Sales Consultant for the Vital Learning Corp, training staff in Fortune 500 companies, and for McGraw-Hill Training Systems. Sharon has a BA in History and an MS in Education from Hunter College, and is currently completing a Certificate in Geriatric Care Management at Hunter.

Michele Senbertrand, BSN, RN
Senior Care Manager

Before joining SeniorBridge, Michele was a Field Nurse at St. Vincent's Hospital Home Care Department, managing and providing direct care of homebound patients with acute and chronic conditions such as diabetes, stroke, COPD, and paraplegia, as well as teaching families and caregivers about these conditions and approproiate interventions. She is a trained psychotherapist and has worked in various settings including private practice. Michele had also been Clinical Coordinator at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, responsible for patient enrollment and teaching, and a Clinical Nurse at Mt. Sinai's spinal cord injury rehabilitation unit. Michele earned a BS in Nursing, summa cum laude, at the SUNY Health Science Center's School of Nursing. She is currently pursuing a Master's of Nursing at Hunter College in the adult/geriatric nurse practitioner program.

Patricia Charles, LMSW
Care Manager

Patricia has been a social work professional in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations for the past 30 years. She is a highly skilled care manager, as well as a lecturer and educator. Patricia recently served as Educational Manager in an evidence-based medicine and cultural competency research project for medical professionals at Bronx Lebanon Hospital. For 18 years she was also senior case manager/social worker at Jarvie Commonweal Services in New York, assisting older clients to navigate their environment, healthcare, and life transitions. She has worked as an Adjunct Professor of Gerontology at York College since 1993. Patricia obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Columbia University and a Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University, and is a Licensed Master of Social Work in New York State. She is Co-founder of the National Association for African American Social Workers on Aging and is a Cultural Consultant for Oregon Center for Applied Research.

Barbara Curd, RN, BSN
Care Manager

Barbara was formerly a staff nurse at Rochester General Hospital/ViaHealth, caring for high-acuity respiratory patients, while working as a nurse with a hospice team at the Visiting Nurse Service of Rochester and Monroe County and as an RN/Case Manager on its Hospice and Palliative Care team. She has also coordinated care for the terminally ill at Isaiah House in Rochester and was a staff nurse at Highland Hospital's acute care med-surg unit. Barbara is a freelance writer and editor for professional and consumer publications as well, and before becoming a nurse, was Managing Editor/Manager of Test Development for the Professional Examination Service of New York. She earned a BS in Nursing from St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY, and studied journalism at Syracuse University and science and psychology at SUNY Buffalo. Barbara is working toward a Master of Public Administration degree with an emphasis in healthcare at SUNY Brockport.

Martine B. Dobrescu, RN, BSN
Care Manager

Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Martine served as a charge and primary care nurse in the Acute Care Psychiatric Unit at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, where among other duties, she educated patients and families on the prevention of relapse. She has supervised nurses and worked directly with geriatric inpatients at various subacute and long-term care facilities in the metropolitan area through Best Care Inc. Martine earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at Hunter Bellevue College of Nursing and an AAS degree in Nursing at Queensborough Community College. She is currently completing a Master of Science degree in Nursing in the Stony Brook University Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Practitioner Program. She is a registered professional nurse in New York and a member of the New York State Nurses Association and American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

Sheila M. Evangelista, LCSW
Care Manager

Prior to Senior Bridge, Sheila provided care assessment and counseling for Value Options, a managed care company. Previously, she had been a psychiatric social worker at Holliswood and New York Presbyterian Hospitals. She earned a BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and an MSW from the Columbia University School of Social Work. Fluent in Spanish, she participated in clinical research studies at Holliswood Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. SIFI course trained from Adelphi University, she supervised social work students at Holliswood hospital.

Robert W. Hofman
Care Manager

Rob has been a Geriatric Care Manager for the past 12 years. Since 2000, he has designed and taught exercise programs for the elderly, including balance improvement and fall prevention, both one-on-one and in small groups, specializing in the frail and memory-impaired older adult. He works as an Exercise Specialist for the Elderly, Advanced Personal Trainer and Chi Gong Group Instructor in New York. Rob finds Tai Chi and Chi Gong, combined with regular exercises and breathing very useful for improving overall well being, strength, flexibility, endurance and balance. He earned a Masters degree in Psychology at the State University in Groningen, the Netherlands, is certified by the National Academy of Certified Care Managers and the American College of Sports Medicine. Rob's motto is "fun and functional."

Debra M. Jacobs, RN
Care Manager

Debra most recently worked as a Teaching and Research Nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Stony Brook University Hospital. She pursued the Critical Care track in a Nurse Residency Program at Stony Brook and had clinical nursing experience at Stony Brook University Hospital and other area hospitals in Manhattan and Long Island. Prior to that, she was a home health aide and dermatologist's medical assistant while pursuing her nursing studies. Debra has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Stony Brook and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Natural Science from Loyola College in Baltimore. She spent a junior year abroad at the University of Newcastle, UK. She is currently in Stony Brook's graduate program pursuing an advanced practice nursing degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner and will graduate in 2009.

Donna E. McCabe, MA, APRN-BC, GNP
Care Manager

Donna was Nurse Manager of the Acute Care for the Elderly Unit at Mount Sinai Medical Center and previously a Geriatric Nurse Specialist there. At the same time, she was a per diem Geriatric Nurse Practitioner with EverCare and United Health Care, and a part-time Clinical Instructor and Nurse Manager at NYU. She has coauthored journal articles and presented on aspects of eldercare at professional meetings and conferences. Donna is working toward Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She has a Master of Arts degree from NYU in Advanced Practice Nursing-Elderly, where she was a Distinguished Graduate, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh.

Nancy S. O'Dell, RN
Care Manager

Prior to joining us, Nancy worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering in the Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Before that, as a Patient Services Specialist at Weill Cornell Medical Center, Nancy acted as an advocate and resource for patients, families, and staff, and was responsible for quality assurance. Nancy was previously a Staff Nurse in the Cardiac Telemetry Step Down Unit of the hospital and, before that, a Nurse Educator for Pfizer in a summer community outreach project with Hispanics. Earlier she served as a Home Care per diem RN with the Visiting Nurse Regional Association of Brooklyn's Acute Care Team. Nancy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Pace University and is currently working toward a Master of Science in Nursing degree at Pace. She is a Licensed Registered Nurse in New York State.

Bina Luft Pribula, RN
Care Manager

In the past 37 years, Bina has prepared herself in many ways for her work now with SeniorBridge. As the sole School Nurse at a Brooklyn public school, she was responsible for the well-being of 800 children, developing relationships with them and their families as well as educating staff and families in individual and group sessions. Concurrently she was a Legal Nurse Consultant and Court Evaluator for Alleged Incapacitated Persons. Bina also worked as a Home Care Nurse at Mount Sinai Home Care, handling complex cases and doing patient assessment with an interdisciplinary team. She was a Nurse Consultant at the Counseling Center EDNY and an Intensive Case Manager with the Visiting Nurse Service, as well as Inservice Educator for the Nursing Staff for eldercare at the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens. A Registered Nurse, Bina earned an AAS in Nursing at Kingsborough Community College and a BA in Psychology at Lehman College.

Beverly Pearrear, RN, BSN
Care Manager

In more than 30 years of nursing, serving many different healthcare populations, Beverly has developed special expertise in homecare. Most recently, she was a nurse educator of homecare aides at People Care Holdings, case manager/field nurse at Englewood Hospital's Home Health Department, coordinating services for patients and families, and a nurse/case manager for geriatric patients and staff at Co-op Care Plan of Hebrew Hospital Home. Beverly has served as a home health RN case manager at Montefiore's Home Health Agency and for GHI Home Care. She was Primary RN at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center on an inpatient unit caring for adult patients with serious debilitating conditions and on the trauma surgical unit at Harlem Hospital. Beverly earned her BSN at St. Peter's College in Englewood Cliffs and an AAS degree in Nursing at Columbia Presbyterian's Clark School of Nursing.

Jean Marie Reisman, MS, RN
Care Manager

Jean was formerly a Geriatric Clinical Coordinator and a Clinical Nurse on the Acute Care for the elderly unit at Mount Sinai Medical Center. During this time she collected data for an NIH grant to study the use of physical restraints and therapy disruption and presented on different aspects of geriatric care at conferences and professional meetings. She is a licensed Registered Professional Nurse, certified in Cardiac Life Support, and received the Margret S. Wolf Hirschberg Scholarship. She received her bachelor's degree from Villanova University and her Master's degree from New York University. In addition to her duties at SeniorBridge Jean Marie is currently working as Manager of Physician Access Services at Mount Sinai Medical Center where she is involved in patient referrals, staff recruitment and multiple professional collaborations.

Susan Roue, RN
Care Manager

Susan's experiences as Staff Nurse and Supervisor at Dundas Manor, a long-term care residence in Ontario, and Clinical Coordinator at an Ottawa nursing home were the most recent in a nursing career stretching back more than 30 years. She started her career as a General Staff Nurse at St. John's General Hospital in Newfoundland. Susan has also worked as a Staff Nurse for Saudia Airlines in Jeddah and a School Nurse at an international school in Caracas. In between, she served in nursing homes, Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, the Family Service of Westchester, and other hospital and home health care settings. Susan has a diploma as a Registered Nurse from St. John's General Hospital and has taken a Registered Refresher Course in Med-Surgical and Maternity nursing. She is licensed as a Registered Professional Nurse in New York State and Ontario.

Anita Leifer, BA
Care Manager Assistant

Before joining SeniorBridge, Anita oriented residents and families to Carnegie East House, an assisted living facility, and worked in administration, marketing and activities. Anita had also been a volunteer at Health Advocates for Older People, assisting the Executive Director. Before her introduction to elder care, she had been a Partner and Director of Office Services at Bozell Advertising and Director of Human Resources and Operations at the Stock Market Photo Agency. Anita has also served as Manager of Human Resources/Office Services at Chiat/Day Advertising, Director of Human Resources/Office Services for Arista Records, and Project Manager/Office Services Director at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College and obtained Certificates of Gerontology from Marymount Manhattan College and the Consortium of NY Geriatric Education Center.

Ruth Farrago
Vice President of Regional Operations

Ruth Farrago has over 20 years of experience in health care administration. She was the Administrator of an inpatient and outpatient comprehensive Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Division at Downstate Medical Centers in Brooklyn. She has an extensive background in home care marketing and management having worked for St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers as the Director of Intake and was then the Branch Manager/Administrator at New York Health Care. Ruth was also the Executive Director of Sunrise Assisted Living of East Meadow where she was responsible for the daily operations of the facility, client and family satisfaction, management of the sales and marketing team and coordinated community outreach and events. Ruth has a Bachelors of Science from SUNY College of Oneonta where she majored in Business Economics and she is currently completing a Masters Degree at Long Island University specializing in Gerontology.