Board Members
Jeffrey E Heck, MD
Executive Director
Dr. Heck is Professor of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina and the Founder and Executive Director of Shoulder to Shoulder, a non-profit charitable organization that is a network of partnerships between 13 Academic Health Centers and a network of poor rural communities in Honduras, Ecuador and Tanzania.
Dr. Heck served as president of the International Health Medical Education Consortium (Now GHEC) from 1999-2001. In 2004, he received the Power to Change our World Award from the Family Medicine Education Consortium and in 2000 he was chosen as the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians Educator of the Year. In August of 2007 he received the University of Toledo, School of Medicine, Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Heck was the Residency Program Director of the University of Cincinnati Family Medicine Residency from 1991-1999. He founded the international health tract for the residency. He was Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the Mountain Area Health Education Center from 2004-2007 until he stepped down to devote more time to Shoulder to Shoulder.
Dr. Heck has been married to Cathy Heck since 1976 and has five children. They currently live in Asheville, North Carolina where Dr. Heck still works part time for the Mountain Area Health Education Center and Mission.
Arthur Joseph Ranz, DDS
Chief Operating Officer
As a graduate of Ohio State U and the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, he is in private practice of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, is married to Ginger and they have 3 children in professional careers. Most all of his family is involved in Shoulder to Shoulder.
Originally, he became involved with the project in helping to start the dental division. His duties include making the dreams of the rest of the board come true with financial, logistical, communication and human resource responsibilities. Coordination of the new building expansion falls under his day to day duties. Actually, he is most happy setting up an internet system, driving a truck on the dirt roads, or fixing some physical plant problem when in Honduras. Hobbies include golf, biking, sailing, and cave diving.
Wayne Waite, Esq
President
Mr. Wayne Waite is committed to principle that the poor need an advocate and that poverty is urgent. He is a shareholder with the law firm Freund, Freeze and Arnold and served as the original incorporator of Shoulder to Shoulder, Inc. as well as incorporating Association Hombro a Hombro in Honduras. Both organizations are tax exempt charitable organizations with the same mission. Mr. Waite, along with Dr. Heck and Dr. Ranz, serve on Shoulder to Shoulder’s and Hombro a Hombro’s Executive Committees.
Mr. Waite has been married to Christina Waite M.D. since 1976, has two boys, Daniel and Brian and currently live in Xenia, Ohio. His law practice is based in Dayton, Ohio were he specializes in commercial litigation and the representation of medical providers.
Richard E Buten, PhD
Director Management Systems
Dick became involved in Shoulder to Shoulder almost 5 years ago based on an invitation by Art Ranz. His early work included construction and assisting Art in various computer and communications projects. More recently, he has been working on a comprehensive Health Information System to support the execution of a contract with the Honduran government and raise the level of our execution of integrated community-based health care and the development of the Shoulder to Shoulder organization.
Dick graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati majoring in physics. He received his MS in physics and PhD in Computer Sciences from Purdue University. He was retired from Procter & Gamble after a career of 27 years where he held various technical and managerial positions on the company's Information Technology function. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Xavier University. He also did consulting for a number of major companies and is involved in a family real estate development business. Hobbies include golf, tennis, photography and cave diving.
Sharon Mullen
Family Practice Residency Coordinator
Sharon has worked in an administrative position with the University of Cincinnati (UC) Family Medicine Residency for more than 29 years and with Shoulder to Shoulder since its beginnings. Her life's interest in working with Latinos found outlet in working with Shoulder to Shoulder in Honduras and lead to the founding of a Spanish-speaking work at her church in which she and her husband are involved. Sharon speaks Spanish fluently (but not perfectly) and knows Sign Language.
Sharon has been married for almost 30 years and she and her husband have two children. Their son is a computer consultant based in Fairfax, VA, and their daughter is a junior at UC who also aspires to work with Latinos (Spanish is one of her two minor degrees). Sharon’s hobbies include vegetable gardening and raising Rhode Island Reds (chickens).
Maria Montanaro, MSW
President/CEO, Thundermist Health Center of Woonsocket
Ms. Montanaro has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Thundermist Health Center for the past nine years. Thundermist is a private, non-profit community health center serving over 25,000 patients in Rhode Island. With a staff of over 250 employees and an annual operating budget of 16 million dollars annually, Thundermist provides over 100,000 comprehensive primary health care visits a year, in medical, dental and behavioral health care through its eight health center sites, which includes school-based health centers, homeless shelters, a mobile dental clinic and large comprehensive primary care facilities in Woonsocket, West Warwick and Wakefield, Rhode Island. Under her leadership, Thundermist has received state, regional and national recognition for excellence in promoting high quality primary care to the medically underserved and for its innovative leadership in community health.
Ms. Montanaro’s career in community health spans 19 years at the executive management level. She holds an M.S.W. from the University of Illinois in health policy and a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts. She is involved in global health projects in Latin America, including Thundermist’s Shoulder to Shoulder project in Honduras and as an organizational consultant to the Global Health Education Consortium.
Ms. Montanaro is a dedicated health care advocate for poor, disenfranchised and vulnerable populations in the US and globally. She is actively involved in health care policy and system reform, particularly as it relates to primary care. She also advocates for breast cancer treatment and research.
Her current professional Board affiliations include: Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Vice President), Rhode Island Public Expenditures Council (Trustee), Electronic Health Records of RI (Secretary), The Molar Express (Secretary), Shoulder to Shoulder (Treasurer), RI Health Centers Association (Past Chair), Woman and Infants’ Hospital’s Breast Health Center Steering Committee, RI Quality Institute’s HIT Steering Committee and Policy/Legal Committee, National Association of Community Health Centers Health Policy Committee and Pay for Performance Subcommittee, Robert Graham Center (AAFP) Advisory Board and the RI State Task Force on Medicaid Reimbursement.
Emily Harrison, MD, MPH
Brown University, Department of Family Medicine
Emily is a family doctor in Pawtucket, Rhode Island where she is part of a practice which cares for Latina women and families. She is also a clinical faculty member in the Brown University Department of Family Medicine, where her special interests include obstetrics as well as medical and psychiatric illness during pregnancy. Emily helps to run both the Women’s Health Initiative and the Brown/Guachipilincito partnership.
She speaks Spanish, French, and a little Modern Greek. Outside of medicine and her work with Shoulder to Shoulder, she enjoys running, gardening, baking, sailing, working on her house, and spending time with her family, especially her husband and their yellow Labrador, Rosie.
Melanie Sanders and Roy Sanders, MD
Tampa, FL
Melanie was born in El Progreso, a small town on the outskirts of San Pedro Sula in Honduras. She is a Physician Assistant, graduating from St. John’s University in New York City. For the past few years she has been a full time mom to three college aged daughters, and together with her husband, Roy, has been involved with Shoulder to Shoulder. Melanie and Roy’s focus is on the development of the medical clinic in Concepcion. Melanie’s passion for this project stems from the poverty she experienced growing up in El Progreso. Another very important component of her focus is her commitment to education as she sees this as a key element in breaking the cycle of poverty. At this point in her life she would like to give back to those who are less fortunate.
Roy is a self avowed workaholic. As an orthopedic surgeon, he has many friends in the medical profession who would also like to share their expertise, but need facilities in Honduras in which to utilize their skills. Roy shares his wife’s interest in giving back to her native country. On a recent visit to Concepcion, he told the committee that ‘Honduras gave me my wife, now I want to give something back to Honduras.
Andrew Bazemore, MD, MPH
Assistant Director, The Robert Graham Center
Andrew is the Assistant Director of the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Primary Care. Prior to his current position, Dr. Bazemore was an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Family Medicine, where he completed his residency training, faculty development fellowship in International Health and directed the international health program. He has served on the board of the Global Health Education Consortium (previously IHMEC) since 1998.
He also remains engaged in global health activities as the immediate past-Chairman of the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine International Committee and as a board member of Shoulder to Shoulder International. He has worked in community development for health at various Shoulder to Shoulder sites in Honduras annually since 1997, and also has global health project experience in Bolivia, South Africa, rural Scotland, and Brazil.
Dr. Bazemore also practices and teaches at the Virginia Commonwealth University - Fairfax Family Practice Residency Program, where he co-coordinates their global health curriculum and directs a travel clinic. Additionally, he serves on the faculty of the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University.
Dr. Bazemore received his B.A. degree from Davidson College, his M.D. from the University of North Carolina, his M.P.H. from Harvard University, and is a Diplomate of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Susan T. Kaye, MD
Chair, Department of Family Practice
Susan became involved with Shoulder to Shoulder in 2003 when she met Dr. Jeff Heck at a professional organization on international health, the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine. Her special interest is in the development of the clinic in Concepcion and the organization itself. To date, the Josephson Foundation has supported Shoulder to Shoulder with $205,000 over a three year period.
On a personal note, Susan has two children. Her daughter, Alecia, has spent considerable time in Honduras working with Shoulder to Shoulder. Her son, Evan, is a college student and interested in continuing his studies in medical school. Susan loves to travel, and especially to Honduras!
Ricardo Irias
Ricardo’s Restaurant
Ricardo is a long time benefactor of Shoulder to Shoulder. Educated as an engineer in the US, he and his wife Janet returned to his home town and presently own and operate Ricardo's Resturant in La Ceiba, Honduras. It has been recognized as one of the finest resturants in Central America. He has been involved from the beginning, facilitating in country logistice, providing interpretors and cooks for brigades.
Ricardo has contributed to the growth of Shoulder to Shoulder in too many ways to list. He continously travels to Intibuca when the need arises to help move the project forward. He is a very accomplished dancer.
Blanca Argueta
Presidenta, Hombro a Hombro
Blanca Miriam Argueta is the President of the Hombro a Hombro Board in Santa Lucia, Intibuca. This is a non-paying position in which only the most committed of people would be interested. Blanca serves with aplomb and efficiency. Blanca is a teacher and administrator in the school system in Intibuca (the department [state]) in which the Shoulder to Shoulder Clinic is located in Santa Lucia. Her experience and skills as both a teacher and administrator, combined with her honored status within the community, make her an outstanding leader for the non-profit board of directors in Santa Lucia. She has a long-standing history with the board, having first served as the Recording Secretary before being elected as its President.
Blanca lives in, and serves, the community of Santa Lucia on many levels aside from her role as Board President. Blanca teaches Sunday School in the local evangelical church and works on projects (water for an example) that serve to better the lives and livelihoods of her fellow citizens.
Gregory A. Reinhart, Ph.D.
Vice President of Research and Nutrition
Greg Reinhart is an alumnus of The Ohio State University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 1983, his Master of Science degree in Non-Ruminant Nutrition in 1985, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Nutritional Biochemistry in 1989. Dr. Reinhart joined Ross Laboratories’ Medical Nutrition Department in 1989 as a clinical researcher working with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, delivery of novel nutrients for hospitalized critical care patients, endurance athletes, veterinary enteral formulas and foal feeding devices.
In 1990 he accepted a position in Research and Development with The Iams Company, a leading premium pet food manufacturer, where he attained the position of Vice President of Strategic Research and Communications. After The Iams Company was acquired by Procter and Gamble in 1999, he continued in this role and later assumed additional responsibilities as Director, Technology Development for Procter and Gamble’s global Pet Care business. His research interests include fatty acid metabolism, fiber fermentation, mineral metabolism, neonatal and maternal nutrition, nutritional immunology, obesity, and the role of nutrition on cognition and well-being. Dr. Reinhart has also been actively involved in investigating the nutritional needs and exercise-induced changes in Alaskan sled dogs. He was awarded the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association Tom Cooley Memorial Research Award for these efforts.
Dr. Reinhart has published over 150 scientific papers and abstracts in peer reviewed journals, is the co-editor of Recent Advances In Canine and Feline Nutrition, Volumes II and III, and an inventor on 12 United States patents. The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has recognized him with a distinguished alumni award for his contributions to the pet food industry. He is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and an active member in other professional scientific organizations. In 2007, Dr. Reinhart joined The Mathile Institute as Vice President of Research and Nutrition where he will leverage his training and experience in the agricultural, human medical and pet food industries to help alleviate hunger and malnutrition in children and their families.
Dr. Reinhart resides in Dayton, Ohio. His interests include hiking, reading, beekeeping, hunting, travelling and spending time with his children and family. He serves on the national advisory board for the Wright State University College of Science and Mathematics and is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University.
