Meet the Speakers
We’re proud to provide a platform for the most influential voices in the field. More speakers to be announced during the month of September so stay tuned! Check out our roster of speakers for the upcoming conference below, and read through their bios to get a better sense of what you can expect from their sessions.
Keynote: Dr. Charles S. Day, MD, MBA
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine and MSUCHM
Charles S. Day, MD, MBA, (he/him/his) has recently been appointed to be the System Director of Value Specialty Care at Henry Ford Health System. He is also the Executive Vice Chair and Chief of Hand Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Service Line. He holds dual academic appointments as a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at both Wayne State University School of Medicine as well as Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. He is a nationally renowned expert in hand, and wrist surgery with over 20 years of clinical experience. Dr. Day moved to Michigan in 2019, and previously served as the Chief of Orthopedic Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston from 2016 to 2019 and 2005 to 2015, respectively. He was also an Associate Professor in Orthopedic Surgery and the Director of the Orthopaedic Curriculum at Harvard Medical School from 2009 – 2016.
He has published over 95 peer reviewed papers and 40 chapters/ books. He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including 2022 Diversity Award at the American Association for Hand Surgery, 2011 American Orthopaedic Association – American, British, Canadian Fellowship Award, 2011 Sterling Bunnell Fellowship Award of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the 2010 Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard Medical School. He was born in Taipei and immigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old, and attended Stanford University and University of California, San Francisco Medical School. He completed his Orthopaedic residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and his hand surgery fellowship at Washington University, St. Louis.
Dr. Savitha Balaraman, M.D.
Clinical Hematology and Medical Oncology Physician
​
Dr. Balaraman (she/her/hers) is committed to providing cutting-edge cancer care and is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. She believes that it is a privilege and an honor to take care of patients during a difficult time in their lives. She prides herself on providing compassionate and personable care to her patients and their families.
Dr. Balaraman received her medical education from the prestigious Madras Medical College in India. She was among the top one percentile for medical students in her country. She later completed an Internal Medicine internship and residency at Wayne State University and a Medical Oncology fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.
A member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Dr. Balaraman also is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Medical Association and is on the board of directors for the Michigan Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.
She has won many honors and accolades, including the Best Teacher Award at Botsford Hospital and Hour Detroit’s 2008 and 2009 “Top Docs.” She teaches medical residents and students at Botsford Hospital.
Dr. Farha Abbasi, M.D.
Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Psychiatry at MSU, Core Faculty of Muslim Studies Program
Dr. Abbasi (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Michigan State University and core faculty member of the Muslim Studies Program. She is from Pakistan and settled in the United States in the year 2000 with her three daughters.
Her areas of interest are cultural psychiatry and teaching medical students how to provide culturally appropriate care to Muslim patients. She works directly with Muslim American community to encourage integration rather than isolation from mainstream society. In addition to her efforts to build bridges between the two cultures, Dr. Abbasi work as a psychiatrist has led her to address the barriers that stigmatize and silence mental health.
She is the founding director of the Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference. In addition, she launched a Global Muslim Mental Health Conference in Malaysia and Jordan. She is also the managing editor of the Journal of Muslim Mental Health and Director of the Muslim Mental Health Consortium, Michigan State University.
Dr. Abbasi has received numerous awards for her service to the community and promoting mental health and has served on many boards and committees including Council on Minority Mental Health and Health Disparities American Psychiatric Association. She currently chairs the Mental Health Task Force for the Mayor of Lansing, Michigan.
She works relentlessly and tirelessly towards one goal: Learning to coexist and go beyond our differences to reach the common point of peace and prosperity.
Dr. Justine Tran-Serrano, D.O. PGY-2
Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (ONMM) resident at MSUCOM
Justine Tran-Serrano (she/her/hers) is a 2nd year Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (ONMM) resident at MSUCOM. She graduated from WesternU/COMP in California where she completed a pre-doctoral teaching fellowship in ONMM. Prior to residency, she completed two medical missions to Vietnam and Myanmar where she treated patients in rural cities and the countryside. Her interests include meditation, foraging, and practicing foundation training. She believes in empowering her patients with a rehab-focused practice.
Dr. Hyunkag Cho
Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at MSU, PhD Program Director
Dr. Hyunkag Cho (he/him/his) is the Phd Program Director and an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. His research has focused on intimate partner violence (IPV), with a specific emphasis on physical and mental health outcomes, help seeking behaviors among IPV victims, including immigrants. Included in his research topics are victims’ perception of IPV, interpersonal and sociocultural factors affecting victims’ help seeking from various sources, including doctor, psychologist, and police, and the process of victims’ selecting a source of help. Rigorous data collection from ethnic minority communities and collaboration with culturally competent scholars are emphasized through his research.
Dr. Cathy Peltz
All of Us Research Program Representative
Dr. Cathy Peltz (she/her/hers) has developed a strong background in orthopedic research, epidemiology and patient-centered outcomes research. Dr. Peltz worked in the Bone and Joint Center at Henry Ford Health System (Henry Ford Health) conducting orthopedic research before joining the Henry Ford Health Department of Public Health Sciences to oversee the All of Us Research Program and focusing on precision medicine and patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). This move was motivated by her desire to do cross-discipline research between clinicians and epidemiologists. This approach brings the patient voice to forefront in research projects, the results from which can directly impact and improve the patient’s clinical care.