Renee Brown, PT, PhD
Dr. Renee Brown is Sr. Associate Dean for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Belmont University. Her specialty is in the area of neuroscience and neurologic rehabilitation. Dr. Brown has publications and numerous national and state presentations on topics including interprofessional education, neurologic rehabilitation, seating and mobility and neuroscience. She has been involved in international medical service in Bangladesh, Ghana, Guatemala, and Honduras. She has served on the HRF board since 2015.
Cecile Romiette Auguste PT, MBA
Cecile Romiette Auguste is a Physical Therapist from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After finishing high school in her hometown she was awarded a full excellence scholarship by the Taiwan Government. For the next 7 years she lived in Taipei and pursued her bachelor's at the prestigious National Taiwan University and then her MBA in Healthcare Administration. With diploma in hand, she returned to Haiti to give back to the society. She worked as a PT at the Institut Haitien de Rehabilitation and because she has a passion for education she was the PT program coordinator at UNIFA and later the vice dean of FSRL. She also taught healthcare Administration and physical therapy at two other schools. Her dream is to open a Nursing/Rehab facility in Haiti. She moved to the US in 2020 and intends to keep teaching Haitian students online and to get her doctorate degree either in Physical Therapy, administration or education. She is also a wife and mother of a boy and a girl.
Marjorie Dimanche
Marjorie Dimanche, also known to her friends as Gabrielle or Gabby, was born and raised in Haiti. She received training in physical therapy as an apprentice to a PT from England, at St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children in Port-au-Prince. She worked as the principal therapy provider and clinic supervisor for ten years. In 1999 she received a visa to travel to the US to work. She started her legal application for US citizenship, which is still in process today in 2014. Even though Gabby had experience working as a therapy provider, she did not have the academic degree needed to do the same work in the US. She became a Certified Nursing Assistant, studied English, and worked at two or sometimes three jobs so that she could send money to support the education and daily needs of her husband and two children in Haiti. She has accompanied rehabilitation teams from the US to Haiti, working as a translator for medical caregivers.
Catherine Feintuch, PhD
Dr. Catherine Feintuch, obtained her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in September 2015. Her research focused on immune and genetic factors associated with the progression and severity of pediatric cerebral malaria. Additionally, Dr. Feintuch completed a Certificate in Public Health, which included coursework in epidemiology, biostatistics and global health. Dr. Feintuch has conducted field research in Blantyre, Malawi. While pursuing her research in Malawi, Dr. Feintuch worked closely with rehab therapists who improved the lives of children disabled by infectious disease.
Janis Handte, MPH
Janis Handte, Treasurer of HRF, recently retired from 25 years in corporate consulting. She was a senior director in research and development at a global human capital consulting firm, where she managed analytic projects related to employee health care benefits for corporate clients. Janis has graduate degrees in public health and in research methods applied to social science, and holds a certificate in data science. Outside of work, Janis has held a variety of volunteer positions in her community, including serving as treasurer for her home owners' association and serving in various roles for her church, including treasurer and senior warden.
Zara Harris
Zara Harris, MS Occupational Therapy, semi-retired after a 40-year distinguished career working with children, teens and adults providing evaluation, assessment, and treatment for problems associated with learning difficulties and ADHD. Over the course of her career, Zara worked in schools and clinics in many countries, including England, France, US, Germany, Czech Republic, South Africa, and Argentina. In addition, Zara has participated as a volunteer on medical missions to St. Vincent’s Center in Haiti, and has taught at FSRL.
Beatrice C. Hector, OTD, OTR/L
Dr. Beatrice Hector is an occupational therapist, and owner of a private pediatric OT practice in Brooklyn, NY (Sensory Street Pediatric Occupational Therapy, P.C.). She received her undergraduate OT degree from Howard University in 1993, and doctorate in OT from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Dr. Hector has years of experience working at multiple medical facilities with the adult and pediatric population (NYC hospitals, homecare, early intervention, school base). Born and raised in Brooklyn by Haitian parents, Dr. Hector learned the value of hard work and entrepreneurship at an early age. Dr. Hector is passionate about giving back to communities and dedicates time to increase awareness of how OT helps people live life to the fullest. In 2010, Dr. Hector authored her first children's book (Ooh That's Icky!) and received a citation by the Nassau county Mayor, Andrew Hardwick, for her contribution to the "Literary Community". In 2018 she celebrated her 25th anniversary of practicing OT by visiting Haiti for the first time and volunteered to lecture at Faculté des Sciences de Réhabilitation de Léogâne (FSRL); her father's home town. Her pride and joy are her three children and appreciation of continuous support from her family. She is excited, honored, and enjoys being an active board member of HRF and facilitating its mission.
Dr. David Morrisette, PhD
Dr. David Morrisette is a tenured professor and director at the Medical University of South Carolina in the Division of Physical Therapy. He is a licensed PT in South Carolina and Georgia, and is the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in teaching. Dr, Morrisette’s areas of specialization are osteoarthritis and chronic pain complications following spinal cord injuries. He currently the principal investigator for a multi-year research grant regarding management of lower back pain. Dr. Morrisette has been a contributor to the FSRL curriculum committee and, in 2016, began serving as a volunteer faculty member for the FSRL program on campus in Léogâne
Emily Steedman, OTR/L
Emily holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Saint Louis University, and is a certified Resident Assessment Coordinator (RAC-CT). She guest lectures at Saint Louis University and Dominican University OT programs and is a Trusted Advisor on the national speaker circuit. She is the Senior Director of Strategic Growth for Consonus Rehab and also serves on the company’s Vital Life Foundation Ambassador Board.
She has volunteered in rural and urban settings within Haiti since 2001, developing sustainable rehab programs and educating Haitians in the field of rehab. One of the greatest weeks of her life was building the course content and teaching a Team and Patient Communication class at FSRL for the first class of OT/PT graduates. As a board member with HRF, she serves on the Development Committee and enjoys networking to engage other like-minded professionals with the opportunity to support rehab advancements in Haiti in unique ways.
Linda Robinson PT, MSPT
Linda Robinson has practiced in Outpatient Orthopedics and Sports Medicine for the last 30 years. She is certified in Pilates and Dry Needling, and specializes in adolescent injuries, movement retraining for athletes, and restoring difficult diagnoses to optimal function. She began volunteering in Haiti as part of a medical team that treated patients in Grand Goave and remote sites, but desired to have a bigger impact on the health of the Haitian people by training other therapists. She joined FSRL in 2016 as an instructor on a variety of topics and also provides mini clinics on the use and application of Kinesiotape, IASTM, and other therapeutic interventions for the students. Linda organizes the English club and speaks regularly with current and former students/therapists. She also interviews the senior students to write their bios that appear on FB. She greatly hopes to return to Haiti to teach in person, and to reconnect with her students.
Tom Tamlyn
Tom Tamlyn, HRF Secretary, Tom Tamlyn, HRF Secretary, is a retired lawyer who lives in Rockport, Massachusetts. He previously lived in New York City. He graduated from the Choir School of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1967 and from Collegiate School in 1971. He received a B.A. from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland in 1976 and a J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law in 1981. From 1981 through 2022 he practiced in New York City as a lawyer specializing in business litigation.
Renée Rains OTD, OTR/L
Dr. Renée Rains is the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator and Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her specialty area of practice is in pediatrics. Her current research is focused on evidence-based OT education and its relevance to international programs.
She has been involved in international medical service in Haiti and in international OT education at FSRL and in Brazil.
David Merlo, MS, COTA/L CPRP, ROH
David Merlo worked in academia for over 27 years. In 2022 he returned to community practice, serving as Managing Director of Restoration Society, Inc. (www.RSIWNY.org), a community organization serving people with serious mental health conditions in Buffalo, NY. He served on the board of directors of the American Occupational Therapy Association and has held volunteer leadership roles within New York State Occupational Therapy Association, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, and Consortium of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Educators. David’s passion for Haiti grew out of a chance encounter, and now friendship, with an occupational therapy colleague who grew up in Haiti. After several trips there to participate in medical outreach missions, as well as to help build a rehabilitation clinic with his friend’s nonprofit organization, David is committed to fostering mutually beneficial relationships among students, educators, and practitioners of the two countries.
Andrea Trombley PT, DPT
Andrea Trombley is the owner of Andrea Trombley PT and Yoga, an online business serving women over 50. She has been fortunate enough to travel to Haiti three times to both teach at FSRL, as well as volunteer with STAND: The Haiti Project. She earned a Master’s in Physical Therapy from Northern Arizona University and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the College of St. Scholastica. She has worked as a clinician, primarily outpatient orthopedics, for many years, and has also worked at the University of Vermont in the Department of Rehab Sciences, as both an adjunct faculty and research coordinator. She resides in both Vermont and New Mexico.
Jean Marc Brissau
Jean Marc Brissau joined Notre Dame Law School as graduate programs manager in April 2020. Prior to joining the Law School, Brissau was the Haiti Program country director, funded by the University of Notre Dame, through the College of Science. In that capacity, Brissau played a leadership role in the University's engagement in collaborative efforts to mitigate the incidence of lymphatic filariasis in Haiti. In addition to his work with the Haiti Program, Brissau founded a school to provide free education for the less fortunate in his hometown of Léogâne in 2017. Brissau is also a Rotarian, having held the position of assistant district governor from 2016 to 2019. Brissau has also been recognized several times for his selfless service to his fellow Haitians, including for his leadership in responding to the humanitarian crisis that enveloped Haiti and specifically Léogâne after a major earthquake in 2010. He was awarded a Notre Dame Presidential Award in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the University in 2010. Since 2019 Brissau has been teaching the leadership and management seminar at FSRL , in his hometown of Léogâne. Brissau graduated from the Law School’s Human Rights LL.M. Program in 2008. He is married to Marie Michelle Brissau-Nestor and they have two children, Jean Marc Sébastien and Mark-Mitchell Sterlyn Brissau.
Janet O’Flynn, OTD. Ex-officio, Non-voting
Janet O’Flynn is a pediatric occupational therapist. She has a master's in education and an OT doctorate in program development in OT. Janet O'Flynn and her husband moved to Haiti in 2015 to open the FSRL program. Dean O'Flynn has worked from home, in Kalispell Montana, since the outbreak of Covid in March 2020.
Bergson Louis-Jacques, OTR/L
Bergson Louis-Jacques is an occupational therapist and business owner. He was born in Haiti and now lives and works in Pennsylvania. Mr Louis-Jacques earned his OT degree from Utica College in Utica, NY. He and his associates at Helping Hands and Beyond opened a medical clinic in Miragoâne, Haiti, where medical and therapy services are provided. Their volunteer efforts for the clinic, called Helping Hands, began in Feb. 2010 and continue to this day.
Charlotte Chatto, PT, PhD
Dr. Chatto has 35 years of physical therapy clinical experience in acute and critical care, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient, and home health with adults and pediatrics. She is Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy. She has 27 years of academic experience, with Emerita status at Augusta University since 2021. She is currently a Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at The University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky. Dr. Chatto has been honored for her roles, with Outstanding Faculty, Distinguished Service, and Outstanding Clinical Educator. She has been chosen to be a Teaching Scholar Fellow, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellow, Faculty Development Fellow, and to participate in the Harvard-Macy Institute for Educators.
Her clinical and educational experience includes, for the last 10 years, volunteer work as a physical therapist in Haiti. She has worked with Global Therapy Group and is currently a faculty member teaching and leading efforts to help Faculté des Sciences de Réhabilitation de Léogâne (FSRL) of Université Épiscopale d'Haiti (UNEPH) achieve World Physiotherapy accreditation.
Diana Honorat, OTD, OTR/L
Dr. Diana Honorat is currently a professor in the School of Occupational Therapy program at Pacific University. She is passionate about international OT, particularly in Haiti, program development geared around novel community-based practice that promotes occupational and social justice through health promotion and wellness and perinatal support for marginalized communities, especially Black mothers.
Her various research and projects, Faculté Des Sciences De Réhabilitation De Léogâne (FSRL), have been extensive, including but not limited to research on the best recruitment/retention strategies for health professionals in rural/remote areas with a focus on Haiti’s rural areas, job opportunities and potential barriers for FSRL Graduates.
She has presented at American Occupational Therapy Association Conferences and the World Federation of Occupational Therapy on International Occupational Engagement: creating an association, building Haïtian leaders, and creating a WFOT tool to evaluate an OT program in Haiti.
Dr. Honorat has also served in various leadership roles supporting the advancement of OT in Haiti, including serving as the President of the Haiti Association of Occupational Therapists (HAOT), mentored U.S.-based Haitian students on their capstone projects in collaboration with HAOT and/or FSRL, and a WFOT program reviewer and consultant for international programs.
