wellness partners editorial board

We are pleased to welcome the following distinguished health professionals to our editorial board.

Juli Aistars, RN, MS, AOCN

Juli Aistars completed her BSN at the University of Illinois, Chicago in 1982 and her MS in Oncology Nursing at Rush University in Chicago. Her work experience includes staff nursing in hematology/oncology, medical review, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Radiation Oncology and then Prostate Nurse Navigator at Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights, IL.

Juli has published three articles in nursing journals and a book chapter on radiation oncology. She has presented posters at national and international conferences on her research in skin care for patients receiving radiation for breast cancer and on the development of her role as Prostate Nurse Navigator. Her areas of expertise in oncology are fatigue, skin care with radiation, writing for publication, nursing research and prostate cancer.

Donna Canada, RN, CURN

Donna N. Canada, RN, is certified in urologic nursing. She is currently pursuing certification in biofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America. Her career has involved pediatric, cardiac care, psychiatric and Rehabilitation nursing on the stroke team at a large teaching hospital. She is also an active member of Society of Urological Nurses and Associates (SUNA) where she attends both local and national conferences. She has been a presenter of continuing education on urodynamics for SUNA and for Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, NC. Canada spoke at the Friday Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill on Urodynamics from A to Z.

Canada is currently the continence nurse at Eastern Urological Associates in Greenville, NC where she performs urodynamics and biofeedback pelvic floor rehabilitation. She is involved in screening patients and collecting data for a research study on bladder cancer at her practice. She has a special interest in pediatric voiding dysfunction and prostate cancer.

When Canada began doing urodynamics studies with the pediatric population in 2002, she realized the need for a teaching tool to prepare children and their parents for this procedure so she developed and authored the education coloring book Learning about how the special pictures of my body are taken with assistance from the Child Life staff at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. She also wrote the article Treatment Modalities for Incontinence Patients for the hospital's publication of Perspectives on Patient Care. Canada was the recipient of SUNA.'s scholarship to attend the Pelvic Floor Symposium in San Francisco, CA in 2009.

Janet Casperson, BS, MSN, ANP-C

Janet Casperson, BS, MSN, ANP-C, is a board-certified nurse practitioner at Northeast Indiana Urology, where she is Sexual Health Director. For more than twenty years she has treated patients for cardiovascular disease and sexual dysfunction. She is actively involved in community education on sexual dysfunction and men's health issues. Ms. Casperson graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor of science in nursing degree and earned a master's degree from Ball State University. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She's also a member of the Sexual Medicine Society, and has been a presenter at their annual meetings as well as at national Nurse Practitioner meetings.

She has served on the clinical faculty of St. Francis University, Ball State University, and Purdue University and has been a guest lecturer on Sex and the Heart at the International Congress of Cognitive Psychotherapy, Rome, Italy and Dubrovnik, Coati. She is currently pursuing her PhD at Ball State University. Ms. Casperson has served as a consultant to patient support groups and to sexual health clinics across the United States; she has also been a medical advisor to national magazines. She is co-author of Sex and the Heart (First Edition, 2006) and the award-wining book, Sex and the Heart (Second Edition, 2008).

Tamara Dickinson, RN, CURN, CCCN, BCIA-PMDB

Tamara Dickinson is a nationally and internationally recognized authority in urodynamics, incontinence, voiding dysfunction, and pelvic floor dysfunction. Ms. Dickinson is board certified in urology nursing and continence nursing and is certified in biofeedback for pelvic muscle dysfunction. With over 17 years in the field, Ms. Dickinson is experienced in pelvic floor therapy (for continence, pelvic pain and dysfunctional elimination), neurogenic voiding dysfunction, and pessary fitting and management. She is a frequent national presenter on these topics.

Ms. Dickinson is the Senior Research Nurse in Continence and Voiding Dysfunction in the Department of Urology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. In addition to her research role, she sees patients clinically for Urodynamics, pelvic floor therapy and pessary fitting and management. She is a Past President of the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA), a professional organization committed to excellence in clinical practice and research through education of its members, patients, family and community. She is also a member of the Continence Promotion Committee and the School of Urodynamics of the International Continence Society. She is also an advisory board member for the Simon Foundation for Continence, an advisory board member for Hollister Inc and a council member of the American Urological Association Foundation.

Ms. Dickinson is a past recipient of the SUNA President's Trophy for outstanding contributions to the association and the Past President's Lectureship Award.

Diane K. Newman, RNC, MSN, CRNP, FAAN

Diane K. Newman is a nurse practitioner who is a nationally recognized authority on bladder problems and treatments for urinary incontinence. She is the nutrition doctor for NBC's hit prime time series The Biggest Loser, and a contributor to the best-selling book series based on the show. She has been interviewed about her medical practice and solutions for urinary incontinence and regaining bladder control in USA Today, Ladies Home Journal, New York Times Personal Health Column, Oprah magazine, Time magazine, Consumer Reports, USA Today, the New York Times, and many other media.

Newman’s medical practice is at the division of urology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She holds multiple academic positions, including co-director of the Penn Center for Continence and Health and instructor at the School of Medicine. Newman’s research involves the management of urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, interstitial cystitis, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction. She has served on several expert government panels for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR) of the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Health Quality and Research, the FDA, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service. She is a member of the Patient Education Council of the American Urological Association Foundation (AUAF).

Newman is an internationally known speaker on the topic of urinary incontinence and the use of devices and products for the management of incontinence. Newman has written and presented more than 100 scientific papers, chapters, and articles on the assessment, treatment, and management of incontinence. Her work has appeared in many medical and nursing journals. She is the author of the books The Urinary Incontinence Sourcebook and Managing and Treating Urinary Incontinence. She is the co-author with Alan Wein, MD of Overcoming Overactive Bladder and the second edition of Managing and Treating Urinary Incontinence.

Robert G. Pugach, MD

Dr. Pugach is the medical director of Pacific Coast Urology Medical Center. The founding principle of this unique, specialized urology practice is to offer new, innovative, minimally invasive treatments for patients with urological problems. Pacific Coast Urology Medical Center offers a wide range of office-based and outpatient treatments for conditions such as:

• Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH). Dr. Pugach is a pioneer in the use of Cooled Microwave Thermotherapy for this common condition. In 1998, he was responsible for bringing this technology to the Los Angeles area. Dr. Pugach has performed more Cooled Microwave Thermotherapy procedures than any other urologist in the western United States. He is actively involved in teaching other physicians throughout the United States about microwave techniques for treating diseases of the prostate.
• Prostate Cancer. In place of radical surgery or external beam radiation, Dr. Pugach offers two remarkable, outpatient procedures that allow patients to return to normal activities quickly: HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound), a procedure where ultrasound waves superheat prostate tissue to destroy cancer and surrounding cells. It is completely non-invasive - no cutting or needles are used. Dr. Pugach also offers Cryoablation of the Prostate, which freezes and kills prostate cancer cells. Both HIFU and Cryoablation can destroy cancer while minimizing the side effects of surgery like urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction..
• Bladder Control for Women. Dr. Pugach is proud to announce the opening of The Bladder Control Center for Women. This center is the first of its kind because it offers comprehensive, minimally invasive solutions for bladder control including in-office procedures like computer-enhanced biofeedback and the new Renessa procedure for stress incontinence. He also uses a variety of techniques including minimally invasive, outpatient procedures like the remarkable Interstim battery for overactive bladders and new sling surgical procedures to control bladder leakage.
• No Needle/No Scalpel Vasectomy. Dr. Pugach is one of the most experienced physicians on the west coast in this remarkable procedure. A spray of novocaine is used in place of an injection and the entire procedure is done in his office without the need for cutting and stiching.
• Microsurgical Vasectomy Reversal. Having received specialized training at Cornell University in New York, Dr. Pugach offers the latest microsurgical techniques to help achieve successful vasectomy reversals.

Dr. Pugach serves on numerous medical boards including the Board of Trustees for the California Medical Association and the American Cancer Society. He is the vice-chair of the AMA's OMSS Governing Council. Teaching appointments include Clinical Instructor for Urologix for cooled microwave thermotherapy. He also is an instructor and proctor for HIFU International, travelling internationally to treat patients and teach physicians how to perform this remarkable procedure. He is an instructor and proctor for Endocare for Cryoablation of the prostate and kidney.

Dr. Pugach has offices in Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach and Beverly Hills. His office phone # is 1-888-735-4336. He also has a vibrant, content-rich website: www.pacificcoasturology.com.

Gladys Rentie, CMA

Gladys has always been drawn to the specialized areas of clinical nursing. While she focused a lot of her time in pulmonary medicine, when she had the opportunity to move into urology the choice was an easy one. “I was drawn to the blend of hands-on patient care, the technology of the field and the wonderful changes we can make in the day-to-day lives of our patients.” After mastering the basics and moving up quickly through the ranks of Pacific Coast Urology Medical Center, Gladys continued her educational journey by mastering the fine points of urological nursing including first assisting with office surgical procedures, No Scalpel/No Needle vasectomy, Microwave Thermotherapy and TransurethralNeedle Ablation for BPH. She then went on to receive training to perform Urodynamic testing and Biofeedback testing to help patients with urinary incontinence and other bladder control problems. Last year, she received advance certification as a programmer for Interstim© bladder neuromodulation.

As the lead nurse at Pacific Coast Urology Medical Center, she takes an active role in patient education. Her role encompasses pre- and post-op education and post-procedure patient follow-up. She has now branched out to become the practice’s HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) coordinator for this new, minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer that will soon be available in the United States. 

Gladys’ educational accomplishments include travelling to China in 2007 to teach Chinese nurses the techniques to assist their doctors perform Microwave Thermotherapy for BPH. She became a member of SUNA (Society of Urological Nursing Association) in 2006 to further her educational experiences.

Nancy Sullivan, CNM, MS

Nancy H. Sullivan, CNM, MS, FACNM developed the Providence Continence Center for Providence Health System in Portland, Oregon, in October 2003. Currently, she is semi-retired and works as a clinician in the center three days a week, seeing patients for initial assessments, medication and surgery follow-up, conservative management, and patient education. She also coordinates referrals to physical therapists, urologists, urogynecologists, and colorectal surgeons who are affiliated with the center. She has a particular interest in pelvic floor and incontinence issues in postpartum women and on conservative therapies for these problems.

Prior to 2003, Nancy was an assistant professor in the nurse-midwifery education program and coordinator of the midwifery faculty practice at Oregon Health & Science University. Nancy also founded and maintains MidwifeInfo.com, a website for midwives and consumers of midwifery services. She received her nursing degree at Cornell and her master's degree at Columbia University. She is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the International Continence Society. She has three grown children, two grandchildren, and one very old incontinent dog. She speaks French and Spanish, and is studying Italian and Arabic. She loves to travel and to play tennis.

Posted May 2010
Updated August 2010