Event Speakers/Presenters

Rizwan Aslam, DO, MMScEd, MBA, MPH, FACS is a board-certified, fellowship-trained head and neck surgical oncologist and reconstructive surgeon. Dr. Aslam is a member of the faculty at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he is Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, Neurosurgery, and Plastic Surgery. He is also serves as Program Director of the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Residency. Dr. Aslam is an Attending Surgeon at University Medical Center in New Orleans, which provides superior care for patients from Louisiana and throughout the Gulf Coast, and at VA Medical Center, also in New Orleans. Originally from Western Pennsylvania, Dr. Aslam graduated Magna Cum Laude from Syracuse University. Thereafter, he earned his Doctorate at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Aslam has a special interest in the education of medical students and residents, and earned a Master in Medical Science from the Lake Erie College of Medicine. Dr. Aslam completed an MBA at the Tulane University Freeman School of Business. He is completing a Master in Public Health at the Tulane University School of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, in order to better understand how to develop public health policies and projects aimed at the prevention of Head and Neck cancer. Dr. Aslam’s advanced training included internship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in New York and completed his residency at UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania. In 2010, he completed a fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Cincinnati, where a member of the Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery clinical staff. During his time in Cincinnati, he was also a member of the clinical staff at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at the VA Medical Center. In addition to sub-specialty training in removal of tumors from the head and neck, Dr. Aslam has had extensive training in microvascular reconstruction of head and neck defects. He maintains a special interest in robotic surgery, thyroid surgery, and malignant tumors of the head and neck. Dr. Aslam is Board Certified in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, with a particular focus on Facial Plastic Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and an active member (serving on national committees) of the American Head and Neck Society and the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. He is also a member of the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. In addition to his various academic and professional appointments, Dr. Aslam has authored numerous peer reviewed articles, lectured nationally and he has internationally on various topics related to advanced care of the head and neck, with a particular focus on robot-assisted surgery and facial reconstruction skeleton via Virtual Surgical Planning.

My name is Chad Clark. I am an OMS-III at Lincoln Memorial University Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, and I am currently taking a Research Scholar Year. Before medical school, I worked as a Registered Nurse from 2010 to 2023, with a focus on Critical Care and Cardiology, and was also a member of my hospital’s Rapid Response Team. I briefly worked as a Home Hospice Nurse, but returned to Critical Care during the Covid-19 Pandemic. I live in Knoxville, TN, with my wife Rena.

Dr. Kevern is a board-certified Otolaryngologist and Head & Neck surgeon in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan earning her Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology and Movement Science. She then attended medical school at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Detroit. After graduation, Dr. Kevern completed her residency at Metro Health – University of Michigan Health. Dr Kevern loves seeing all ages from infants to adults. She specializes in thyroid surgery, voice surgery, nasal and sinus surgery, head and neck tumors and Inspire implantation. She works to develop individualized treatment plans and encourages patients to be highly involved in their health and recovery. Growing up on an apple farm, Dr Kevern can relate to everyone in some way. When she is not healing patients, she can be found running, traveling with her husband and spending time with her two rambunctious children and large extended family.

Angela Kozak, DO, FASRS, FSCT Dr Angela Kozak was born in Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the University of Scranton with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She obtained a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Philadelphia College of Optometry. She obtained her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in Ophthalmology at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville Pennsylvania and a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans Louisiana. Dr Kozak has 25 years of ophthalmic surgery with a special interest in disease and surgery of the retina and vitreous. She is the founding member of the retina section of Valley Cataract & Retina Clinic in Brownsville, Texas. Dr Kozak is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American College for Advancement in Medicine, the American Academy of Ozone Therapy and the International Board of Undersea Medicine and is board certified by the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. In addition to her busy Vitreoretinal Practice, Dr Kozak founded The Wellness Center in 2020. This was the culmination of a ten-year journey involving her love of learning and pursuit of finding the solutions to problems faced by her patients that were not being addressed by standard medical practice. The potential solutions for improvement were addressed through knowledge obtained through training and certifications in IV Nutrition, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement, Chelation therapy, Ozone therapy, Hyperbaric Functional Medicine and Stem cell Therapy. Dr Kozak resides in South Padre Island, Texas with her husband, three amazing children, two dogs and one very large cat. When not involved in patient care, she can be found riding her bike on the sand and contemplating how to make the impossible possible. FASRS (Fellow of the American Society of Retina Surgeons) FSCT (Fellow of Stem Cell Therapy)

Donald Morris is an Ophthalmologist who lives in Pittsburgh Pa. He is the Past President of the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. He is the current President Elect of the Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology. He is also the current counselor to the American Academy of Ophthalmology for the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology through the end of this year. Much of his spare time is spent on working for the above organizations. He is most proud of being the father of three wonderful children and being a husband. There are no grandchildren yet, but his wife is waiting. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and baking. Currently he is enjoying a resurgence of snickerdoodles. He has also been told he makes a great guacamole. I have gained so much knowledge and self awareness from working with Dr Singh over the last few years, that I am very excited to see where this year’s project takes me. I want to thank Dr Singh for all of his encouragement and work over the last few years.

Libby J. Smith, DO, FAOCO, is a Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is the Division Chief of Laryngology and Director of the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center. Dr. Smith received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. She completed her Otolaryngology training at Grandview-Kettering Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, and then a fellowship in Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice in Philadelphia, PA. A board-certified Otolaryngologist, she specializes in the treatment of voice, airway, and swallowing disorders. Her research interests include laryngeal electromyography, vocal fold paralysis, and surgical ergonomics.

Daniel Solano, D.O., is a board-certified ophthalmologist accredited by the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. He obtained his Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His internship and Ophthalmology Residency were completed at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Solano's areas of specialization include minimally invasive cataract surgery, glaucoma laser surgery, and eyelid reconstruction. Since 2021, he has served as an ophthalmology consultant for the Tampa Bay Rays major league baseball team. Dr. Solano has held the position of President at Harborside Eye Specialists in Port Charlotte, Florida, since 2022. His most significant achievement is his family, comprising his wife Alexandra and their four children: one daughter and three sons.

Dr. Winter is the current President of AOCOOHNS. Before this Thrive Rx cohort even began, Dr. Winter had already been testing how AI could support clinical clarity and professional growth. What he’s discovered since then has been… unexpected. Dr. Winter trained in ophthalmology at Oklahoma State and completed fellowships at the University of Miami and the University of Iowa. He’s practiced across top institutions including the University of New Mexico and Loma Linda, and now serves at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno, CA. His current research on complex strabismus and optic disc drusen is supported by the Lynda and Johnny Stevens Family. Today, he’ll share what surprised him about AI, what stuck, and what he’s now doing differently as both a physician and a thinker.