As the next generation of Indiana healthcare professionals begins to emerge, individuals like Huda, a senior at West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School, stand out as promising talents ready to tackle the challenges of the medical field. Whether volunteering at her local mosque, participating in fundraising clubs or indulging in her love for reading, she describes a schedule packed with extracurricular activities that allows little time for sleep. Huda, originally raised the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has envisioned herself in medicine since her middle school days.

Finding inspiration through anatomy

“I knew I wanted to be a doctor since seventh grade,” says Huda.

In her seventh-grade anatomy class, Huda says that she discovered her fascination with the intricacies of the human body. She explains that her competitive nature, compassionate spirit and ability to compartmentalize in stressful situations would make her a fitting candidate for a future profession as a doctor.

She has secured a spot at Purdue University for pursuing a pre-medical undergraduate degree. However, she already has some experience in the medical field thanks to her involvement in the Greater Lafayette Career Academy (GLCA).

GLCA, in collaboration with IU Health, provides high school students with hands-on experience in the medical field, going beyond mere job shadowing to offer real-world exposure.

“Since IU Health began offering clinical experience, we got hands-on experience,” says Huda. “We had the opportunity to be medical assistants.”

The academy supports multiple school corporations in Tippecanoe County and offers programs for high school students that lead to in-demand certifications for positions like certified nursing assistant (CNA), medical assistant (MA) and emergency medical technician (EMT).

Finding the entrance to the maze

Before becoming involved in her GLCA program, Huda states that she found extreme difficulty in figuring out her career path, further stressed by the prospect of having to pay for college and medical school.

“I felt so lost because I didn’t know where to start,” says Huda. “IU Health helped me find the entrance to the maze.”

Huda feels that this opportunity has been transformative. Working as a patient care assistant on the sixth floor of IU Health Arnett Hospital, she found her passion ignited and her career path illuminated. Last year, she became a Certified Medical Assistant, and she is working towards an Emergency Medical Technician certification this year.

“The fact that IU Health is willing to invest in us…is really motivating for me to pursue medicine and work for them in the future,” says Huda.

As Indiana faces projected shortages of healthcare workers, initiatives like the GLCA-IU Health partnership can help with nurturing and empowering the healthcare workforce of tomorrow.

By Emma Avila, epackard1@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburban Region

The new space will combine multiple specialties in one convenient location for oncology patients.

The IU Health Joe & Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center opened a new space within the facility, focused on supportive care for patients. The new Supportive Care Oncology Suite will centralize services such as Palliative Care, Cardio Oncology, Genetic Counseling and many other services within one unified location. This initiative will offer patients a comprehensive ‘one-stop shop,’ facilitating integrated health support throughout their journey.

“We’re bringing many of the disciplines we already had upstairs to a new, convenient space on the first floor,” explains Ann Bredensteiner, manager of the Supportive Care Oncology Suite and Integrative Health at the IU Health Schwarz Cancer Center. “Not only does this make things convenient for the patient, but it also allows room for future growth within the cancer center.”

The new space contains five exam rooms, two consultation rooms and one combined physician work room. The suite is designed to improve seamless collaboration between different specialists, leading to more comprehensive and streamlined care for oncology patients. This can result in enhanced efficiency, better treatment outcomes and a more holistic approach to patient care.

“This space is beneficial because patients will have all of these providers in one area that’s readily available to the patients,” says Kali Harrison, nurse navigator for Palliative Care.

“It’s much more efficient for the patients to be able to get all of that care in one place,” adds Elizabeth Cox, nurse navigator for High-Risk Breast Care.

The team celebrated the April 15 opening with a ribbon cutting. The previous week, team members gathered in the new space for a Day in the Life event. The team ran through mock patient scenarios to make sure processes and procedures are efficient for patients and team members.

“There have been so many people behind the scenes who have worked very hard to bring up the space and set us up to succeed,” says Bredensteiner.

Bringing together these services will not only enhance patient access and convenience but also create space for expanding the facility’s medical oncology and surgical oncology offerings on the second floor of the cancer center. The IU Health Joe & Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center is located at 11645 N Illinois St, Carmel, IN 46032. For more information, call 317.688.4800.

Amy Huntsman has been an occupational therapist for the better part of 30 years. She decided to specialize in treating patients with head and neck lymphedema after helping a family member overcome the challenges that accompany that chronic condition. “It became personal and with that passion and drive in helping a family member my goal was to learn more about head and neck lymphedema.”

By Emma Avila, epackard1@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburban Region

Becky Camire’s lifelong passion for respiratory therapy led to her career at IU Health Tipton, where she cares for patients with lung conditions.

From age 16, Becky Camire knew she wanted to be a respiratory therapist. The drive came from seeing herself and family members struggle with asthma. She also had loved ones who dealt with smoking-related health issues.

“I knew I wanted to help people who deal with similar issues,” she says.

Camire brings more than 27 years of respiratory therapy experience to her role at IU Health Tipton, which she began almost a year ago. Before that, she worked at IU Health Methodist for almost 26 years.

When the position opened in Tipton, Camire jumped at the opportunity.

“I was looking for a change. It just happened to come up at the right time, and I said, ‘Go for it!’”

At IU Health Tipton, she works in Pulmonary Rehab three days a week and performs pulmonary function testing one day a week.

In Pulmonary Rehab, patients can exercise with Cardiac Rehab patients while Camire monitors their lungs and is available if any medical issues arise. The program is usually eight to 12 weeks.

“It is individualized, but it’s roughly 24 to 46 sessions,” she explains. “They could go a little bit longer, but it just depends on the patient”

Though some of her patients either smoke currently or have a history of smoking, Camire says she sees others who have not ever used tobacco.

“Our patient population is kind of across the board,” she explains. “We do get people who are smokers. Now, we also get post-COVID-19 lung injuries. I also get some people with asthma and some people who don’t know why they are short of breath.”

Though Camire enjoys all aspects of her job, one of her primary focuses is smoking cessation. She has taken her expertise beyond the hospital walls and is working with the local prosecutor’s office to help Tipton County teenagers who have tobacco-related infractions. She meets with the teens one-on-one to provide tobacco counseling.

Regardless of whether she is meeting with patients within the hospital or supporting others outside of the facility, that drive to assist others is what leaves her feeling fulfilled at the end of each day.

“My favorite part is helping people,” she says. “It’s part of who I am as a person.”

Joe Tuason is a nurse at IU Health University Hospital. He brings with him a lot of experience having previously worked as a nurse for 17 years in the Philippines. “A friend of mine back in the Philippines referred me to an agency [that helps nurses find jobs in the United States.] I submitted my resume and application… and they decided to bring me here to Indianapolis.”

Pictured above: Laura Bernfield’s husband, Jeff, and her sister-in-law Bonnie Waters.

Laura Bernfield was more than a nurse. She was more than a teacher. She was a beloved friend and mentor to many in the Monticello community, as devoted to her team and patients at IU Health White Memorial Hospital as she was to her students at Twin Lakes High School.

When she was faced with a terminal diagnosis—incurable brain cancer—she thought not only of herself and her family. She also thought of how to make sure that the health sciences educational programs she had worked so hard to build during her 25-year teaching career would live on, for the benefit of local students who wish to pursue careers in healthcare.

A request from the heart

In a heartfelt video message to Connie Jordan, manager of the inpatient unit at White Memorial Hospital, Bernfield expressed her wish for how the program could expand. In her message was a request for support from IU Health to help furnish a classroom that students could thrive in.

“Let’s make it good for the next generation,” says Bernfield in her message to Jordan, which was recorded in September 2022, near the end of her life. “Of all the people I know who could possibly make this happen, I’m pretty sure you can do it.”

It was a labor of love for Jordan and many others at IU Health White Memorial, IU Health Foundation, Twin Lakes School Corporation and the Indian Trails Career Cooperative to bring that dying wish to life.

Now, two years in the making, Bernfield’s wish is becoming reality.

Honoring a legacy

“Laura was a beloved part of the White Memorial team for many years before she pursued her second calling as an educator,” says Jordan. Bernfield was a full-time obstetrics nurse before transitioning to her second calling as an educator.

According to her obituary, “[Bernfield] adored her students and found tremendous joy guiding younger generations to achieve their career goals and serve their community in the fields of healthcare and nursing.”

“Her dedication to the community and the nursing world is unmatched,” says Renea Smith, chief nursing officer at White Memorial Hospital.

With $50,000 in support from IU Health Foundation and close collaboration among the school, the career cooperative and the White Memorial team, a revamped Health Science Education classroom at the Twin Lakes Career and Technical Building in Monticello officially opened in Bernfield’s honor on Wednesday, April 10.

More than 100 types of equipment were purchased to outfit the classroom, including everything from hospital beds, anatomically correct mannequins and stethoscopes to patient gowns, isolation signage and linens—everything that would be present in a real-world patient care environment, to ensure that students in the classroom can learn in a contemporary environment with modern, new equipment.

This new setup will take the program from one practice bay for students to three. The previous equipment was 25-plus years old, much of it broken and outdated and no longer serving student needs.

“We have been so excited to see this classroom come to life over the past few years,” says Jess Horlacher, assistant director of career and technical education at the Indian Trails Career Cooperative. “Now, to see it officially open, is not only a dream come true for Laura, but also for the rest of us who had the privilege of knowing her and get to carry the torch forward in her honor.”

“It will be so special to welcome graduates of the program to our team at IU Health one day and know that they are a direct result of Laura’s lasting impact in our community,” says Smith.

It was late October 2023, and Matt Wingler was working his regular shift as Deputy Chief of Owen Valley Fire Territory in Spencer.

He and his team were performing routine hose testing when the water pump abruptly ruptured, sending a large hose and metal coupling into his leg.

“I immediately got away from the truck,” says Wingler. “However, I couldn’t move my right leg without severe pain.”

His leg immediately started swelling to a concerning size, so his crew took him to a local hospital that confirmed severe soft tissue trauma but no fracture to the bone.

“I was discharged from the ER with no follow-up plan or pain management,” says Wingler. “After getting home, I knew it was worse than they thought since the pressure was building in my leg.”

He called his IU Health Primary Care provider, Margaret Pejeau, NP, and she and her team helped him manage the pain, but the continued swelling in his leg tore into an open wound.

That’s when Pejeau referred him to IU Health Wound Care.

“After the referral, things went so much better, and I will forever be thankful for the Bloomington wound care team,” he says.

“We have an excellent team that provides emotional support and detailed explanations on how wound care works,” says Wauneta Armstrong, FNP-C, who was part of Wingler’s Wound Care team. “The team here goes above and beyond every day to make sure our patients are comfortable.”

Wingler was sent for a CT scan to evaluate the severity after his first Wound Care appointment and the nurse practitioner called him after her shift to share the results so he’d have peace of mind over the weekend.

Within a month of weekly follow-up care by the IU Health Wound Care team, the open wound finally healed with no further complications.

Armstrong credits her team’s educational efforts on the importance of rest and wound care for the successful healing of this particular injury.

“I would just like to share my appreciation for the incredible, compassionate service provided by the IU Team,” says Wingler. “Every member of the IU Health team really showed compassion and a shared goal of healing my leg quickly so I could return to full duty.”

Norda Ratcliff’s decades of caring for others in the United States and abroad started in 1979 in the Emergency department at the legacy hospital in Bloomington.

“We shared life and death and so much in between,” says the adult nurse practitioner. “I wanted to fix everyone and everything, and I still do.”

Then came the burnout, which led to her discovering Cardiac Rehabilitation.

“I found myself coming home from work with sore face muscles,” she says. “It was from laughing and smiling so much. I’d never experienced a job like this before.”

Reinvigorated, the nurse returned to school for her Master of Science in Nursing degree. That’s when she found a little clinic in Jamaica where she could get much-needed clinical hours while helping those in need. On her first day, people lined up down the rural country road, with one young man carrying his elderly mother on his back for seven miles to get there.

The clinic was a small building with no electricity, water or working toilets, but the team was an organized group that helped many in need. And through these experiences, Ratcliff fell in love with the Jamaican people.

She worked at the clinic three times during her schooling and returned as a volunteer after graduation.

“I wanted my friends and others to experience the vast contrast in medical care that made such an impression on me, as well as the culture and professional staff I had grown to love and care about,” says the nurse. “My dream became MISSION JAMAICA.”

These medical missions included nurses and volunteers giving lipid checks, glucose, reading glasses, condoms, medications and education such as CPR training. During the missions, they visited a boys’ orphanage annually to donate essentials such as medical supplies, food, clothing, games and hygiene products. They also educated them on first aid, CPR/choking, splinting, and counseling.

“I still struggle with reverse culture shock,” says Ratcliff as she thinks of the differences between her experiences in Jamaica and the United States. “It is a struggle to return and function in a system where we have everything we need and desire to care for our patients knowing many others don’t have basic healthcare opportunities.”

That’s why she tries to decrease supplies waste and expenses as much as she can when caring for patients back in the States. And while she has decided to slow down a bit as a PRN with IU Health Occupational Services in Bedford, she’s not quite ready to retire.

“I don’t want to work every day, but I’m not ready to give up a career that I worked so hard for and has blessed me in so many ways,” she says, explaining how she doesn’t want to miss anything with her grandchildren.

She’s also not ready to stop contributing to the country that has meant so much to her.

“The orphanage recently moved since the original building burned down, and due to COVID-19, I haven’t been able to visit the new facility. But maybe this year I will.”

Stephen “Steve” Gentili had been healthy most of his life until he was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. During “Donate Life Month” he shares his story.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Stephen “Steve” Gentili was a year-round athlete. Baseball, basketball and football were his seasonal sports. In high school, he fell in love with football and balanced his training with weightlifting.

On the field he played safety and eventually moved into the spot of linebacker. After high school he moved to California, enrolled in UCLA, and continued playing the sport he loved.

Then, his life took a sharp turn.

“I had a series of incidents. My mom and sister passed away within a year. That was tough. I didn’t realize it then, but the game my sister watched, ended up being my last,” said Gentili. A torn meniscus took him out of the game. Even though he recovered, his heart wasn’t in it when his mom passed of complications from cancer and his sister died in a car accident three weeks later.

At 38, Gentili has spent most of his adult life pursuing powerlifting and has been recognized as a world-class powerlifter. At one point he could squat more than 800 pounds, and bench press 600 pounds.

When his body began to ache and his blood pressure elevated, doctors originally thought it was a symptom of Gentili’s physical workouts.

“They’d say something like, ‘you’re a young, healthy guy. Get some rest,’” said Gentili. “After a while I was so fatigue, I thought I’d lost my passion.” Along with competitive powerlifting, Gentili became a personal trainer at a gym in California. He moved to Indianapolis in 2018. Last November, he opened Indy City Barbell, a 24-hour gym on South College Ave.

At the time he opened the gym, Gentili was also experiencing declining health.

In 2019, he was diagnosed with Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disease that causes scar tissues to build up in parts of the kidney that filter waste from the blood. Inherited genes can case a rare form of FSGS.

“My sister has a different type and my cousin was diagnosed after me. Because of me other family members discovered they have it. My grandpa died in the 60s and all we knew was it was related to his kidneys,” said Gentili, who is the youngest of six children.

In July 2019, Gentili ended up at IU Health Methodist Hospital. He spent a week in ICU. He was told then that his kidneys were so compromised that he would need to go on dialysis within a few months.

“After my hospital stay, I made a few adjustments to what I was eating, and rebounded a little. I started going once month for bloodwork and was stable but not great,” said Gentili. “Then COVID hit so I stayed away from the hospital. When I went back, I was going down hill fast. I felt sick and tired.” Within hours of new bloodwork, Gentili received a call from his doctor advising him to go to ER immediately.

After four years on dialysis, Gentili needed a new kidney. His sister, Susanne Gentili, a year older than Steve, was a match. A resident of Greenfield, Wisc., Susanne Gentili went through her donation remotely. Her kidney was shipped to IU Health where Steve received a transplant on Jan. 18, 2024. He was in the surgical care of IU Health’s Dr. William Goggins.

“The IU Health team was great and I had an immediate connection with Dr. Goggins. I liked his approach and his honesty,” said Gentili. “I’ve had eight orthopedic surgeries and the healing was a lot faster. The team at IU Health has been proactive and I’m doing everything they say to keep this kidney healthy.”