Medical Care on the Edge: Redesigning Care Across Cultures

Thomas Ask, DProf, PE, is a professor of industrial design at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Previous positions include vice president of engineering at Odin Systems International, principal of Ask and Associates, senior engineer at Ingersoll Rand, and visiting professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Malaysia. He has a BS in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois, an MA in Liberal Studies from Excelsior College, and a doctorate in Industrial Design from Middlesex University. He is a licensed professional engineer and designer of dozens of commercialized products and systems.

John Boll, DO, FAAFP is an associate director at the Williamsport Family Medicine Residency. His area of teaching focus is in quality improvement; chronic, non-malignant pain management; and care for patients in underserved communities. Part of his present role is to address health and healthcare disparities in the Amish and Plain communities. Prior to his work in the Family Medicine Residency, he worked for 10 years in a community health center in a small, rural town in eastern Tennessee. He received a biology degree from Messiah College and attended the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school.

Alexander Nesbitt, MD, is the medical director for Susquehanna Hospice, Supportive and Palliative Care, and Gatehouse Inpatient Hospice Unit. He was a former president of the medical staff and is currently chairman of the ethics committee and of the medical staff peer review committee.He has a BA in history from Princeton University and an MD from George Washington University School of Medicine. He is board certified in family medicine, geriatrics, and hospice and palliative medicine. He has been employed at Susquehanna Health since 1988 and, after 22 years in primary care, has worked full time in hospice and palliative care since 2006.