Month: January 2023

Amber Federizo

Posted on by Amber Williams

Amber Federizo, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

Amber Federizo was born and raised in the rural reaches of Nevada, Amber has a passion for reaching those who might otherwise be lost or forgotten. With this has come a form of resilience that transcends the point at which most would give up. Her passion and candor shine light and hope on vulnerable populations. This passion culminated in the recognition of this work in 2018 when she was selected by the National Hemophilia Foundation as the Humanitarian of the year. In addition to her doctorate, she also holds a master’s degree in nursing education. Through research, education, and advocacy her work continues to provide pathways to new opportunities for all.

Gina Glass

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Gina Glass, Vice-Chair

Georgene’ (Gina) Glass is the founder and Executive Director of Dreamsickle Kids Foundation, Inc, the first Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) organization in the state of Nevada. She holds a BS in Criminal Justice, is a Published Author, and CEO of The Hyve LV/#NonProfitBae LLC. As a mother of a child with SCD, Georgene’ has made increasing SCD awareness and support in the state of Nevada a personal mission. With SCD being one of the 7,000 Rare Diseases, in 2020 Georgene’ spearheaded Dreamsickle Kids Foundations’ expansion to support those in Nevada impacted by Rare Diseases.

Ihsan Azzam

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Dr. Ihsan Azzam, Ph,D, M.D., Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Ihsan Azzam oversees public health surveillance, epidemiology and disease control activities. He advises state and local health authorities, healthcare providers and community-based organizations, and provides professional education, guidelines, clinical updates and recommendations to prevent, control and contain disease outbreaks. Dr. Azzam represents Nevada on state and national forums, advisory bodies, and academic institutions, and he coordinates investigations and surveillance activities among state, local and federal agencies. 

Dr. Azzam earned his medical degree from Cluj University of Medicine in Romania in 1982 and completed his OBGYN residency in 1986. He also holds a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Demography from the University of Seattle School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and a CDC Chronic Disease Epidemiology Certificate from the Penn State College of Medicine. At the University of Nevada, Reno, Dr. Azzam completed his MPH in 2002 and PhD in 2010. He has been the recipient of several awards, including the 2011 National Sheppard Award for Excellence in Epidemiology. 

Veneta Lapera

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Veneta Lapera, BSN, RN

Bio Coming Soon….

Dr. Nik Rashid

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Dr. Nik Rashid, M.D.

Bio Coming Soon….

Dr. Susanna Sorrentino

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Dr. Susanna Sorrentino, ME, FACMGG, FAAP

Dr. Sorrentino is a graduate of Ross University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in pediatrics at New York University Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, NY and her fellowship in clinical genetics at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY. Dr. Sorrentino is board certified in both clinical genetics and pediatrics. 


Jennifer Millet

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Jennifer Millet, MSN, RN

Jennifer Millet is the  Director of Medical Surgical Services at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada.  She has been at UMC for 8 years, and has been in Las Vegas for 13 years.  Prior to moving to Las Vegas, she lived in Cleveland Ohio and  worked at the Cleveland Clinic and at the University Hospitals of Cleveland as a Registered Nurse and as part of the Administration team.

In her current role, she oversees five Medical Surgical units with an approximate total staff count of 300 with a range of diagnoses including General Medical Surgical issues, Orthopedic procedures, Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, Gender Reassignment and transition surgeries, Behavioral Health and Mental Health concerns as well as Sickle Cell Crisis and Cystic Fibrosis patients and their families. 

She is no stranger to rare diseases, and feels very strongly that these patients, families, and physicians need a place to gather information, gain resources, and be able to ask questions when needed.  Her goal, which she hopes to accomplish through participation in the NVRDAC is to assist in developing areas for our most vulnerable and offer connections for the people who need it the most. She plans on utilizing her years of experience as a Registered Nurse as well as my administrative background to help find the best solution for our community.

Paul Niedermeyer

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Paul Niedermeyer

Paul Niedermeyer is President of PN LLC, a management consulting firm, where he provides expertise by advising executives and investors on commercial and technical due diligence matters as well as growth and value-oriented strategies. Paul has spent more than 20 years as an executive, entrepreneur, and advisor with high-tech, digital media, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, leading teams in product, business development, finance, and operations. In 2019, Paul pivoted to the medical field. While he still is actively involved in PN LLC and client matters, he is continuing his education and plans to spend the rest of his career engaged in, and serving as an advocate for, medical research specializing in chronic, idiopathic, and rare diseases. Paul holds a BSc from the Haas School of Business, BA in Economics from UC Berkeley, and an MSC in Computer Science from Florida Atlantic University (FAU).

Christina Thielst

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Christina Thielst

Christina has been actively advocating for consumers of healthcare services for 45 years.  She began working in hospitals as a teenager, obtained a Masters in Health Administration from Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and served in hospital leadership throughout her career… twice as chief operating officer. Her efforts to improve the quality and safety of care lead to envisioning opportunities to leverage technologies for sharing health information and teaching new generations of healthcare professionals.

In 2017, her work became more personal when she experienced mysterious symptoms that limited her functional abilities to perform even simple tasks.  Not being satisfied with a diagnosis of idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, she advocated for herself to rule out potential diagnoses and find a doctor who understood.  After seven and a half months, she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and then Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP).

She continues to bring awareness to the challenges faced by those with her condition and other complex or rare diseases.  This includes the creation of a diagnostic guide for Guillain-Barre Syndrome and related variants for neurologists and other physicians.

In addition to her advocacy work on behalf of the state of Nevada, she is also a patient ambassador for the Chronic Disease Coalition and member of the Rare Action Network of the National Organization of Rare Disease.  She is also a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.



Valerie Porter

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Valerie Porter, DNP, RN, AG-ACNP-BC

Valerie is an RN with 34 years of combined experience in multiple areas including, adult and pediatric ICU, and geriatrics. She received her DNP from the University of Nevada, Reno in May of 2019 with a focus on adult and geriatric acute care. She returned to school after her younger sister was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiform in 2015 and passed away in 2017. Her diagnosis inspired her to increase her knowledge and ability level in the practice of caring for the adult/geriatric population. Currently, Valerie serves as an AG-ACNP hospitalist for the Internal Medicine Inpatient Service at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System and felt that being an active member of the council would increase her knowledge and contribute to her personal growth as a practicing NP. Additionally, with the unique population that is served at the VA, she felt that we could offer a different perspective to the council in regard to the adult and geriatric population’s rare diseases. Lastly, she wanted to contribute to the state of Nevada and to our great Nation, thank you for the opportunity to be a member of this council.

Resource Links

NVRDAC Resources:
Division of Public & Behavioral Health

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