Medical Specialists Expert Witnesses: 88

James Apesos, MD, FACS, is Board Certified in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, General Surgery, and Hand Surgery, allowing him to deal with most any and all potential medical malpractice situations.

Dr. Apesos has decades of experience operating a busy private plastic surgery practice, training surgeons, managing emergency rooms, and hospital facilities. He has a wide experience dealing with both pediatric and adult surgery from congenital to reconstructive to cosmetic.

Education / Training:

• University of Pennsylvania, BS 
• Georgetown University School of Medicine, MD
• Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, General Surgery Chief Resident
• University of Virginia School of Medicine Chief Resident Plastic Surgery
• Certified Ohio State Police Officer 
• Certified Ohio State Firefighter

Litigation Support - Dr. Apesos is an expert witness for Medical Malpractice cases involving Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, including all cosmetic surgery, pediatric surgery, hand surgery, burn surgery, breast surgery, and cancer surgery. He has special skill in complications of surgery and post-surgery deaths.

Dr. Apesos has been providing services to the legal community for 30 years. He has been retained in 30 cases and been deposed over 25 times. A punctual strategist, he is adept at quickly assessing legal cases, cutting through medical jargon, and determining the merits of each case. Dr. Apesos' services include medical record review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed for both plaintiff and defendant.

Areas of Expertise:

Spine Surgery and Spine Medicine Consultant

The concepts of evidence-based medicine have been the cornerstone of Dr. Dillin’s education during his spine surgery fellowship in Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery and the format for decision-making in his subsequent practice. The critical analytic features inherent in the ‘best evidence’ approach to patients have permeated his writing and his lectures, allowing flexible adaptation as the science has changed. Since July 1985, Dr. Dillin has been exclusively devoted to clinical spine, interventional spine, and spine surgery practice. The combination of clinical critical thinking in conjunction with evidence-based medicine practice, allows spine specialty focus on any Independent Medical Evaluations or Medical-Legal Reviews. He is in clinical practice performing spine surgery, spine interventions, and evaluating patients with spine conditions. He is licensed in California, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Nevada. Dr. Dillin was a former partner at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. I spent 2022-2023 in clinical practice and at the Effective Writing in Health Care program sponsored by Harvard Medical School. The program encompassed online and onsite (Boston) attendance. My study subject was the history of the expert witness in general, and more specifically, the medical expert witness. My capstone project, from the ‘Writing for the Public’, division is attached. This is the narrative account of “The Trial of the Medical Expert Witness.”

Litigation Support - For over 35 years, Dr. Dillin has traveled to refine and acquire the technical skills invested in Spine Surgery and Spine Interventions. His expert witness activity is embodied in his Harvard Capstone, "The Trial of the Medical Expert Witness." Dr. Dillin offers Independent Medical Evaluations and/or Medical-Legal Review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Erik B. Hysinger, MD, MSCE, is a board certified Pediatrician and Pediatric Pulmonologist and Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (ranked #1 by US News) with more than 15 years of clinical experience in Pediatrics.

Litigation Support - Dr. Hysinger has been participating in medical litigation for the past five years, working with both plaintiffs and defendants. His services include medical record review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Dr. Hysinger completed his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and remained at Vanderbilt for medical school and Pediatrics training.  Following residency, Dr. Hysinger completed his Pediatric Pulmonology training at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he also obtained a Master's of Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Hysinger joined the faculty at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 2016 where he founded and serves as the Co-Director of the Cincinnati Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Center and spends approximately 75% of his time in direct patient care.  In addition to his clinical work, he is also very active in clinical research and has published widely in multiple high impact journals such as The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and Chest, among many others, with over 50 publications.  Dr. Hysinger has lectured on his research and clinical work nationally and internationally, hosted national and international conferences and courses,  and is funded by the National Institute of Health and Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute.

Expert Witness: Retained in Washington, D.C., and over 25 states as an expert in hospital administration who could render opinion after assessing medical records, hospital policies and procedures, medical staff bylaws and regulations, JCAHO standards, depositions, etc. Served as Expert Witness for Plaintiff and Defense. 

Consultant: Has assisted hospitals and health systems with accelerating their performance improvement efforts. Speaks, writes and consults on ethical issues in health care. 

Background Highlights:

• Consultant, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the health system.
• Executive Director of two academic medical centers: Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, Stanford University Hospital and Clinics at Stanford.
• Past chairman of the national advisory board for the University of Chicago’s Center for Clinical Medical Ethics.
• An author of over 175 publications, he has written articles for USA Today, Health Management Quarterly, Trustee, Health Progress, the Journal of Health Administration Education, Frontiers of Health Services Management, Bioethics Forum, Modern Healthcare, the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Stanford Medicine, and Healthcare Executive among others.
• Co-editor of Management Mistakes in Healthcare: Identification, Correction, and Prevention, published by Cambridge University Press in 2005.
• Co-editor of Managing Ethically: An Executive's Guide, published by Health Administration Press in 2001, and a second edition, Managing Healthcare Ethically: An Executive's Guide was published in 2010.
• Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a past member of its Leadership Advisory Committee, and a consultant on health care management ethics since 1994.
• Served as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Center for Biomedical Ethics.
• Recipient of American Hospital Association's Award of Honor in 2009 and an Albert Schweitzer Leadership Award in 2012.
• Faculty appointments held at Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, Emory, the University of California, and Seton Hall University.
• Bachelor of Science, Master of Public Health, and Doctor of Public Health degrees are from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Thomas J. Berger was board certified in 1981 as a cardiac surgeon by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and has been involved, as an expert, in over 300 medical malpractice cases. Most of this experience has been since 1998, when his firm, Heart of the Matter Expertise, began to gain recognition, within the legal community, as the premier expert witness service for cases involving cardiac surgery and cardio-thoracic disease.

Areas of Expertise:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Cardiology
• Surgery - General
• Thoracic Surgery

Mission Statement

To see that the truth about every case, in which an associate of Heart of the Matter Expertise becomes involved, is uncovered and understood, whether this means assuring justice for a poorly treated patient or protecting the precious reputation of an unfairly accused physician.

A senior clinical faculty member at Harvard Medical School, Harold J. Bursztajn, M.D., is active in patient care in medical, psychiatric and judicial education nationally. He is qualified in both state and federal courts and is nationally recognized as a distinguished impartial, clinical, ethical and forensic expert to P/D attorneys and institutions. Individual and multispecialty team consultations available.

• Informed Consent & Malpractice
• Employment Litigation: ADA, Disability, Sexual Misconduct Discrimination, Worker's Compensation
• Emotional & Physical Damages: Conscious Pain & Suffering, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Neuropsychiatry & Pain Imaging
• Standards For Experts
• Product Liability: Medical Devices & Pharmaceuticals, Toxic Tort
• Criminal Justice & Public Safety: Diminished Capacity, Drug Addiction, Competency to Confess, Death Penalty Mitigation, Workplace Safety
• Family & Custody Issues
• Testamentary & Contractual Capacity
• Professional & Organizational Ethics: Patient Care, Managed Care, Privacy
• Psychoanalysis & Cultural Perspectives

• Criminal Court Evaluations - Competence to Stand Trial, Assessment of Criminal Responsibility, NGRI Assessments
• Civil Court Evaluations - Personal Injury with Psychiatric symptoms, Brain Injury with Psychiatric symptoms, Malpractice related questions
• Family Court Evaluations - Involuntary Commitment, Guardianship, Testamentary Capacity, Undue Influence, Contractual Capacity, Fitness to Parent, Child Custody
• Third Party Forensic Evaluations - Fitness for Duty, Return to Work, Disability, ADA Accommodations, Medical Necessity, Independent Psychiatric Evaluations

Wayne H. Grant, PharmD, is a Clinical Pharmacist with over 30 years of pharmacy experience working in or within various practice settings—retail, long-term care, home infusion, sterile products, corrections, hospice, specialty, and hospitals.  

Dr. Grant has prepared and delivered educational programs to physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals based on his extensive experience in multiple disease states. Programs include topics such as Pain Management, COPD, and Motor Neuron Diseases.

Serving as an integral member of multiple pharmacy and therapeutics committees, he has promoted evidence-based interventions while driving quality initiatives and building a highly collaborative consortium among healthcare professionals.  

Earning his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Florida, his Master of Business Administration for Kent State University, and his Bachelor of Science from Ohio Northern University highlights Dr. Grant's drive for education, understanding, and application of pharmacy services.  

Dr. Wayne Grant on Consulting with Attorneys

Litigation Support - Dr. Grant is an expert in pharmacy practice. His expertise in long-term, institutional, infusion, and retail practice allow for an extensive understanding of the various pharmacy sectors. He is responsible for pharmacotherapeutic management, medication safety and efficacy and drug information all which follow federal, state, and local laws. He has provided a variety of expert witness services on behalf of legal professionals, including attorney consultation, case review, case opinion, and written case opinion. 

Areas of Medication Expertise:

View Dr. Grant's Consulting Profile.

Gail Fisher, BSN, RN, CNOR, LNC, has over 40 years of experience in the healthcare industry with a primary focus on Perioperative Nursing services. Within this domain, her expertise lies in General, Orthopedic, Trauma, and Cardiac Surgery Procedures.

Ms. Fisher has gained fluency in various nursing surgical specialties, such as Scrub, Circulating, Charge, Cardiac Specialty Coordinator, Informaticist, Educator, and Perioperative Director. Additionally, she spent 5 years as a Quality Improvement Coordinator, conducting retrospective reviews of inpatient medical records and resolving documentation discrepancies for the cardiovascular lab. She has also played a crucial role in large-scale transition and activation projects, facilitating procedural areas and ensuring smooth moves into new healthcare facilities.

For a decade, Ms. Fisher has been dedicated to providing perioperative instruction and expert guidance to over 100 experienced transitioning and new grad nurses. Her unwavering commitment to excellence has made me a valuable asset in the healthcare industry.  She has designed, developed, and implemented a successful surgical technician program. 

Litigation Support - As an expert witness, Ms. Fisher's expertise in AORN standards, guidelines, and workflows is invaluable in providing credible, objective testimony in legal matters related to perioperative practices and procedures. Her extensive knowledge, proficiency, and insider's viewpoint in this domain make her well-equipped to deliver comprehensive support and insights. Additionally, Ms. Fisher's role as a Quality Improvement Coordinator has afforded her the opportunity to develop a high level of proficiency in identifying errors and missing information in patient records

Services:

• Comprehensive medical record review and analysis 
• Expert witness
• Detailed medical chronology, fact summary report with expert opinion for medical legal cases 
• Observation and reporting for defense medical exams 
• Expert witness location, demand letters, merit reviews, and declaration prep 

Skills: Training Course Development · Microsoft PowerPoint · CNOR · Cerner Educator · Cardiac Surgery · Certified Education Master

Margaret M. Gedde, MD, PhD, brings authoritative clarity to interpretation of Blood Cannabinoids and other drugs in criminal and civil THC DUI / DWI cases, providing data-driven interpretation of blood levels based on recognized sources in testimony and in written reports. In addition to the MD degree, Dr. Gedde holds a PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University and is Board Certified in Clinical Pathology, the medical specialty that includes toxicology.

Litigation Support - Dr. Gedde has 22 years of experience in clinical practice, with 15 of those in cannabis medicine. She has been in active practice for 10 years as an expert witness for cases involving cannabis and other drugs, with testimony 13 times at a trial, hearing, or deposition in the past four years. Dr. Gedde helps defense attorneys use medical pharmacology and toxicology findings to cross-examine witnesses who testify regarding interpretation of THC blood tests.

Dr. Gedde is knowledgeable about the environment around medical marijuana for physicians and has been qualified in civil and administrative courts as an expert witness regarding the practice of cannabis medicine. As a medical toxicology expert witness, Dr. Gedde’s background also includes post-doctoral research into the molecular biology of bacterial pathogenesis at the University of California at Berkeley and 5 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a clinical microbiology director and consultant.

Expertise:

Dr. Gedde provides clinical expertise in medical use of cannabinoids through her cannabis-focused telemedicine practice. She is known for a clinical focus in use of cannabinoids in pediatric epilepsy.

I am a board-certified emergency medicine physician. I have been called upon to express opinions in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury, negligence, standard of care, and causation. I am involved in both plaintiff and defense cases.

My qualifications include: 

• Award-winning emergency physician in active practice with 30 years clinical experience
• Former Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine (Volunteer) at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
• Current VP of company that staffs 500 emergency departments, overseeing more than 5000 ER providers in risk management and quality assurance issues 
• Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP) 
• Past President of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians 
• Medical Director of California Highway Patrol 
• Extensive publication and speaking experience in the area of emergency medicine

Garson M. Caruso, MD, MPH, PA, is a board certified Occupational Physician in private consulting practice with extensive clinical and administrative experience in emergency and occupational medicine, including:

• Case Review, Analysis, and Management
• Impairment Determination and Disability Rating
• Medical Direction
• Industrial Illness and Injury Care
• Medical Review Officer functions

Dr. Caruso has performed occupational health services and consulting for organizations including Lockheed Martin, Bechtel Aberdeen, PepsiCo, Dean Foods, The New York Transit Authority, and multiple Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He has very broad and in-depth case management and file review experience involving complex disability and workers’ compensation claims. 

Dr. Caruso is a Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and International Academy of Independent Medical Evaluators (IAIME); a Certified Independent Medical Examiner (CIME; 2009-2014); and a Certified Medical Review Officer. He has also held numerous leadership roles in ACOEM, and both published and presented at national, state, and local conferences in his areas of expertise. Dr. Caruso's primary professional interests are worker disability prevention and management, with a particular focus on the psychosocial aspects of occupational medicine and workers compensation, and prevention or minimization of unnecessary work disability. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Caruso's expertise is available to counsel representing both plaintiff and defendant. His services include Independent Medical Evaluations, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. Dr. Caruso is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Louisiana, and North Carolina. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Dr. Caruso's Consulting Profile.

EXPERTISE IN: 1. The pathobiology, clinico-pathologic correlation, and histopathologic diagnosis of: diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, anus, liver, and pancreas. 2. Human neoplasms (cancer) and preneoplastic conditions. 3. Establishing standard of care, causation and cause of death. 

BACKGROUND: 

1. Anatomic Pathology Residency: Washington Univ-Barnes Hospital 1991-94.
2. Oncologic Pathology Fellowship: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 1994-95.
3. Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology Fellowship: Harvard-Brigham & Women's Hospital 1995-96.
4. Instructor at Harvard Medical School: 1996-1998.
5. Assistant Professor and Director of Gastrointestinal Pathology Division at UT-Health Science Center-Hermann Hospital, Houston Medical Center: 08/1998 - 12/2000.
6. Staff GI Pathologist and Quality Assurance Director at Caris/Miraca Life Sciences, Dallas TX: 01/2001 - 04/2012.  Dr. Torres was instrumental in creating a unique model of Gastrointestinal Pathology subspecialty-focused laboratory, during his tenure at Caris/Miraca Life Sciences.
7. Staff Pathologist, Anatomic Pathology Division of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, Long Island NY: 05/2012 - 05/2015.
8. Staff Pathologist, Anatomic Pathology Division of Alliance Health Sciences, Dallas TX: 06/2015 - 05/2020.
9. Sole Proprietor of Expert Pathology Consultation Services Laboratory since 01/2020, which provides diagnostic pathology services to hundreds of clinicians of different subspecialties.         

Ms. Elizabeth D'Alesio has 30 years experience in ICU, including Medical, Surgical and Acute Care. She is ICU certified. She has managed the ICU and telemetry floor which includes bed monitoring. Ms. D'Alesio has also been involved with creating policy/procedure to meet JACHO requirements as well as ongoing recruiting of new ICU staff. She has served on the ethics committee for four years while in management.

Ms. D'Alesio is currently employed at the Reproductive Science Center of Milford and Milford Regional Medical Center where she administers Conscious Sedation, assists physicians with pacemakers, arteriograms and picc lines for septic patients.She currently holds certifications as and Adult Nurse Practitioner and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner,and has recently completed the Kaplan Life Care Planning Course.

Elliot D. Felman, MD, is Board Certified in Family Practice. In practice for more than 32 years. Experienced in both plaintiff and defense review, deposition and testimony for evaluation of medical malpractice. Available for evaluation of Standard of Care for Family Practice, General Practice and Internal Medicine. Clinical Faculty - UCLA School of Medicine.  Expert Reviewer - State Medical Board of California.

Areas of Expertise: