CHSC Board of Directors announces three new appointees
At their June meeting, Chapel Haven’s Board of Directors approved three new board members, whose terms begin in July. We are excited to welcome them! Learn more about our board here and read below about our newest members.
Board Chair Thomas O’Neill said all three bring great strengths to CHSC.
“I am proud to announce three new members of the Chapel Haven Schleifer Center Board of Directors: Dr John Belizikian and his wife Sophie’s daughter Diana is a member of the Chapel Haven community, and is also a published author. Dr Karen Gardner’s son Andy is a Chapel Haven community member. Karen is a physician. Dr Barbara Cook is a Speech and Hearing Pathologist and a faculty member at Southern Connecticut University. We are fortunate to have the expertise that these three professionals bring to the Chapel Haven Schleifer Center . Welcome!”
Dr. Karen Gardner
Dr. Karen Gardner
Dr Karen Gardner is an Internal Medicine Physician at Clarke and Gardner Internal Medicine Associates in Wynnewood, PA. She is known for her expertise in preventive medicine and her affiliation with MDVIP, emphasizing the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Previously, Karen was a partnership owner and manager at Clarke and Gardner Internal Medicine from October 2000 to March 2015. She has been board-certified in internal medicine since August 1997. In addition to her medical career, Karen is involved in various philanthropic activities, including initiating the Chapel Haven Schleifer Center’s Health and Wellness Program (2018 to present). She and husband Steve have a son, Andy, who lives in our supported living community, and a daughter, Lisa, who is working and living in Colorado Springs.
Dr. John Bilezikian
John P. Bilezikian, MD, PhD (hon), the Dorothy L. and Daniel H. Silberberg Professor of Medicine at the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, is Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine for International Education and Research and Chief, Emeritus, of the Division of Endocrinology. He belongs to and has had leadership positions in many organizations that are dedicated to patient care, medical research, and education.
He and wife Sophie, have a daughter, Diana Bilezikian, who is a community member at CHSC and published author.
Dr. Barbara Cook
Dr. Barbara Cook is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Communication Disorders at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). She is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, having earned her degrees in the areas of speech, language, and hearing from the State University of New York (SUNY) Plattsburgh (B.A. ’84) and SUNY New Paltz (M.S. ’89). Dr. Cook played an instrumental role in establishing CHSC’s Asperger Syndrome Adult Transition (ASAT) program. She also helped ASAT develop an intro course in social communication and college readiness at SCSU that remains an integral part of the curriculum.
