2023 RLS Virtual Summit Speakers

Berkowski

J. Andrew Berkowski, MD

ReLACS Health, Ann Arbor, MI

Before receiving Board Certification in Sleep Medicine and Neurology, Dr. Berkowski earned his bachelor's degree in religious studies at Stanford University. Next, he returned to his home state of Michigan to study medicine–graduating from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed a transitional year internship at Henry Ford Hospital and neurology residency training at the Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University. Dr. Berkowski completed his fellowship training in sleep medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Berkowski is a sleep specialist at ReLACS Health, a direct specialty care clinic specializing in telemedicine care of RLS and complex sleep disorders, currently serving patients in Michigan, Ohio and Florida.Berkowski serves on the Foundation's Brain Bank Committee.

Mark Buchfuhrer

Mark J. Buchfuhrer, MD, FRCP(C), FCCP

Downey Regional Medical Center; Downey, CA

Dr. Buchfuhrer is an attending staff physician at Downey Regional Medical Center, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital and Long Beach Community Hospital in Downey, California. He started a sleep laboratory at Downey Regional Medical Center in 1983 and then became a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Buchfuhrer became interested in RLS in about 1992 and has developed a large outpatient RLS practice. He has served on the Medical Advisory Board of the RLS Foundation from 1998 to 2005. Dr. Buchfuhrer has written several publications on RLS including the patient book RLS, Coping With Your Sleepless Nights sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), a handbook for doctors on RLS and is currently working on his third book.

Karla Dzienkowski

Karla Dzienkowski, RN, BSN

Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, Austin, TX

In January 2014, Karla accepted the position of executive director at the RLS Foundation. Since then she has made a huge impact on the organization. Karla first learned about RLS in her dual roles as a mother and registered nurse when her daughter, then 11 1/2 years old, began to experience symptoms that doctors could not explain. Karla crossed the country looking for answers before finally finding a knowledgeable doctor, and shortly after, the RLS Foundation. Eager for answers, Karla joined the Foundation's Board of Directors in 2004 and served through 2009. As a board member, she encouraged pediatric RLS research, along with programs to increase awareness and education of RLS in the medical and school communities. Karla believes that much work has yet to be done in disseminating information about RLS to the public and the medical community, and that much more research into its cause and treatment is needed. Karla drives the mission of the Foundation with her leadership, and she is passionate about promoting research for better treatments and a cure.

Earley

Christopher J. Earley, MB, BCh, PhD, FRCPI

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center; Baltimore, MD

Dr. Earley is a Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he also co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Restless Legs, a certified RLS Quality Care Center. Dr. Earley is board certified in internal medicine, neurology and sleep medicine. Dr. Earley's research interests include RLS and sleep medicine, specifically the pathophysiology of RLS and revealing the value of various treatments. He is chair of the RLS Foundation’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and is an active member of the Foundation's Research Grant Committee.

Phil Goglas

Phillip Goglas II

Health and Medicine Counsel, Washington, DC

Philip Goglas II is the Legislative Director at the Health and Medicine Counsel. He has worked with non-profit health organizations for over five years expanding research activities and educating policymakers on the issues of importance to the patient community. Phil has expertise in the appropriations process and advancing critical priorities of the rare disease community through Congress. Prior to joining the Health and Medicine Counsel, Phil worked for two New York House Members. Phil graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Government and Politics and is currently pursuing his Masters in Public Administration and Public Policy at American University.

Tish Hevel

Tish Hevel

The Brain Donor Project, Naples, FL

Tish Hevel is the Founder/CEO of The Brain Donor Project, a unique non-profit that exclusively supports the brain banks of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the NeuroBioBank. The Brain Donor Project was established in late 2016 to raise awareness of the critical need for donated brain tissue to advance the science of brain disease and to simplify the process of becoming a brain donor. To date, more than 17,000 people have taken steps to become a brain donor when the time comes. They represent more than 160 categories of brain disease…and almost half have healthy (or control) brains. The Brain Donor Project was inspired by the death of Tish’s dad, Gene, who died from Lewy Bodies Dementia and was a brain donor himself.

Ondo

William Ondo, MD

Houston Methodist Neurological Institute; Houston, TX

Dr. Ondo serves as director of the Movement Disorder Clinic at the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, a certified RLS Quality Care Center. Throughout his career, Ondo has written more than 250 articles and book chapters. A movement disorder specialist, he is board certified in adult neurology and sleep medicine. Ondo's research specializes in Parkinson's disease, essential tremors, the use of botulinum toxins in treating movement disorders, and restless legs syndrome. At the RLS Foundation, Ondo is an active member of the Opiates Committee on the RLS Foundation Scientific and Medical Advisory Board.

Paruthi

Shalini Paruthi, MD

St. Louis University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO

Dr. Paruthi practices in St. Louis, MO, where she sees patients of all ages. She has a particular interest in sleep disorders of childhood –obstructive sleep apnea, insomnias, narcolepsy, and –of course –restless legs syndrome. Not only do her patients benefit from her extensive study; she is a teacher as well –as an adjunct associate professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and is board-certified in Sleep Medicine and Internal Medicine. Dr. Paruthi’s interest and energy extend to research pursuits as well, extending our understanding of sleep and its many disruptions and diseases. She is Co-Director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis. She has contributed widely to activities of American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) chairing sleep focused conferences, participating in task forces, serving on committees, including the Education Committee and national SLEEP meeting Program Committee. Currently she is on the editorial advisory board for Sleep Review: the Journal for Sleep Specialists, and recently joined the RLS Foundation Board of Directors.

Chuck Phelps

Charles E. Phelps, PhD

Rochester, NY

Dr. Charles E. Phelps holds a BA in Mathematics, an MBA in Hospital Administration and PhD in Business Economics. Professor Phelps taught at the University of Rochester for over two decades where he was named Provost Emeritus. He has published over 120 articles covering the fields of health economics, health policy, medical decision analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis of various medical interventions and other related topics. He remains active in health policy and health economics research. His recent research focuses on finding better ways to diagnose RLS. He focuses on the decades-long delays in RLS patients finally receiving proper diagnoses and treatment, and the problems of inadequate information among healthcare providers about RLS, its symptoms, and its proper treatment.

Winkelman

John W. Winkelman, MD, PhD

Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA

Board certified in both psychiatry and sleep medicine, Winkelman treats patients at Massachusetts General Hospital. He specializes in RLS, insomnia, sleep apnea, sleep-related eating disorders and parasomnias. Winkelman's research primarily focuses on:

  • Epidemiology, physiology, cardiovascular consequences and the treatment of RLS
  • Neurobiology and treatment of insomnia

Winkelman serves as chair of the American Academy of Neurology Practice Parameter Committee for the treatment of RLS. At the RLS Foundation, Winkelman is the current chair of the Opiates committee and serves on the Revised Treatment Consensus committee.